JA Alumni in the News: Turning Point
December 17, 2025 Saskatchewan What started as an In-School JA Company Program experience in 2021 has now developed into an apparel business in Regina, SK: Turning Point. The business stays close to it’s mission and donates 20% of their profits to support to mental health and suicide prevention by supporting the You Matter Foundation. In November, Logan Curle & Tayson Smith were featured in a CTV segment to share more about Turning Point. This was a great opportunity to feature the business, where it began and where it is going. Logan Curle was also the recipient of the 2022 JA Future Leaders Scholarship referencing his experiences with through JA and the JA Company Program and the early days of his involvement with Turning Point. CTV Media Segment Watch CTV Segment Learn About Turning Point Love0 Share Share Share Pin
Z Zurich Foundation and JA Commit to Youth Mental Well-Being and Resilience
February 20, 2026 National Our partnership promotes mental wellbeing and resilience in JA’s program suite to positively impact of 355,000 young people in the next three years. Expanding Our Commitment: Looking Ahead to Part II Empowering the Next Generation: Wrapping Up Phase I Love0 Share Share Share Pin
BMO and JA Launch National Partnership at Guiding the Future Event
Partnership Video Left to Right: Zabeen Hirji, Carolyn Booth, Rachel Bruce, Asheesh Advani,Mona Malone, Larissa Chaikowsky, Dusya Vera Read the Full Partnership Press Release On September 19th BMO hosted Guiding the Future which convened 300 individuals – BMO employees, community-based organizations, higher education partners, and members of the community – for an address by Junior Achievement Worldwide CEO, Asheesh Advani. The event also featured an engaging panel focused on youth future skills, and the importance of developing the next generation of leaders. Volunteer With JA Love0 Share Share Share Pin
Press Release: JA Canada and Enterprise Mobility™ Join Forces to Build the Road Forward for Canadian Youth
April 01, 2025 National TORONTO, April 1, 2025 /CNW/ – Enterprise Mobility has selected Junior Achievement Canada (JA Canada) as a key partner of the ROAD Forward initiative, helping fuel programs and strategic initiatives that are preparing youth for post-secondary education and the future of work. Launched in 2020, Enterprise Mobility’s ROAD Forward initiative supports organizations advancing social equity in three key areas: early childhood development, youth health and wellness, and career and college preparation. “The ROAD Forward initiative was designed to help open doors for youth who are disproportionately affected by lack of access to resources in the areas of education, career preparation, health and wellness,” said Earl Jackson, Enterprise Mobility assistant vice president of strategic diversity initiatives. “ROAD Forward grants support outstanding organizations that are leading efforts to advance equity in our communities across North American and Europe – and we are thrilled JA Canada has joined us as key partner in this work.” Through 2030, the ROAD Forward investment will directly support 75,000 student learning experiences, fueling program enablement and delivery of highest in-demand career readiness, entrepreneurship, post-secondary preparation, and youth well-being programs and events in all provinces across Canada. “Building on the longstanding engagement of Enterprise Mobility in Western Canada this new national partnership is a game-changer for JA Canada as we work toward our strategic goal of delivering 1 million student learning experiences annually in the coming years,” said Scott Hillier, President & CEO of JA Canada. “With Enterprise Mobility’s investment, we are strengthening our ability to support students and scale delivery of high-impact programs that equip them with the skillset and mindset to thrive in the ever changing economy,” said Hillier. This partnership will support three suites of JA programs: self-directed and digital learning opportunities; classroom-based program delivery; and intensive experiential learning through after-school programs and events including JA Company Program. Students will develop transferable skills, explore academic pathways and benefit from direct access to career mentorship, practical experience, and industry expertise. Enterprise Mobility team members across Canada will join as JA volunteers, sharing insights and guidance to empower the next generation. “I have personally supported JA British Columbia, a part of JA Canada, for many years in various roles and have witnessed the profound impact JA programs have in empowering youth to cultivate essential skills for success,” said Troy Klemo, Enterprise Mobility vice president and general manager in Canada. “JA Canada is an ideal partner to help advance our efforts to bridge equity gaps and support the next generation of leaders in Canada.” The support of Enterprise Mobility will also drive several key strategic initiatives− ensuring JA programs remain relevant by supporting program renewal, innovation and ongoing EDIA (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) best practices; expanding career readiness programming into new regions, including the Northern Territories broadening access to self-directed learning for underserved communities; as well as developing the foundations of JA’s alumni engagement strategy, fostering lifelong connections with Junior Achievers. JA Canada is thrilled to build the road forward along Enterprise Mobility and creating pathways to success for tens of thousands of young Canadians. Love0 Share Share Share Pin
