JA Worldwide® is the world’s largest non-profit education organization dedicated to teaching young people about business, economics, and free enterprise. In 1919, Horace A. Moses, President of Strathmore Paper Company, and Theodore Vail, Chairman of American Telephone and Telegraph in Springfield, Massachusetts, established Junior Achievement to introduce young people to the American business system. They established a “learning-by-doing” program that allowed students in organized groups to run small businesses under the guidance of experienced business owners/volunteers. These students graduated from high school with hands-on experience regarding business operations.
Today Junior Achievement is a partnership between the business community, educators and volunteers — all working together to inspire young people to dream big and reach their potential. JA’s hands-on, experiential programs teach the key concepts of work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy to young people all over the world. Junior Achievement programs focus on seven key content areas: business, citizenship, economics, entrepreneurship, ethics/character, financial literacy, and career development.
