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Introduction
Junior Achievement (JA) is the world’s largest and
fastest-growing non-profit education organization dedicated to building a
bridge between the classroom and the workplace. Its programs are taught by
teachers and classroom volunteers in the U.S and over 110 countries
worldwide. Over 5,5 million young people participate in JA programs around
the world from Albania to Zimbabwe.
First established 85 years ago in the United States, it became an
international organization in 1989. The idea spread rapidly. Junior
Achievement Macedonia was set up in 1996. We offer fourteen programs for
young people aged 7-18, teaching elementary and secondary level students the
risk and the rewards of entrepreneurship through a unique business and
educational partnership. So far (2004) JA have reached over 22,000 students
throughout Macedonia. Who benefits?
Students benefit from this experience – based and
practical learning opportunity which provides a window on the world of
business. Contacts with the role models can help them to explore career
options and reinforce all important qualities needed for a changing world.
Teachers also learn from their collaboration with business experts who
bring valuable hands-on experience into the classroom. Teachers and
students both profit from the high quality JA program materials and the
commitment of the volunteers, and schools develop strong partnerships with
business in their community.
Business volunteers derive many benefits from this highly-rewarding work.
The Teaching Junior Achievement program in the school is a challenging and
enjoyable form of personal development for management and staff, and a
great forum for the development of presentation and mentoring skills.
Sponsoring organizations enhance their profile in the community as
responsible and ethical corporate citizens. In addition, by helping to
expose people to the world of business, participating companies get a head
start in training the employees of tomorrow.
Junior
Achievement Macedonia
Junior Achievement was established in the Republic of
Macedonia in December 1996. We operate with one permanent and two part
time staff members. Our annual budget is $100,000 USD. The population of
Macedonia is 2.2 million and the languages used in are Macedonian,
Albanian, Turkish and Serbian. The organization received an innovation
award from JAI in 1999; took several first places on the Trade Fairs in
Austria, Switzerland, Rusia and Niderland; sent students to California as
a finalist in the HPGBC in 2000 and 2002; organized international summer
camps for five years ; and won the price for the best student on the
Conference in Zlin, Czech Republic in 2001. JA/YE PROGRAMS CURRENTLY
OFFERED:
1. Elementary School Programs
2. Middle Grade Programs
3. MESE
4. Banks in Action
5. Applied Economics
6. Student Company
7. GLOBE
8. Hewlett-Packard Global Business Challenge
9. Global Business Ethics Macedonia lacks the
entrepreneurial and business culture and there is not much done to teach and
promote entrepreneurial spirit of Macedonians and especially that of young
people. Macedonian entrepreneurs quite rarely are stimulated by any
instructional material, training, or organization, in order they follow their
drive.
Junior Achievement provides not only the academic education necessary to
raise this general level of economic education but also practical application
of these principals in a protected, educational environment. In addition to
traditional didactic teaching methods, JA provides hands on experience.
This ranges from board games for elementary aged students to establishing
companies by high school students who actually create a product or service,
elect officers, sell stock, market the product/service, pay salaries and
ultimately liquidate the company and distribute dividends. By the time they
finish this process, they have a very good understanding of the impact of
legal issues, interest rates, taxes, debt, personnel issues, etc.
This type of education spawns entrepreneurship in some students. Small
businesses are an important factor in market driven economies. They are the
best mechanism by which to provide job creation, income generation and
economic growth. A growing small business sector is crucial to stabilization
and growth. In the area of entrepreneurship, there is no substitute for real
experience. The absence of entrepreneurial spirit seems to be a culturally
acquired attitude that requires a change of self-concept to overcome. Once an
individual has conducted a business, even with a group of like minded peers,
the self image has changed undeniably. Cultivating a positive attitude toward
entrepreneurship might ultimately help enterprise expansion within Macedonia.
NAMES & TITLES OF CURRENT STAFF MEMBERS:
1. Vesna Stojanova, Ph.D., President of the Association
2. Jasmina Maneva-Galevska, Executive Director
3. Aniata Nikoleska, Administrative Assistant
JA-Macedonia reached 22,000
students in 45 elementary and 40 high school from 1996-2004.
The goal of Junior Achievement Macedonia is to prepare young people to value
free enterprise, business and economics to improve the quality of their
lives.
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