JA Cultivates Tomorrow's Entrepreneurs

Author: JA Lincoln
Entrepreneurship
Published: Monday, 09 Nov 2020

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November is National Entrepreneurship Month! If you know Junior Achievement, you know that entrepreneurship is a topic we hold close to our hearts as one of the cornerstones of our mission.

JA works every day to instill an entrepreneurial mindset in our students, providing a launch pad for tomorrow’s brightest innovators. Our hands-on entrepreneurship programs expose youth to business concepts, helping them understand that start-ups are a viable career option and providing opportunities to run their own businesses, work as part of a team, and be guided by real-world mentors, including local entrepreneurs and business professionals.

Our experiential programs and learning experiences foster the confidence, knowledge and determination for youth to thrive—building a better future for themselves and their community.

Here’s the best part! We don’t just believe that our programs make an impact. The research shows that JA works. Studies show that JA students:

Start businesses at a rate 2.5 times higher than the general population
Understand the balance between risk and reward
Know how to leverage resources to start a business
Think critically, solve problems and overcome challenges
Know how to increase revenue and manage expenses to maximize profits

While many JA programs incorporate entrepreneurship concepts, there are some that make it their primary focus.

JA Be Entrepreneurial is an in-class program that challenges students through interactive activities to start their own entrepreneurial venture while still in high school. The program provides useful, practical content to assist teens in the transition from being students to productive, contributing members of society.

JA Spark is a one-day workshop that gives high school students a chance to hear from local entrepreneurs and create their own business plan. The day ends with a pitch competition with local judges.

In the Cathedral 8th Grade Entrepreneurship Program, 8th grade students from Cathedral of the Risen Christ formulate business plans and run businesses throughout the school year, culminating in a pitch competition with local judges. Most proceeds from the student businesses are donated to charity.