About Us

The Mission

THE MISSION OF JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT INTERNATIONAL IS: To recognize and serve Member Nations that develop and implement economic education programs for young people through a partnership between business and education. The programs are implemented by Member Nations to help young people gain an understanding of:

  • The Importance of Market-Driven Economies;
  • The Role Of Business In A Global Economy;
  • The Commitment of Business To Environmental And Social Issues;
  • The Commitment of Business To Operate In An Ethical Manner;
  • The Relevance of Education In The Workplace;
  • The Impact of Economics On Their Future

History of JA

The Early Years

Junior Achievement International is an affiliate of Junior Achievement Inc., which was founded in 1919 in Springfield, Massachusetts, by Horace Moses, then president of Strathmore Paper Company.

The original goal of Junior Achievement was to give young people the skills they needed to succeed in a business environment once they entered the workforce. This was accomplished through an after-school program that gave students the opportunity to run their own company set under the direction of a volunteer business person.

Innovation and Growth

Beginning in 1974, Junior Achievement began developing programs for in-school use. With this new focus, business people actually went into the classrooms to share their experiences with students during normal school hours.

International Expansion

In 1955, Junior Achievement established its first international operation in Canada. Following this, the program was implemented in several countries, including the United Kingdom, Mexico and the Philippines. By 1989, the program was operating in 15 countries. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, interest in Junior Achievement has grown at a phenomenal rate. Countries throughout the former Soviet Bloc have begun implementing JA programs. This interest in private sector development has also carried over to other regions, including Latin America, Africa, the Caribbean and Asia.

To better meet this increased need, Junior Achievement International was established in 1994 to develop and serve JA programs outside the United States. As a result, Junior Achievement International has grown into an organization that annually serves over 1.75 million young people in 112 countries. Programs have been developed in 36 languages. Junior Achievement International is a not-for-profit organization with a private sector board of directors and is a registered non-governmental organization (NGO). It is supported by international corporations, foundations, individuals and development organizations.

In addition to the regional office in Zlin, Czech Republic (Central & Eastern Europe), in 2001 JAI opened regional offices in South Asia, Brussels, Belgium (Western Europe), Hong Kong (South Asia), Kazakhstan (NIS), Trinidad & Tobago (Caribbean), Cote d'Ivoire (Francophone Africa), and Jordan (Middle East).

At the beggining of 2000, JA programs encompassed about 6 million students Worldwide – JAI plan by 2005, is to increase annualnumber of students involved in the program to 11 million.

Junior Achievement in Serbia

Establishment of JAS


Živorad Kovačević,
President of the Managing Board

Zvonko Brnjas,
Executive Director

Snežana Zrnić,
Marketing Coordinator

Irena Komazec,
Finances and Programme Development Coordinator

Vladimir Vlašić,
Program Development Advisor

Nenad Ristić,
Program Assistant

Junior Achievement in Serbia (JAS) has been established in October 2002 after signing an agreement between Junior Achievement International (JAI) and the European Movement in Serbia (EMIS). This operating agreement has authorized EMIS to be the host of JAS and develop JA programs in Serbia.

Junior Achievement Serbia (JAS) will serve as an independent unit within organizational framework of EMIS. It has been agreed that after certain period of incubation, JAS will be spun off and eventually establish itself as the separate non-profit organization registered with Serbia.

Staff

Operational team implementing JA programs in Serbia consists of: Zvonko Brnjas, Executive Director, Irena Komazec, Manager for Finances and Program Development, Snežana Zrnić, Marketing Coordinator and Vladimir Vlašić, Coordinator of MESE Program

JA organizations Worldwide are managed by Managing Board comprised of representatives of big enterprises (usually top management and entrepreneurals), and biggest sponsors and donors supporting development of the program in their countries. Business community in Serbia is also supporting JAS, but at the moment it is mostly based on ad hoc support within individual projects.

JAS Managing Board is still in the process of founding, while the role of the President is performed by Mr. Živorad Kovačević, who is at the same time the President of EMIS. In a period to come, it is expected that seats in the Managing board would be taken by Serbian managers and entrepreneuers whose companies would provide crucial and long term support to JAS.