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About JA Banks in Action
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Through hands-on classroom activities and local, regional, and national competitions, JA Banks in Action™ teaches high school students the principles of banking and introduces them to the challenges of successfully operating a bank in a competitive environment. A truly international program, JA Banks in Action educates young people around the world about the banking industry, while encouraging them to become better citizens and smarter consumers.
JA Banks in Action was first developed by Junior Achievement Argentina with financial support from Citibank Argentina. The Citigroup Foundation has continued its support of JA Banks in Action to expand its reach to students worldwide.
In 2006, with Citigroup Foundation sponsorship, JA Worldwide™ upgraded the original JA Banks in Action program so students can increase their understanding of the banking industry through a computer simulation available online and CD-ROM.
A "Bank Performance Index" (BPI) measures success in the program's computer simulation, with each bank's performance based on the following factors:
- Net Profit
- Return on Assets
- Return on Equity
- Loan Share
- Deposit Share
- Capital Ration
During the simulation, each bank team attempts to achieve the highest BPI possible. Each team sets short- and long-term interest rates for bank deposits and loans. Teams also invest in research and development and marketing to strengthen their position as they compete against each other. At the end of the simulation, the bank team with the highest BPI wins.
Both public and school-based versions of JA Banks in Action are available. The school-based program includes a kit containing all the materials necessary for volunteers to introduce students to the principles of banking, and is available solely through JA Area Offices in the United States and in more than 100 Member Nations. To locate a JA office near you, please visit www.ja.org.
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History of JA
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WHAT IS JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT?
JA Worldwide (Junior Achievement) is the world's largest organization dedicated to educating young people about business, economics, and free enterprise. JA programs are taught by volunteers in class and after-school at locations throughout the United States and in 98 countries.
PURPOSE: JA educates and inspires young people to value free enterprise, business, and economics to improve the quality of their lives.
MISSION: JA will ensure that every child has a fundamental understanding of the free enterprise system.
PROGRAMS: Programs span grades K-12, and focus on seven key content areas: business, citizenship, economics, entrepreneurship, ethics/character, financial literacy, and career development.
PROGRAM REACH: Through 143 U.S. Area Offices, JA reaches four million students per year in inner cities, suburbs, and rural areas. Internationally, JA reaches another 2.6 million students per year in 98 countries.
SCOPE: JA programs are welcomed by teachers in more than 252,000 classrooms around the world each year.
ABOUT THE VOLUNTEERS: JA's 178,000 classroom volunteers come from all walks of life and include business people, college students, and retirees. These dedicated individuals are the backbone of the organization.
PROVEN SUCCESS: JA is one of a few global non-profits to use independent, third-party evaluators to gauge the impact of its programs. Since 1993, independent evaluators have conducted studies on JA's impact. Findings prove that JA has a positive influence in a number of critical areas. These results are free and available upon request. Summaries of the findings also are published in the JA Programs section of www.ja.org.
A BRIEF HISTORY: Junior Achievement was founded in 1919 by Theodore Vail, president of American Telephone & Telegraph; Horace Moses, president of Strathmore Paper Co.; and Senator Murray Crane of Massachusetts. Its first program, JA Company Program™,was offered to high school students on an after-school basis. In 1975, the organization entered the classroom with the introduction of Project Business℠ for the middle grades. During the past 30 years, JA has expanded its activities and broadened its scope to include in-school and after-school students in grades K-12.
LEADERSHIP: Sam DiPiazza, CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers and Juan Cintron, president of Consultores Internacionales® C.L.B. act as worldwide co-chairs; David S. Chernow serves as president and chief executive officer. There are 85 JA Worldwide board members, representing a wide range of businesses and academic institutions around the world. In addition, JA's local offices are led by more than 7,700 board members.
FUNDING: JA Worldwide's Headquarters operates on a $20 million annual budget; more than $240 million is raised around the world from individual contributors and hundreds of corporations and foundations.
ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW: JA Worldwide is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. The Headquarters office provides strategic direction, leadership, and support to approximately 2,700 employees in 143 local operations in the United States and 98 nations around the world. Local volunteer boards of directors comprised of business, education, and civic leaders set the policy and direction for each local office.
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DISTINGUISHED JA ALUMNI:
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Mark Cuban, founder of broadcast.com, owner, Dallas Mavericks™
Frederick A. Deluca, founder & CEO, Subway™
Dick DeVos, co-founder, Amway Corporation™, owner, Orlando Magic℠ and Orlando Miracle℠
Erica Dunlope, Miss America 2004
Millard Fuller, founder and president of Habitat for Humanity™
Arte Johnson, actor
Bruce Kennedy, chairman emeritus, Alaska Air Group, Inc.
Marshall Loeb, editor, Columbia Journalism Review
David Nelms, president and COO, Discover® Financial Services
Dr. Donna Shalala, president, University of Miami℠
U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania)
For More Information, Contact:
JA Worldwide
One Education Way
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
800-843-6395
719-540-8000
Internet: www.ja.org
Email: press@ja.org
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Credits
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Special thanks to the Citigroup Foundation for its continued support of JA Banks in Action .
Consultants:
Scott Franklin, Principal, First Generation Consulting, Overland Park, KS
JA Banks in Action Was developed by Red i Studios, redistudios.com
- Jenny Martin, Fearless Leader
- Locke Berkebile, Lead Application Developer
- Chris Allert, Lead Flash Engineer
- Steve Hoefer, Lead Engineer, JA Banks in Action CD.
- Don Walters, Game Design
- Dave Johnson, Application Developer
- Jonathan Moore, Application Developer
- Rob Baxter, Flash programming
- Todd Berkebile, Application Developer
- Gary LaRock, Application Developer
- Alex Martin, Application Developer, JA Banks in Action CD.
- Anita Drieseberg, Animator
- Joe “Fun” Gray, Interface Design
- Jon Brzyski, Animator
- Takeshi Murata, Illustrator
- Julia Babiarz, HTML and Design
- Heather Perkins, Sound Designer
- Tom Bentley, Copywriter
- Tony Grahn, Developer
- Ben Noble, System Administrator
- Sam Stoller, System Administrator
- Special Thanks to: Minay, Phoebe, Maggie, Bella, Brody, Christine, Edwin Bodensiek, Tom Rowley, Edison, Neil Deason and the JA Test department.
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