“The Junior Achievement program provided me with the confidence, knowledge and experience needed to start my own business. I remember back, not so long ago, when I participated in my high-school’s JA program, and wondered to myself whether I would be able to present my business idea in front of 100 people. The JA program made that possible for me,” said Nenad Ristic, an entrepreneur/business owner and former JA student, at a JA promotional event entitled “We Can Change the Future”, held in Belgrade City Hall, on February 18, 2009. “High school is an ideal time for young people to be exposed to entrepreneurship,” stated Nenad Ristic.

This year, the Junior Achievement program will be implemented in 90 high-schools across Serbia with the assistance of USAID’ Economic Security program, the City of Belgrade Secretariat for Education and local self-governments throughout Serbia.

During January, USAID’s Economic Security program and Junior Achievement in Serbia (JAS) signed collaboration agreements with mayors of 13 cities and municipalities in Sothern and South West Serbia. The JAS program will be implemented in 28 high schools in the following municipalities: Bujanovac, Lebane, Leskovac, Meveđa, Nova Varoš, Novi Pazar, Preševo, Prijepolje, Raška, Sjenica, Surdulica, Vlasotince and Vranje.  Fifty six teachers and around 700 students, from these municipalities, will be involved in JAS during the current academic school year.

“In Europe, thirty eight countries offer JA programs and more than 2,900,000 young Europeans will graduate from a JA-Young Enterprise Europe program this year,” said Oldo Vanous, JA Europe Director of Operations, at the event and added “Junior Achievement Serbia has its place and future in the JA Europe family.”

Junior Achievement - National Education Program for Youth in Entrepreneurship

The JA program is an after-school activity that offers high school students the opportunity to learn entrepreneurial skills and business concepts by challenging students to come up with viable business ideas and to start-up simulated businesses that are managed by the students themselves. It inspires young people to appreciate the values of entrepreneurship and to understand market principals and financial concepts.

“Since the inception of the Junior Achievement program in Serbia, in late 2002, USAID has provided approximately $400,000 towards the implementation and development of Junior Achievement activities in Serbian municipalities outside the City of Belgrade,” said Michael Harvey, USAID Mission Director in Serbia, and added “The expansion of the Junior Achievement program this year means that the program will truly exist at the national level for the first time.”

Junior Achievement in Serbia (JAS) is a member of Junior Achievement Worldwide, an organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. To date, the program has been implemented in 200 schools in forty-three municipalities throughout Serbia, and in sixteen schools in the City of Belgrade.  

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