Although this past year has been difficult for all of us, we have learned much through our challenges. We remain optimistic about the future of Junior Achievement of Utah and the prospect of emerging stronger than ever, together.

2019-2020 school year recap

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, our donations decreased substantially. Many of our sponsors and corporate partners were impacted and the financial impact has been felt collectively throughout our community. Due to the closure of our schools, our team worked diligently to quickly pivot and moved our programs virtually to ensure all of the students we reach annually were given the opportunity to participate in our programs in a safe and secure environment. This was an amazing accomplishment for our small team since two thirds of our team members are still on furlough.

In spite of the pandemic, JA was able to reach over 104,000 students in the 2019-2020 school year exceeding our strategic goal of reaching 100,000 students annually by the end of 2020.

The effects of the past year have also changed the way we operate our organization. Our team has coordinated with schools, volunteers and community leaders all from remote work environments. We will continue to operate in a virtual workplace to ensure more of our funding will go directly to our programs and the students we serve.

What’s new in 2021?

In addition to our JA curriculum and job shadows, many new and exciting virtual programs have been added to our program mix like JA Inspire, a virtual program that provides capstone career development to all ninth through twelfth grade students.

We are also kicking off our JA Smarter event where fifth grade students compete head-to-head with Utah executives in a competition to see who’s smarter than a 5^th grader. You can show your support by donating to the competing students to help support JA programs.

By offering our existing curriculum virtually and in-person, we are able to connect students with mentors in other cities, which allows us to exponentially expand our reach throughout Utah.

Building a brighter future

Junior Achievement believes in helping our young people understand and value where they come from while providing them with opportunities to shape their futures. Now more than ever, we understand the importance of our individual backgrounds, perspectives, and passions that help us create ideas that make a greater impact on our community as a whole. Junior Achievement has always focused on bringing our programs to as many students as possible to ensure that every child, regardless of their background, has an opportunity to succeed. We are encouraged with the renewed focus and attention to diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the nation and within our own communities. With this in mind, Junior Achievement is dedicated to ensuring our students receive our financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship programs in an inclusive and diverse learning environment that allows students to see all of the possibilities to build a better future for themselves and their communities.

How you can support Utah’s students and teachers

We have learned and adapted to the ever-changing climate to continue to meet the needs of our JA students. You have all played significant roles in providing JA programs that shape the future of our youth. And, we will still need your support, both financially and with upcoming volunteer opportunities.

With a $20 donation, you can provide critical JA programs to one Utah student. Donations like yours will allow us to achieve our goal of reaching over 100,000 students this year.

On behalf of the entire Junior Achievement of Utah team, we sincerely appreciate your continued support and commitment to Utah’s students.