A World of Choices – Preparing Young People for the Future of Work
September 04, 2024 National Interview With Mark Beckles – Vice President, Social Impact and Innovation At RBC RBC and RBC Foundation have been long-time partners of JA in Canada, supporting the development and scaling of career readiness programs aimed at equipping youth for the future of work. RBC’s partnership has specifically enabled JA Canada to focus on the trades. In the Spring of 2024, The Globe and Mail interviewed Mark Beckles, Vice President, Social Impact and Innovation at RBC to learn more about the partnership. Read on for the interview to learn how together we are empowering youth with the necessary skills and knowledge to be successful in their careers through World of Choices and Skilled Trades Summits. What are the mandate and goals of RBC Future Launch? The goal of RBC Future Launch is to prepare young people for the future of work and specifically the jobs of tomorrow. That stems from the fact that we recognize Canada’s economic prosperity and future is directly linked to the extent to which we can prepare young people to succeed in an ever-changing global economy. We recognize when young people succeed, Canada succeeds; and that by investing in young people and equipping them with skills for a thriving future, we can ensure Canada’s economic prosperity. For the past decade, Canada’s GDP growth has trailed its G7 competitors due in part to the mismatch between the skills young people are graduating with from college and universities and the kinds of skills and experiences needed to super-charge our key productive sectors. By ensuring that young people have access to those skills and opportunities and know where they are, they can transition from school to work and find meaningful employment in the process, and if we do this well, we will have empowered Canadian youth in the way in which we intend. How does the World of Choices Program suite align with RBC Future Launch? RBC Future Launch is focused on three priority pillars. The first pillar is skills development. The notion of skills development and helping young people gain relevant skills, knowledge and credentials to better position themselves for the future really aligns to the World of Choices program and is core to what RBC Future Launch is all about. The second is networking and helping young people to connect with the right relationships, mentors and resources to grow and sustain their network. And the third is practical work experience and helping young people understand different job experiences and build opportunities to showcase their own talent. When you think of networking skills and practical experience that really aligns well to JA Canada’s World of Choices program. Why has RBC put an emphasis on skilled trades? Why now? There is a lack of understanding and awareness of the role that skilled trades play in helping to fuel Canada’s economic prosperity and moreover, there is a lack of education and exposure to what those opportunities look like. There is a real deficit in terms of the number of skilled tradespeople that are able to help advance and drive competitiveness in the Canadian economy. When you break it down by demographic; in addition to there being a lack of skills trades professionals across the country, there’s also under representation in terms of BIPOC youth and women, in particular. Then you add the intersection of green skills and skills trades and as we move toward a greener economy, we acknowledge that skills trades professionals need to develop new skills as you think about creating infrastructure to support electric vehicles or retrofits for homes that are trying to green their environments. Those are some of the reasons why we’re emphasizing skills trades and why we’re doing it now. What impact are you seeing as a result of these programs? We are proud of the outcomes that we hear directly from the program participants. When you hear directly from the program beneficiaries that they found value in the learning opportunity, that’s when you know that the partnership is working well. Particularly among diverse youth and women, hearing them talk about actively considering a career in skills trades to secure Canada’s future prosperity is really powerful. And it’s all the more inspiring when they tell us that through practical work experience, they’ve been able to transition into the trades whether now