Inside the JA Alumni Clubhouse-October 2025: A Movement in Motion 🚀

Regional champions, regional highlights, and a glimpse into the future of our global alumni story.

When the JA Alumni Clubhouse went live, screens filled with alumni from every corner of the world. Some familiar, some new, all eager to connect. JA Worldwide's Alumni Community Manager, Dana Khairallah, opened the session with a smile and a promise: this JA Alumni Clubhouse would be 95% alumni-led. 

The global alumni movement is evolving alongside JA Worldwide’s new 2026–2028 Strategy. Alumni from Europe, the Americas, and MENA took the floor to share how their networks are scaling impact, deepening collaboration, and creating new pathways for youth worldwide.

Before handing the mic to our regional leaders, Dana made one exciting announcement: in early December, we’ll hold a bonus session open to all: a full hour dedicated to revisiting our mission, vision, updated focus areas 2025/2026 (that align with the growth of alumni, and JA's new startegic plan), youth initiatives, and advocacy framework.

📅 Save the date: "The Global Alumni Movement: Realigning for the Future"—open to all alumni, staff, and partners interested in where our alumni movement is heading. RSVP here 👉🏻 lnk.jaww.org/bonus-alumni-session-2025

Introducing the Regional Champions for 2025–2026

One of the biggest milestones this month was the public introduction of our first-ever Regional Champions (RCs): five alumni leaders representing Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific, the Americas, and MENA. Each was nominated by their regional focal points to help co-create the next phase of the Alumni Leaders Academy Global.

• Mohamed (RC from Europe) spoke about bridging regional boards and the global ecosystem.
• Bode (RC from Africa) emphasized Africa’s vibrancy and his vision to connect 20,000+ Nigerian alumni to cross-border collaboration.
• Aditi (RC from Asia Pacific) reflected on co-creation as the next natural step in her JA journey.
• Angela (RC from the Americas) shared how leading with commitment and optimism has built a resilient network across Peru.
• Ayoub (RC from MENA) joined from Korea, describing how passion for community keeps him connected to INJAZ Alumni Morocco across time zones.

Their introductions set a collaborative tone for what’s ahead.

Stay tuned, our Regional Champions will be featured in a separate news post soon, where we’ll share their stories in depth.

JA Alumni Europe: Strength in Structure, Energy in Renewal 🇪🇺

Representing one of JA’s oldest alumni networks, Silvan (President) and Defne (Vice President) of JA Alumni Europe showcased what institutional maturity can look like when paired with constant reinvention.

Europe reported more than 2,000 volunteering activities, translating into 25,000+ hours of service to JA offices, alongside 274 alumni-organized events across national chapters. The team recently restructured, separating operations (to maintain their strong event calendar) from development (to streamline systems and plan for growth).

Their twice-yearly European Alumni Leaders Academy continues to onboard and empower new leaders, while their flagship Alumni Conference—held this summer in Cologne, Germany—gathered 150 alumni from across the continent. The next conference? Albania, 2026.

“We’re proud of our roots,” Silvan said, “but even prouder that we keep modernizing them.”

JA Americas Alumni: Passing the Torch, Igniting a Summit 🌎

From Oxford, Nelly—who rebuilt JA Americas’ alumni structure from the ground up—joined to pass the torch to Federica, now Alumni Coordinator at JA Americas.

Federica shared two major updates:

1. A Seed Capital Competition with Delta Airlines that funded alumni-led projects in Chile, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Mexico.
2. The first-ever Regional Alumni Summit, taking place in Rio de Janeiro (Nov 21–24, 2025).

The summit will gather 50 participants for three days of connection, leadership, and community impact, all for $50, thanks to sponsorships from FedEx and Delta. Over 14 countries have already confirmed attendance, with alumni even flying in from Europe.

It marked a symbolic handoff, from building the foundation to lighting the flame of a fully regional movement.

JA Brazil Alumni’s NEXA: Turning Inequality into Opportunity 🇧🇷

One of the most inspiring moments came from a recorded message by João Pedro, General Manager of NEXA Brazil. He highlighted a major challenge in Brazil: while public universities are free, most students who access them come from private schools due to unequal preparation.

NEXA’s solution was both practical and powerful:

• Partnering with a top private preparatory school to offer full-ride scholarships to public-school JA alumni.
• In exchange, these alumni deliver JA programs to private-school students, who in turn join the JA Alumni network and help expand outreach to public schools.

The initiative has already generated over $150,000 in scholarships, a circular model where opportunity fuels opportunity.

INJAZ Al-Arab/JA MENA: New Skills, Shared Culture, and Regional Momentum 🌍

The MENA region spotlighted a trio of alumni-driven innovations:

• INJAZ Tunisia Alumni, led by Ahmed Ben Yaghlen, secured a partnership with the Hashgraph Association, granting JA alumni free access to the Hedera Web3 certification course, an open door into blockchain and emerging tech.
• INJAZ Lebanon Alumni, represented by Francesco Bakhos, unveiled plans for a Global Relay (April 2026). A 24-hour cross-regional celebration of culture and collaboration where chapters each host a segment showcasing their heritage and projects.
• INJAZ Egypt Alumni, through Amr El-Sharaby, shared that alumni will officially volunteer at the Youth Entrepreneurship Competition (Oct 26–29 in Cairo) and host an offline leaders’ regrouping in Bahrain this November to set collective goals for 2026.

Across the region, the theme was clear: from digital learning to cultural diplomacy to on-ground leadership, MENA is expanding its reach in every direction.

Closing Reflections 🌐

As the session drew to a close, one comment in the chat summed it up: “We’re not stealing ideas, we’re recycling them.”

That’s exactly the spirit of our alumni movement: learning from each other, adapting ideas across regions, and always giving credit where it’s due.

Before signing off, Dana reminded everyone of three key actions:

• Register for the bonus session on the global alumni mission & vision.
• Grab your ticket for the JA Americas Summit in Rio.
• Join the Hedera Web3 course and keep expanding your skills.

Each initiative, whether a scholarship in Brazil, a cultural relay in Lebanon, or a summit in Rio proves the same point: alumni are not a side story; they are the story of JA’s future.

Stay tuned for a dedicated feature post introducing each Regional Champion (RC) will follow soon sharing their journeys, their goals, and how they plan to connect alumni across continents.

Until then, feel free to watch the JA Alumni Clubhouse: October 2025 recording here 👉🏻 and vimeo.com/jaworldwide/ja-alumni-clubhouse-october-2025 thank you to everyone who presented, joined, or supported behind the scenes. Here’s to another chapter of collaboration, learning, and shared purpose across the global JA Alumni family. 💚