Local Junior Achievement Finalist for Worldwide Alumni Engagement Award

Fostering success beyond high school for students that participated in JA’s K-12 programs

“Junior Achievement gave me the key to a world I knew nothing about,” in a video released earlier this year, JA alum turned volunteer, AJ Daley recounts the impact Junior Achievement (JA) has had on him and the power it has to impact so many children in Connecticut. “From day to day many children in Hartford are neglected by the world. The only world they see is within the ten mile radius of their block or street corner…It wasn’t just [JA’s] financial education and the education about the business world that was beneficial, but really what it was, was the mentoring, the exposure to people who are already where you want to be.” Over 51% of Junior Achievement alumni go into the industry or field of their JA volunteer. JA connects K-12 students with volunteers from local businesses, introducing them to opportunities for future careers and potential pathways to success early on. JA Alumni engagement continues to support talent pipeline development and career advancement across sectors.

 For years, JA of Southwest New England has been inviting alumni to speak at signature fundraising events and to volunteer in the classroom. Through these opportunities, alumni network with and volunteer alongside colleagues, key contacts and executives at top companies, and a variety of industries across the state. Opportunities AJ shared are vital for youth, “Unless you have access, unless you have opportunities where you can go in and engage and find out and learn and grow from, the opportunities that exist remain foreign to so many kids in the inner city.” Through these opportunities, JA also breaks down stereotypes surrounding the employability of urban youth and supports industry leaders in building diverse talent pipelines through their investment in local youth. These engagement experiences have afforded JA alumni internships, employment and additional contacts for career advancement as well as inspiring the future generation of leaders to build careers in growth industries and previously underrepresented fields.

The JA Worldwide Alumni Engagement Award recognizes Junior Achievement (JA) chapters around the world that have developed robust and innovative alumni engagement strategies. There are over 100 JA chapters in the United States and an additional 100 countries worldwide. The alumni strategies selected as finalists provide avenues for increased impact with JA alumni as well as enhance the JA area’s ability to promote fundraising initiatives and volunteering. Connecticut-based Junior Achievement of Southwest New England is in the running for this global recognition alongside the two other finalists, JA China and JA Nigeria. The winner will be announced on Thursday, November 18^th at JA Worldwide’s Global Leadership Conference.

 

View the full AJ Daley story here.

For media inquiries contact: Jeremy Race, President & CEO, Junior Achievement of Southwest New England jrace@jaconn.org

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