Mission
To empower young people to own their economic success.
History and Purpose
Junior Achievement nationally was founded by Horace Moses in 1919. The program was initially designed to help young people learn and experience firsthand the free enterprise system. Locally, JA has enriched the lives of close to 230,000 children since the founding of Spartanburg’s chapter in 1969 and the Greenville chapter in 1972. Both areas quickly gained support and momentum through the support of members of their local Rotary Clubs and Chambers of Commerce. Now called JA of Upstate SC and covering the counties of Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens, we are an affiliate of the world’s largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing kindergarten through 12th grade students to succeed in a global economy.
Impact
Junior Achievement is a partnership between the business community, educators and volunteers — all working together to inspire young people to dream big and reach their potential. JA’s hands-on, experiential programs teach the key concepts of work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy to young people. Through a dedicated and trained volunteer network, JA deliver these programs to area schools, career development centers, and recognized after school programs at no cost to the school or servicing organization and with no additional burden on the classroom teachers. These volunteers also serve as role models, emphasizing the relevance and value of education and bringing the real world of work into the classroom. The programs are correlated with national and state curriculum standards in math, social studies, and language arts, and fulfill the state mandates for age-appropriate courses in economics and financial literacy. The JA classes also support the skills and competencies identified by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.
JA of Upstate
2009-10 Impact 283 classes serving 6,002 students
2010-11 Impact 383 classes serving 8,265 students
2011-12 Impact 328 classes serving 6680 students
2012-13 Impact 544 classes serving 12,000 students
JA USA
2009-10 Impact
2010-11 Impact