Letter from Armine K. Hovannisian Executive Director of JAA

As Junior Achievement Worldwide celebrates its centennial, we in Armenia rejoice in turning 28 years old. When we reflect back upon our history, we can only take pride in the fundamental changes and the critical impact we have effected for the new generation of Armenia. Nearly one million students, over 15,000 teachers, hundreds of school principals have been a part of Junior Achievement of Armenia (JAA) training and educational programs.

It was in 1991, as Armenia broke off from the Soviet Union and adopted the road to free market economics that a young woman with a vision, Cynthia Tusan came up with the idea of bringing JA to Armenia. It was evident that although the country had the intent of turning from a socialist economy into one of capitalism, the population lacked the knowledge or skills to call it to life.

What started in eight schools as a pilot project, transformed, over the following years into a comprehensive program in 1400 schools of Armenia. In 2016, the government of Armenia adopted a mandate and requested JAA to implement and offer its program to all grade levels in all schools of the Republic. As we continue to grow, we look forward to assisting Armenia in its quest to arm its young generation with the ABCs of free market economics and its businessmen with the courage to compete in the fast changing and ever demanding forces of the global marketplace.

Sincerely,

Armine K. Hovannisian
Executive Director

Newsletter 2019