2025 Year in Review

Leadership Message

from Karen Reddington (Chair, Board of Governors, JA Worldwide) and Asheesh Advani (President and CEO, JA Worldwide)

Thriving in a World of Change

Young people today are coming of age in a period of profound transformation. Rapid technological advances are reshaping industries and careers, while economic volatility and geopolitical tensions are altering the opportunities available to communities around the world. At the same time, this generation is more connected, creative, and ambitious than any before it. Their ability to thrive in a changing world will shape the future of our economies and societies.

At JA Worldwide, we believe thriving begins when young people develop both the skillset and the mindset to navigate uncertainty with confidence. Through experiential learning in entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial health, JA connects education with real-world opportunity. These experiences equip young people not only with practical capabilities, but also with the confidence, judgment, and resilience needed to shape their own futures.

Connecting Education to Opportunity

Across our global network—spanning more than 100 countries—students are gaining the tools and experiences that prepare them for an evolving world of work. This year, young people launched ventures, strengthened financial decision-making skills, explored emerging technologies, and collaborated with mentors and peers across cultures and industries.

Many of our most promising efforts reflect the rapidly changing global economy. New partnerships are helping close the AI skills gap while ensuring that young people develop the human capabilities—creativity, ethical judgment, and problem-solving—that technology cannot replace. At the same time, initiatives across our regions are expanding access for underserved youth and creating new pathways into entrepreneurship and meaningful work. The launch of the JA Institute further strengthens our ability to contribute research and innovation to global conversations about the future of education and employment.

Thriving Youth, Thriving Communities

JA’s work is grounded in a simple truth: when young people thrive, communities thrive. Entrepreneurship education fosters problem solvers and innovators. Work readiness experiences open doors to opportunity. Financial capability strengthens independence and resilience. Together, these learning experiences equip young people to contribute to their families, their economies, and their communities.

Recognition of JA’s impact continues to grow. This year, JA Worldwide was once again ranked among the world’s leading social-good organizations and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for the fifth time. While such recognition is meaningful, the true measure of our success lies in the millions of young people who gain confidence, purpose, and opportunity through JA learning experiences each year.

Looking Ahead

Our newly launched strategic plan sets an ambitious path forward. By strengthening partnerships, accelerating innovation, and expanding access for underserved youth, JA is working toward a bold aspiration: delivering 100 million student learning experiences annually by 2050.

We are deeply grateful to the educators, volunteers, partners, and supporters who make this work possible. Together, we are helping the next generation thrive in a world of change—and build thriving communities for generations to come.

2025 Global Impact

JA’s reputation for impact is unmatched, producing remarkable global outcomes among JA students: curiosity, creativity, self-confidence, resilience, and the determination to build a better life. Our funders support the development of learning experiencing that prepare them for entrepreneurship, fulfilling employment, and financial health. Funders also support strategic initiatives at the JA Worldwide headquarters, at regional operating centers, and in JA member countries and local areas, where JA staff engage, train, and support educators and volunteers. The result is over 193 million student-contact hours and over 23 million student experiences delivered in 2025.

Story of the Year

Finding Belonging Through Entrepreneurship: One JA Journey in Uruguay

Federica “Fede” Perreira spent much of her early school years wondering where she fit. Growing up in Punta del Este, Uruguay, some subjects came easily, but others—especially mathematics—felt impossible. The classroom often left her feeling isolated. By 14, she had tried nearly every extracurricular activity available, searching for more than just something to do: Fede was looking for a place where she could feel capable, included, and seen.

When Learning Finally Clicked
That opportunity arrived when Fede joined the JA Company Program. After watching older students participate the year before, she waited until she was eligible, and then signed up right away. From the start, the experience felt different. Learning was hands-on, practical, and rooted in real-world problem-solving. For the first time, concepts like budgeting and basic arithmetic made sense because they were tied to something tangible. The program gave her a way to learn by doing and, just as importantly, to learn alongside peers who were working toward a shared goal.

Learning By Doing, Together
Fede’s journey with JA began with persistence. She showed up curious, unsure, and ready to try. Over time, that curiosity turned into confidence. She found herself contributing ideas, collaborating with teammates, and discovering strengths she had not seen in herself before. “When I joined, it was the first time I felt like I fit in,” she has said, reflecting on how meaningful that sense of belonging was at such a formative age.

As part of the JA Company Program, Fede’s team developed a product called HoldIt, a charging phone stand made from sanitized IV bags that could not be recycled because they were medical waste. The team collected the plastic, cleaned it, and repurposed it into a practical product with a clear environmental and social purpose.

The project connected learning to impact, showing her that education could be creative, relevant, and rooted in solving real problems. It also helped Fede see how entrepreneurship can turn challenges into opportunities.

Building Belonging
When her peers selected her as a leader for their student company, the moment stayed with her. The recognition mattered not because of an award or title, but because it affirmed that her voice and contributions had value.

Years later, after continuing to engage with JA as a volunteer, mentor, and leader, Fede was selected as the 2023 Company of the Year Influencer for JA Americas. The role took her to Buenos Aires and connected her with young people across the region, expanding the sense of community that first drew her to JA. Fede describes her motivation as both wanting to belong and wanting others to feel that same sense of connection. Through JA, she found community that felt welcoming, supportive, and purpose-driven.

Today, Fede works for JA Americas while completing her psychology degree in Montevideo. She serves in leadership roles that allow her to give back to the organization that shaped her path, while also advocating for change within it. One of her key priorities is neuroinclusion. Drawing on her own experiences and academic training, she pushes for learning experiences that better support neurodiverse learners through practical, accessible design.

Making Room for Everyone
Fede’s vision for the future is clear: In five years, she intends to work at the intersection of education, employment, and neuroinclusion, shaping learning environments that recognize different ways of thinking and working. Without question, she plans to still be part of JA, whether as a staff member, volunteer, or advisor.

Success, she says, is not measured by income or titles but by impact. She hopes to look back knowing she built community, opened doors, and helped create opportunities for people who need them most. For Fede, entrepreneurship education was not just a program. It was the beginning of belonging, purpose, and a future she could finally see.