Junior Achievement and the National African American Insurance Association Announce Partnership

Hartford, CT – Junior Achievement USA (JA) and the National African American Insurance Association (NAAIA) recently announced a new national partnership focused on closing the racial wealth gap in the United States. “Partnering with a Purpose” educates K-12 students in Black Communities about the importance of financial literacy, workplace readiness, and entrepreneurship. NAAIA Chapters will partner with JA offices across the country as part of this effort. The initiative will engage NAAIA members, insurance industry stakeholders and community collaborators as volunteers delivering Junior Achievement programming to students inside and outside of the classroom.

The partnership goals are:

• Increasing the awareness of opportunities and the attractiveness of careers in the insurance industry for the Black Community
• Educating Black communities about the importance of insurance as a wealth building, asset protection tool
• Working with JA Areas and other community partners to bring real solutions to Black communities and school districts by engaging insurance industry stakeholders
• Increasing minority representation among the network of JA volunteers 

“Over the past decade, Junior Achievement learning experiences have reached nearly 20 million Black and Latinx students," said Jeremy Race, President & CEO at Junior Achievement of Southwest New England.  "This partnership with NAAIA will help JA connect these students with more Black professionals who will not only share important information on career readiness and managing money but who will also serve as mentors.  Together, we are making a significant impact on the future talent pipeline.”

In support of the partnership, NAAIA National Board Chair, Janet Jordan-Foster, shared, “NAAIA is so pleased to be partnering with JA on educating young black and brown students about the various career opportunities available in the insurance industry. The opportunity to see and learn from successful and driven Black professionals from various disciplines in the industry should increase the awareness of the potential opportunities that exist and encourage many to consider careers in insurance.”

“NAAIA’s Hartford Chapter has been proudly partnering with JA for several years, bringing talented black and brown professionals into classrooms in Hartford schools,” said Ngozi Nnaji, Education Manager at Junior Achievement and NAAIA Hartford Chapter President.  “Bringing this partnership to a  national scope has been inspiring and fulfilling and we are excited to see this collaboration, that began in Hartford, CT, expand to places like Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New York, and many more.”

About Junior Achievement of Southwest New England

Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices.  JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship.  Today, JA reaches more than 4.8 million students per year in over 100 markets across the United States, with an additional 5.2 million students served by operations in 100 other countries worldwide.

In 2019, with the help of over 3,000 volunteers, JA of Southwest New England taught more than 47,000 local Connecticut students in kindergarten through high school about business, jobs, and the importance of education for success. With the onset of COVID-19 in early 2020, JA of Southwest New England pivoted to virtual programming.  Presently, we continue to offer virtual experiences to ensure we are able to meet educators, students, and parents where they are in this new educational landscape.

If you would like to find out more information about joining Junior Achievement of Southwest New England and how you can make a difference in a young person’s life by volunteering virtually this school year, please contact President & CEO, Jeremy Race at jrace@jaconn.org. Any support you provide to Junior Achievement will help us change the lives of students in Connecticut, inspiring and empowering them for future success.

About NAAIA

The National African American Insurance Association (NAAIA) was organized to create a network among Black professionals employed, self-employed in or affiliated in with the insurance industry. The association currently has 18 chapters with others in development and its members represent every sector of the industry. Pooling this wealth of talent contributes significantly to the association and its members through the sharing of professional knowledge, information and experiences.

NAAIA attempts on a continuous basis to promote and enhance professionalism in a manner that leads to industry recognition and career opportunities for its members.