apprenticing or taking a college program in plumbing, electrical, or carpentry. These examples of people pursuing the skilled trades with a sense of pride and intentionality, and who are making a really good living demonstrate that we are contending with the stigma around skills trades, and changing the perspective of how skilled trades are perceived. What are RBC Foundation’s hopes for youth? RBC’s new Purpose Framework defines the societal challenges that RBC Foundation wants to help address. With a rapidly changing workforce, we will help equip people with skills for a thriving future. We want to ensure that youth feel more empowered for the jobs of tomorrow and support them as they access jobs that secure them financially, secure their families financially and secure their communities financially. When surveyed, nearly 80 per cent of young people ages 18 – 29 told us that they felt better prepared for the future of work. Outcomes from the World of Choices program contributed significantly to that state of preparedness. That’s how we know that these programs are working and having the desired outcomes. The World of Choices program supports general career exploration and provides the ability to scale programs that are focused on the skilled trades and allows young people to attend summits or learn through the online skills trades content center. It is phenomenal what this program delivers and that it is having the impact that we believe aligns to the larger goal of preparing young people for the future of work. Congratulations to JA for standing up this impactful program! Love0 Share Share Share Pin
Teacher Spotlight: JA in Saskatchewan
July 31, 2024 National Learn More About Margot Arnold Through This Interview How long have you been incorporating JA Company Program into your classroom? I have been teaching for 23 years at the end of June 2024. I have taught Entrepreneurship since 2002 and incorporated the Junior Achievement Program into my Ent. 30 class since 2014. A former Entrepreneurship teacher then working for the Ministry of Education, arranged a meeting with me to discuss this option. I have never gone back to textbook and assignment/project base. The hands-on, real-life experience provides an invaluable experience for the students. How may JA Company Program teams have you supported/mentored over the years? I have supported/mentored 25 Junior Achievement companies–this semester is my last and 25th company. What types of businesses have your students developed? Do you have any highlights that you can share? Students often ask me, which was your favorite? I reply all of them! The ideas for JA products have varied over the years and many were unique. JA SK has annual Business Hall of Fame Awards. Several of the JA companies listed below have won numerous awards including Product Design. What skills have you seen your students develop or further enhance by participating in JA Company Program? The skills the students have developed, enhanced, and acquired are dependent on what they put into the company. It is so rewarding to see the growth from the beginning of the semester until the end. What do you feel is the biggest takeaway students gain from the program? I believe one of the biggest takeaways for students is learning how to work respectively with everyone. The companies are comprised of such varying personalities, which may clash sometimes, and you have to learn to make it work. Also, students can easily see this program as one which so many life skills occur. Teamwork, Communication, Organization, Leadership are all areas where I have observed students grow from the beginning to the end of the semester. Do you have any students quotes you can share? “Thanks to Junior Achievement, I am currently planning to pursue a career in business after high school.” “The Junior Achievement Program has taught me hands-on what running a business is all about. It is a unique program that lets young adults experience more than just questions out of a textbook.” “The Junior Achievement Program was an incredible experience, and I learned more than I ever imagined about business and how to apply it to real-life.” “Junior Achievement gave me a real sense of business and responsibility.” “Junior Achievement gave me the confidence that I can be a business leader of tomorrow.” Do you have any words of wisdom to share with those who may be thinking of supporting JA Company Program in their classroom? I believe the Junior Achievement program is invaluable. It is a “real life” hands-on class where students repeatedly say it was their best class in high school. I encourage my students to not only make a PROFIT, but to make a DIFFERENCE! Ten percent of their company profits must be donated to a charity/non-profit of the company’s choice. To date, without the 25th company’s donation, the WCS Junior Achievement program has donated $17,625.47 back to charities and non-profits. A huge thank you to Margot for her time and dedication to the JA Company Program! Love0 Share Share Share Pin