About Junior Achievement 
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 JA Worldwide Core Purpose:
To inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.
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Facts Benefits

~   JA of Greater Cleveland will provide programs to students in schools in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake & Lorain counties during the 2008-2009 school year.

~   The 2008-2009 budget is approximately $1,080,000. 

~   More than 5,000 local businesses, foundations, organizations and individuals provide funding through annual campaigns, special projects and fundraising events.

~   More than 3,000 local business people, community members and school teachers are involved annually in more than 1,650 classrooms.

~   48% of all classes were in 68 Cleveland Metropolitan Schools during the 2006-2007 school year.

~   The Greater Cleveland office has been in operation since 1941.

~  JA students demonstrate a significant understanding of economics and business knowledge and an enhanced desire to stay in school and pursue a career in business–-particularly those exposed to programs at consecutive grade levels.

~  Teachers credit volunteers as a major factor for the positive impact of JA, saying that volunteers bring an outside business perspective into the classroom and serve as positive role models for students.

~   Schools have an opportunity to form meaningful partnerships with area businesses.

~   Volunteers share personal experiences, success stories and information about their career while enjoying a meaningful and fun experience!

~   Sponsoring companies and organizations have an opportunity to invest in the future work force of Cleveland.
 
 
  
  
  
 
 

 
Overview  

Junior Achievement is dedicated to educating young people about business, economics and personal finances. JA programs are taught by volunteers in class and after school in over 200 schools and organizations throughout Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties.  JA’s classroom volunteers come from all walks of life and include business people, college students, parents and retirees. These dedicated individuals are the backbone of the organization.

Junior Achievement builds partnerships between the business and education communities to provide the curriculum and volunteers who serve as role models to the students to help prepare them for their future.  Over 42,000 students actively participated in Junior Achievement programs during the 2007-2008 school year. 

JA provides 17 separate, sequential programs to students in kindergarten through 12th grades.  Our programs focus on seven key content areas: business, citizenship, economics, entrepreneurship, ethics and character, financial literacy and career development.

In the elementary grades, students learn about needs vs. wants, different types of jobs, and money & banking.  Middle grades students study budgeting, job interviewing and decision-making.  In high school, students try their hand at entrepreneurship, writing business plans and financial management.  The Junior Achievement programs supplement standard social studies curricula and develop skills that are essential to success in the workplace and in life.

Junior Achievement programs are funded through contributions from businesses, individuals, foundations and special event fund-raisers.  We are not a United Way agency.
 
Junior Achievement and the Business Community
Junior Achievement's approach to economic education involves a volunteer business person, known as a consultant, who makes regular visits to a JA classroom.  Along with the JA training and lesson plans, the consultant shares his or her professional and life experiences with the students.  The consultant motivates students by providing a realistic view of the world beyond school and helps students understand the relevance of staying in school to their future success.  Through participation in Junior Achievement, students develop a solid understanding of and appreciation for the many opportunities presented by our free enterprise system.  JA students will learn skills and develop positive attitudes and critical thinking skills that will enable them to grow up to become productive and contributing members of society.
     
History
Junior Achievement was founded in 1919 by Theodore Vail, President of American Telephone & Telegraph; Horace Moses, President of Strathmore Paper Co.; and Senator Murray Crane of Massachusetts.  The first program, the Company Program, was offered to high school students after school.  In 1975, the organization entered the classroom with the introduction of Project Business for the middle grades, adding Applied Economics for high school and Business Basics for elementary school shortly thereafter.  In the last 20 years, Junior Achievement has gradually expanded its activities and broadened its scope to encompass an ever-widening student population.


View Junior Achievement of Greater Cleveland's Annual Reports.

Contact Junior Achievement