Founded nationally in 1919 and locally in 1969, Junior Achievement’s mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. Junior Achievement uses hands-on experiences to help youth understand the economics of life. In partnership with business and educators, Junior Achievement brings the real world to students, opening their minds to their potential. JA programs deal with real issues like workforce readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship so that young people not only understand their opportunities in life but can also take advantage of those opportunities. JA seeks to inspire and prepare young people with volunteer driven K-12 classroom based programs, collaborative after school initiatives, job shadowing opportunities and an experiential learning curriculum and facility called JA BizTown. These programs serve to ensure our youth have a fundamental understanding of business and economics, which is so important to success in life. Financial Literacy and workforce readiness education can help young people avoid poor decisions today, which can affect them for years…and keep them from reaching for their dreams. During the 2010-2011 school year, 14,879 students benefited from Junior Achievement programs.