Junior Achievement of Armenia
Contact Person: Anahit Manukyan
Tel.: +374 10 53 51 67
STUDENT ENTREPRENEURS BRING CHANGE TO THEIR COMMUNITIES
*Yerevan**, Armenia* – Junior Achievement of Armenia, within the framework
of the USAID-funded `Entrepreneurial and Civic Activism of Young People of
Armenia’ program, awarded small grants to eleven student companies to
implement social projects in their communities. The winning grants,
selected from ten submissions, will be used to create a playground in
Azatani village (Shirak province), establish a library in Nor Geghi (Kotayq
province) and build a bus stop in Voskehat (Armavir province). The awards
ceremony, held on March 12 in JA Armenia’s office, was attended by
supporters from the business community, representatives of USAID, and the
Republican Union of Employers of Armenia.
Corporate social responsibility is a relatively new concept in the Armenian
business community and Junior Achievement of Armenia is a pioneer in taking
the idea to the schools. As of April 2011, 1500 students from 100 Armenian
high
schools have been involved in the Entrepreneurial and Civic Activism program,
which seeks to enhance the economic and business awareness of Armenian
youth. Junior Achievement of Armenia acquaints students with current
international business practices, ethics and corporate social
responsibility (CSR) issues, and helps unleash their business potential.
`The program teaches young Armenians to become active citizens who contribute
to the welfare of their communities,’ says Armine K. Hovannisian, Executive
Director of Junior Achievement.
As part of their business activities, the students establish and run
`mini-companies,’ imitating real business operations. They elect their
managers, conduct market research, write business plans, manufacture a
product or offer a service, and design advertising and sales strategies. As
part of their learning experience and CSR practice, they also allocate a
portion of their profits to carry out community-oriented projects. Students
receive guidance about their businesses from JAA teachers as well as
consultants from companies such as VivaCell-MTS, Mary Kay, Megerian Carpet,
Armenia Marriott Hotel, HSBC Bank, Kanaka Construction, the Coca-Cola
Hellenic Bottling Company, and the Republican Union of Employers of Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
