JA Alumni News: May / April 2023

Dear JA alumnus,

After the last newsletter, we heard so much enthusiasm for JA and your interest in getting involved. Here are a few ways you deepen your involvement with JA:

• Volunteer: JA operates in more than 120 locations across six regions worldwide. Reach out to your local JA office to get involved. Contact our Global Alumni Ambassador Howard Leong if you need help contacting a JA office.
• Partner: If your organization is looking for a CSR opportunity, consider JA, one of the world’s most-impactful youth-serving NGOs.
• Work: Consider a career with JA Worldwide. You can see openings periodically at jaworldwide.org/employment and check whether your local JA office is hiring.
• Lead: We’re creating more touchpoints for you to connect with JA alumni leaders. If you’d like to be notified about upcoming JA alumni leaders’ events, join the Alumni Leadership Group on Gather.

We value your support for JA and our mission to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.

Warm regards,

JA Worldwide Alumni Team

FOR THE GLOBE

June 2023 JA Alumni Clubhouse

Join us on June 15 at 9amEDT/3pmCEST/9pmHKT to brainstorm and exchange ideas on the best practices for building your local alumni chapter. You’ll also get early access to JA alumni opportunities that you can share with your network.

The March 2023 JA Alumni Clubhouse covered recruitment, retention, and people with presentations from Henna Kaski (an alumna of JA Finland), Nelly Cetera (an alumna of JA Argentina), Milton Hernández (an alumnus of JA Mexico), Mark Wang (an alumnus of JA Guam), and Viktor Tsvetanov (an alumnus of JA Bulgaria). If you missed the March session, we’ve got you covered! You can still watch the recording and view the slides.

The next JA Alumni Clubhouse features a presentation on global, regional, and local alumni initiatives and a facilitated breakout session to support alumni leaders in membership, engagement, starting an alumni chapter, and JA offices.

RSVP to attend the next JA Alumni Clubhouse. We can’t wait to see you on June 15.

2023 Nobel Peace Prize, JA Worldwide’s Second Nomination

For the second year in a row, JA Worldwide has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. The nomination is a testament to JA’s mission to empower economic development in the pursuit of prosperity and peace.

“Peace is possible only when youth in all countries and regions have economic empowerment,” said JA Worldwide CEO Asheesh Advani. “By creating opportunity, prosperity, and self-belief, JA’s work empowers youth in over 100 countries with the skillset and mindset to build thriving communities. For over a century, JA has operated in areas of political instability, violence, and war, helping youth build entrepreneurship skills and economic resilience. For this work, JA Worldwide is recognized year after year as one of the top ten NGOs in the world, providing economic empowerment to millions of young people.”

Read more about the nomination.

JA Global Impact Report 2023

At JA, we celebrate all forms of impact, from those that incubate global social movements to those that foster better outcomes for individuals, families, and communities. As a result of JA experiences, our alumni (that means you!) start more companies, hire more employees, and produce significantly larger annual sales than ventures led by non-alumni. Our alumni also save more, hold less debt, and are less likely to spend more than they earn. JA alumni report higher levels of household income and career satisfaction. And you’re less likely to drop out of school, face unemployment, or collect social insurance.

You’ll learn all about JA’s impact in our latest JA Global Impact Report, which is sourced from more than 40 studies of JA learning experiences, using robust research methods to understand program impacts. Read more at jaworldwide.org/impact.

Application for TKS, the World’s Top Innovation Accelerator for Teens

The Knowledge Society (TKS) is a ten-month innovation program for teens that's a perfect opportunity for young JA alumni, ages 13 to 17. The program is designed to accelerate your trajectory and help you make a dent in the universe.

TKS alumni have gone on to become the youngest employees at SpaceX, NASA, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAi. They’ve started venture-backed companies (raising over $80M) and spoken on some of the world’s most prominent stages.

