Why JA?

At Junior Achievement, we give people from the community and the private sector—people just like you—the opportunity to empower the students of Greater Cleveland to own their future economic success. 

Right now:

• 20% of U.S. students will not complete high school on time and earn a diploma.
• 49% of U.S. employers recognize that talent shortages impact their ability to serve clients and customers.
• 36% of Americans say that they have at some point in their lives felt their financial situation was out of control.
• 91% of millennials wish they had greater access to entrepreneurial education programs.

But you can help to change these statistics by getting involved with Junior Achievement! 

With your support, together we can inspire students to finish school, guide them toward fulfilling careers, and provide them with the knowledge they need to manage their personal finances for life.   
 

How does JA accomplish this?

Volunteers like you are the backbone of Junior Achievement and all that we do to prepare the next generation to thrive in our global 21^st century economy. 

Junior Achievement enlists volunteers from the community and the private sector to teach our curriculum in schools.  Our lessons have been developed by professional educators but are accessible enough to be taught by volunteers who have never led a classroom before.

Why do we have volunteers teach our programs instead of just letting teachers do it?  Because every person's journey to a successful career is different.  We provide you with the materials, but you tell your own professional story and make each lesson unique.  You get the chance to be a mentor, and possibly inspire a young person to follow in your footsteps and pursue a career that he or she never knew existed before meeting you.   

JA Essentials

Our mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.

Our vision is to be recognized by businesses, educators, and policy makers as the thought leader and deliverer of relevant, responsive, and innovative programs which build young people's capacity to spur economic development and contribute to Cleveland's global competitiveness. 

Our three pillars are career readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy.  All of our programs focus on one or more of these three essential economic elements.  

As the JA office based in downtown Cleveland, we work throughout Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Lorain Counties.  Our programs allow us to serve students during their entire school careers, from kindergarten all the way up to 12th grade.