Global Research, Insights, and Thought Leadership
The JA Institute is the research, insights, and thought leadership arm of JA, dedicated to 1) producing research on cost-effective ways to implement learning experiences, scale JA’s footprint, introduce innovation, and measure our effectiveness and impact, and 2) translating research into thought leadership that strengthens our youth-advocacy efforts and helps JA lead global conversations.
The JA Institute's strategic framework is divided into three priorities: the Center for Research and JA Labs, Thought Leadership and Youth Voices, as well as Organizational Performance. Each priority has distinct focus areas:
Center for Research and JA Labs: Conducting impact research, nurturing innovation through experimentation, and investing in academic fellowships, which aims to offer insights and evidence for strategic decision-making and accelerate digital and AI.
Thought Leadership and Youth Voices: Advocating for youth education and issues, disseminating research, and presenting novel solutions through global conversations and partnerships.
Organizational Performance: Building a culture of evidence-based, data- informed decision-making using research, experimentation, and thought leadership and promoting resiliency amidst disruption.
By cohesively consolidating the efforts across these areas, The JA Institute supports JA’s mission through innovative research and a commitment to advancing global educational and economic opportunities for youth.
About JA Worldwide
Our students tackle the toughest challenges in their communities.
As one of the world’s largest and most-impactful youth-serving nonprofits, JA delivers hands on, immersive learning in entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial health. Delivering more than 17 million student experiences each year in over 100 countries, JA Worldwide is one of few organizations with the scale, experience, and passion to build a brighter future for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders.
The impact of our real-world training extends beyond individual students. For over 100 years, JA has operated all over the world—including in refugee camps, countries wracked by war and violence, and areas of extreme poverty. By helping youth develop the employment and entrepreneurial tools to find meaningful work and start sustainable companies, JA serves as a conduit for peace and prosperity. Through JA, young people are equipped with the skillset and mindset to build thriving communities.
Entrepreneurship: Cultivating an Entrepreneurial Mindset
Through JA’s real-world entrepreneurship programs—the longest-running in the world—students work as a team to develop an innovative product or service, finance their startup business, creatively market their product, deliver finished products, and launch their careers as entrepreneurs or intrapreneurs.
Work Readiness: Preparing Youth for the Future of Jobs
JA’s volunteer-led work-readiness experiences teach critical work skills that prepare young people for college, trade school, or the workforce. Whether job shadowing skilled mentors, testing their skills through digital experiences, or developing solutions during business challenges, JA students are prepared for the jobs of the future.
Financial Health: Developing Financial Capability
JA’s hands-on, role-playing financial-health experiences expose young people to smart saving and investing, thoughtful spending and credit, the role of taxes, the value of employment and community involvement, and the opportunities of global trade. We prepare young people for lifelong financial health.
Building the skills that employers seek and that entrepreneurs need.
Our skill-building programs—for students as young as 5 and as old as 25—are more important than ever before in JA’s century of innovation and achievement.
Under the mentorship of 350,000 business volunteers who work collaboratively with 300,000+ teachers, JA students benefit from real-world work experience and know-how, transforming their knowledge, skills, attitudes, and aspirations as they build toward successful careers, prepare for the risks and rewards of entrepreneurship, and learn to thrive financially.
We equip young people from every corner of the world with the employment and entrepreneurship skills they need right now—and in the future. By building a wide range of skills and nurturing self-belief, JA prepares young people for the future of work, teaches them how to think entrepreneurially, and ensures they have the tools to be financially capable adults.
Impact around the world.
In over 100 countries, our passionate staff has unparalleled access to schools, creating an ecosystem of hands-on programs driven by volunteers, teachers, policymakers, and the private sector. In addition to maintaining deep relationships with our funders, we’re forging partnerships with high-tech start-ups, universities, and like-minded organizations, giving even more students the opportunity to benefit from JA’s learning experiences.
Our 150 million living alumni are a testament to JA’s lifelong impact, serving as a global force for good. Many start businesses that serve a social need, solve a local problem, or inspire others to reach their potential. Others donate time and money to their communities. Still others give back to the next generation of young people by volunteering and mentoring.
A modern organization with 100+ years of experience.
At JA, we’re laying the groundwork to serve exponentially more students by supporting innovation throughout our network, making investments in technology and human capital, and executing partnerships with select organizations. An investment in JA is an investment in the success of the next generation.