Celebrating 100 Years of Junior Achievement!

The press conference that was organised by Junior Achievement Cyprus (JA) earlier this month to present its programme of actions for the year 2018-2019 was dedicated to the “100 Years of Junior Achievement”.

The press conference took place on Monday, 25 February, at the CYTA Headquarters in Nicosia. Participants had the opportunity to attend the presentation of the following JA programmes: “Company Programme”, “More than Money” and “Innovation Camp”, all of which are organised in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Culture.

The CEO of the organisation, Mrs. Antigoni Komodiki, mentioned during her presentation that this is the sixth year that the “Company Programme” is applied in secondary education, with an impressive 31 schools, 70 teachers and more than 770 students having been involved in the programme so far! The winning team, she added, will represent Cyprus in the European Contest of the “Company of the Year” that will take place in Lille, France, in July 2019.

Mrs. Komodiki also referred to the broader results of the Organisation’s programmes, highlighting the positive impact on entrepreneurial skills such as initiative, creativity, risk-taking, responsibility, self-confidence, teamwork and collaboration. As she stressed, all programmes of the Organisation are equally important. The “More than Money” programme is applied in Primary Education and is geared towards developing financial literacy skills, while the “Innovation Camp” greatly strengthens the entrepreneurial spirit of young people.

The Inspector of Secondary Education, Ms. Mary Sergiou, delivered a welcome address on behalf of the Minister of Education and Culture, Dr. Kostas Champiaouris. Other speakers at the event included Mr. Andreas Papadopoulos, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Junior Achievement Cyprus; Mr. Constantinos Loizides, Board Member, Astrobank; Mr Andreas Neocleous, Chief Executive Officer, Cyta; Mr. Varnavas Theodosiou, President and Managing Director, ExxonMobil Cyprus; Mr. Michalis Stavrides, Director, Tax Reporting Strategy, Responsible for Entrepreneurship, PwC Cyprus; and Professor Angelika Kokkinaki, Dean, School of Business, University of Nicosia, who underscored the University’s longstanding support to the Organization, which has been reinforced this year with a series of webinars aimed both at students and instructors who take part in the “Company Programme”.

All the speakers stressed the importance of entrepreneurship education for youth, pointing out that the financial knowledge and experiential experiences that JA programmes offer, can inspire and prepare young people to succeed in their careers and in their lives.

Speaking at the press conference the professor of Secondary Education, Mr Avraamis Despotis and the students Frideriki Damianou and Marina Georgiadou of the Kykkos B’ Lyceum, shared their experiences and impressions of their involvement in the “Company Programme”. Mr Despotis referred to the benefits of the “Company Programme” for both pupils and teachers. The students presented their experiences and the knowledge they acquired through the programme and the way it positively influenced their choices and their personal development. Finally, Eleni Selipa, President of JA Cyprus Alumni, presented the network and the opportunities that young people have when involved.

JA Cyprus is supported by the following:

Special Thanks to the Association of Cyprus Banks and the Embassy of the United States of America for their support.

JA Cyprus is a member of JA Worldwide, the world’s largest non-profit organisation dedicated to educating students on entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy skills through experiential, hands-on programmes.
For more information, visit the JA Cyprus website (www.jacyprus.org) or contact Emily Sotiriou, Programme Coordinator, at 97715909 or emily.sotiriou@jacyprus.org.