Junior Achievement and Staples Launch National Partnership Focused on Work and Career Readiness for America’s Youth

Two-Year Collaboration Will Support Work and Career Readiness Initiatives Across the Country, as well as National Student Events and Programming for Teens Through Young Adults

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Junior Achievement USA (JA) and Staples announced the creation of a new two-year partnership that will deliver work and career readiness learning experiences to JA students ranging from Middle School to Young Adults. This partnership will encompass local program support and volunteer engagement in eight communities served by JA, along with support for two national student events, aligning with Staples' philanthropic and community engagement priorities. The national partnership will also include collaboration on programming and curriculum for teenagers and young adults graduating out of the JA program and preparing to take their first career steps.

At the local level, investments will be made in eight selected local communities where both JA and Staples have a strong presence. This will include the engagement of Staples employees as volunteers and mentors for JA youth in communities Staples serves.

The eight communities are:

· Boston, MA

· Orlando, FL

· Chicago, IL

· Dallas, TX

· Des Moines, IA

· Atlanta, GA

· Philadelphia, PA

· Denver, CO

According to research by the Social Science Research Council, more than 4 million young Americans are “disconnected youth”, those between the ages of 16 and 24 who are not working or in school. One key objective of the JA and Staples national partnership is to help engage teenagers and young adults and help them better understand the connection between what they learn in school and future job and career opportunities.

“Junior Achievement has had a great collaboration with Staples on a community level for many years,” said Tim Greinert, President of Junior Achievement USA. “This national partnership will open the doors of opportunity for so many more teens and young adults due to Staples’ commitment to work and career readiness education. We greatly appreciate their support to inspire and prepare the next generation in the communities both of our organizations serve.”

“As experts in the world of work and as a company of caring people, Staples is proud to continue our legacy of community involvement through our partnership with Junior Achievement USA,” said John Lederer, CEO, Staples, Inc. “JA students have very bright futures ahead as entrepreneurs, leaders and business experts, and we’re pleased to play a role in building the experts of tomorrow.”

About Staples

Staples serves millions of customers, from businesses of all sizes to entrepreneurs, remote workers, parents, teachers, and students. Headquartered near Boston, Massachusetts, Staples operates through eCommerce, direct business-to-business sales, and approximately 1,000 retail stores across the United States. Explore more at a local Staples US Retail Store, online at Staples.com or in the Staples App.

Global Leadership Conference: A week as #OneJA

Do you ever find yourself caught up in the day-to-day, seemingly small tasks that somehow all come together to make up your job description? Same. Sometimes when you’re doing great, big things, that big vision gets lost in the small, sometimes annoying, albeit important, tiny things.

Want to know what can snap you out of the in-the-weeds mindset, and remind you that your work goes far beyond the little things? Spending a week with more than 300 of your colleagues from around the world who have stories to share that go far beyond what you could’ve ever imagined.

JA Worldwide, the organization that connects JA USA local offices to the rest of the globe, has offices in more than 100 countries, and when combined with JA USA, served more than 10,000,000 students last year.

A snippet of this group were the colleagues that made up this year’s Global Leadership Conference, hosted by yours truly, JA of Georgia. For a week, we heard from industry leaders, local staff members, and our own leadership teams. We shared stories of success, and best practices for everyone to bring back to their corner of the globe. We came together as #OneJA, with one mission in mind:

To empower youth to believe that they are the builders of their futures.

After three days of insightful workshops and networking, we had the culminating Awards Night to honor distinguished leaders throughout our network. Below are the winners of these prestigious awards.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is a recognition of a chief executive of a member country who has contributed significantly to the growth and impact of JA programs at national level.

Nina Kuznetsova, Executive Director of JA Russia

The Soraya Salti Award was created in memory of the visionary leader who started INJAZ Al-Arab in the Middle East, which now reaches students across the region in 14 countries. It recognizes innovative JA visionaries who move JA forward in a positive way, bringing systematic change to a country or a region. 

Caroline Jenner, CEO of JA Europe. Not pictured: Co-winner Majid Khalid Al-shammiri, CEO of INJAZ Yemen

The JA Collaboration Award recognizes member countries, U.S. Areas and Regional Operating Centers that champion collaborative projects between and among themselves to encourage worldwide cooperation that promotes efforts around fundraising, operational efficiency and program reach.

JA Bulgaria, JA Greece, JA Latvia, JA Norway, & JA Romania

The JA Alumni Engagement Award recognizes member countries, U.S. Areas and Regional Operating Centers that have developed robust alumni strategies including tracking, communication and engagement projects.

Co-winners: JA Nigeria and INJAZ Al-Arab

The Karl Flemke Award recognizes the accomplishments of a JA Area President for their outstanding achievements, all while being in the position for four years or less.

Megan Sturges, JA of Greater Kansas City

The Charles R. Hook Award  is given annually to the JA Area President whose professionalism and performance best represents the core values and ideals of Junior Achievement. 

Jack Harris, JA of Georgia

What a phenomenal week, topped off with Jack taking home a top honor (more on that next week).

To all our colleagues around the nation and world: thank you for joining us in our hometown for a week of collaborative efforts (and some fun), that will no doubt lead to improved practices and inspired thinking from all.