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JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF ECUADOR TEENS WIN 2011 FEDEX ACCESS AWARD

 

NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Stephanie Bell
Junior Achievement USA™
(719) 540-6171
sbell@ja.org
Twitter: @JA_USA

For Immediate Release:
December 6, 2011

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF ECUADOR TEENS WIN 2011 FEDEX ACCESS AWARD

Student entrepreneurs demonstrate the powerful impact of free trade to create jobs, drive economic growth and improve society

Bogotá, Colombia – At the 2011 Americas Junior Achievement Company of the Year Competition hosted in Bogotá, Colombia, student-run company "Uywa" won the annual FedEx Access Award. The students, who represented Junior Achievement of Ecuador, successfully marketed a multi-use pajama pillow holder with Ecuadorian endangered animal designs.

The FedEx Access Award– as evaluated by a special FedEx jury – is presented to the Junior Achievement student company that presents the best business plan with the potential to create jobs, grow small business, expand global development and improve the environment.

"New kinds of global, digital connections are driving our economy and these same connections are saving and creating jobs," says Mike Ducker, COO and President, International FedEx Express. "In preparing for the competition these students studied international trade issues and successfully identified strategies for trading in a dynamic global environment. Through Uywa, we can all see how their business ideas create opportunities around the world. It's easier and easier for people like these young entrepreneurs to successfully enter the global marketplace with a winning model. I congratulate Uywa on their smart business strategy." The competition is part of Junior Achievement's annual celebration of the accomplishments of JA Company Program® students, ages 15-19, in the Americas Region, which includes Latin America and the Caribbean. During participation in JA Company Program, students start and run their own businesses with support from volunteers from their local business community. They develop and market a product or service with the goal of realizing a profit for their shareholders. The program currently impacts more than 360,000 students a year globally.

To be eligible for the FedEx Access Award, a student company must be one of the 19 finalists selected to compete at the Americas JA Student Company of the Year Competition. Company members completed additional sessions on the concept and impact of global access, a program developed by FedEx to supplement the JA Company Program. The JA student company that best demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of global access takes top honors.

JA programs empower students to make a connection between what they learn in school and how it can be applied in the real world – enhancing the relevance of their classroom learning and increasing their understanding of the value of staying in school. A total of 115 million students worldwide have been impacted by JA programs since the organization began in 1919.

About JA Worldwide® (Junior Achievement)
JA Worldwide is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, Junior Achievement provides in-school and after-school programs for students which focus on three key content areas: work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Today, nearly 10 million students are served by JA Worldwide operations in 120 countries, including four million young people in the United States. For more information, visit www.jaworldwide.org.

About FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $40 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 290,000 team members to remain "absolutely, positively" focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. For more information, visit news.fedex.com

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