By the end of the ten-month program, participants:

• Gain real-world work experience with organizations like Google, Airbnb, the United Nations, IKEA, and Microsoft.
• Understand emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, Nanotech, Genomics, and Blockchain.
• Develop a portfolio of projects and thought leadership, includingMaster’s/Ph.D. level projects, in less than a year(no prior experience required, this is what TKS is about!)
• Learn the mindset, confidence, and problem-solving abilities you’ll need to tackle the world’s toughest problems.
• Be mentored by industry professionals, including mentors fromNetflix, Stanford, Uber, Apple, Harvard& more.
• Have the chance to EARN opportunities like speaking on global stages, internships, scholarships, and startup funding (US$100K–$5M).

Instead of focusing on grades, TKS looks for curiosity, drive, and willingness to put in the work. There’s no prerequisite to applying and up to 100% tuition support, so don’t let cost or grades hold you back from changing your future! Apply now for the Global Virtual Program.

What’s Happening? 

Listen to JA Uganda Alumni Twitter Spaces Talk

During the celebration of Women’s History Month in March, JA Africa Alumni President Murriel Atai hosted a conversation on Twitter Spaces with women leaders. They spoke about digitalization opportunities for women and how social media personal branding and intentional customer relationship management can propel a woman’s career or business. Listen to the recording on Twitter Spaces.

Check out Highlights from JA Alumni Europe National Coordinator Meeting (NCM)

Fifty-one JA alumni leaders from across the European network gathered in Cologne, Germany, March 31–April 2 for NCM Spring ’23. With a communications theme, alumni leaders worked together to imagine solutions to solve economic challenges in the region. Check out highlights of the annual congregation on Instagram.

Sign Up Now for Spring Getaway to Italy

JA Alumni Italy is hosting a spring weekend in Marsala, Sicily, Italy. Activities will revolve around the theme of innovation. The €100 fee covers accommodation and meals.

Watch a Snippet of the JA Mexico Alumni Coffee Talk

JA Mexico Alumni held a hybrid event for local alumni in the beautiful JA Mexico office. Sergio Yániz, Director General of JA Morelos, shared his life story and insights with more than 40 JA alumni from Mexico. Watch a brief rundown of the gathering in this snippet.

JEL Alumni (Luxembourg) Entrepreneurs Gather for a Hangout

JEL Alumni held its third entrepreneurship hangout of the year in March. Twenty-six JA alumni gathered to listen to the cofounder at Arca Properties and JA alumnus Matheus Sequeiros recounts his entrepreneurial journey. Matheus’s interest in entrepreneurship started with reselling products at flea markets. Today, he runs a luxury real estate business with 12 full-time employees. Connect with Matheus on gatheralumni.org to learn more about the short-term rental market.

Alumni Spotlight 🧐

José Sorto, JA El Salvador Alumni

José, an alumnus of JA El Salvador, was an integral member of JA Argentina Alumni in 2022. He founded Sember Consulting, which Premios Verdes votedone of its top 500 enterprises. The Organization of American States selected José as the youth ambassador for El Salvador, and he has garnered 10.7k followers on Instagram, where he shares his journey in political advocacy. Connect with José on gatheralumni.org.

Yousif Alisa, INJAZ Bahrain Alumni

Yousif, an INJAZ Bahrain alumnus, attributes his entrepreneurial and leadership success to JA. After a two-year term as president of INJAZ Bahrain Alumni, he attended the JA Global Youth Forum 2018 in Mexico and the JA Global Alumni Conference 2019 in Vienna. The Bahrain Ministry of Youth and Sport honored Yousif’s contribution to community service through INJAZ as one of the 390 Bahraini achievers in 2019, part of the Charter of Gold ceremony celebration in the presence of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Connect with Yousif on gatheralumni.org.

Housekeeping 

• Join the Alumni Leadership Group on Gather.
• Email Sarah Rapp for potential partnerships and synergy.
• Email Howard Leong for JA alumni involvement.