BMO and JA Launch National Partnership at Guiding the Future Event
Partnership Video Left to Right: Zabeen Hirji, Carolyn Booth, Rachel Bruce, Asheesh Advani,Mona Malone, Larissa Chaikowsky, Dusya Vera Read the Full Partnership Press Release On September 19th BMO hosted Guiding the Future which convened 300 individuals – BMO employees, community-based organizations, higher education partners, and members of the community – for an address by Junior Achievement Worldwide CEO, Asheesh Advani. The event also featured an engaging panel focused on youth future skills, and the importance of developing the next generation of leaders. Volunteer With JA Love0 Share Share Share Pin
The Summer We Watched Possibility Turn Into Proof
There’s a moment in every good story when the work stops being practice and starts being real. For students this summer, that moment looked like sticky fingers, a half-straightened label, and a customer who smiled at the very first bite. On a Wednesday that smelled faintly of printer ink and strawberries, a circle of teenagers leaned over jars and sketches, debating fonts and colours with the seriousness of seasoned entrepreneurs. “Bolder font.” “Cleaner.” “Does this feel like us?” What began as an idea on paper had become something you could hold, taste, and share, a business with a name, a product, and a story of its own. They called it Strawbuddies, a name born from a dozen discarded ideas and one shared belief: we can do this. Not in theory. Not someday. NOW. This was the heartbeat of a BIPOC JA Company Program, a space intentionally built so young people who have been told “wait your turn” more times than they can count could build, sell and learn right now. With mentors like Sarah Lane and Ally Pyle asking sharper questions instead of giving easy answers, the students learned that business is less about having the perfect plan and more about listening, iterating, and showing up. The McCall MacBain Foundation made sure the lights were on, the doors were open, and the tools were there. The students did the rest. And it wasn’t just a classroom that changed this summer. Down the highway in Port Hope, conversations turned into commitments. At Trade Tech Industries, our President & CEO, John McNutt, stood beside Ontario’s Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training & Skills Development, David Piccini (also MPP for Northumberland-Peterborough South), to talk investment in skills and about the future of Ontario’s workforce. The conversation was practical in the best way: how do we get more young people into the pipeline: skilled, confident, and hungry to learn? What do employers need? What tools do young people need? Where do employers have openings? And how do we stitch those two maps together? Then came Avery Pick’s story, a JA student from Flexjet, a small, clear example of what happens when opportunities meet preparation and how a program cracked open a door. She didn’t speak from a script; she spoke from a place that said, “This program changed the way I see what I can do.” That line landed in a room full of policymakers and employers in a way that budgets never could. Back in the JA Company Program, the team was learning a quieter lesson: entrepreneurship isn’t a sprint to a finish line; it’s a conversation with your community. Strawbuddies wasn’t just delicious, it was local, theirs, and surprisingly sophisticated for a first product because the students made it that way. They learned that pricing is a story, packaging is trust, and a good debrief after a bad sales day is the difference between stuck and stronger. When the Rossy Foundation, in celebration of Dollarama’s 30+ years serving Canadians, stepped in to support JA’s signature JA Company Program, it clicked into place. This is how change scales: one partner steadies the ladder while another holds the blueprint, and the students climb. If you pull the camera back, the picture is simple and stunning: A jar of jam that began as a half-sketched idea and now sits in someone’s kitchen, proof that youth can ship real things. The roundtable and sight tour in Port Hope, where industry and education agree that opportunity isn’t accidental; it’s designed. And finally, a student story that reminds us investment isn’t measured only in dollars, it’s measured in direction. Through it all is a throughline of leadership you almost don’t notice until you do, the steady, student-first focus of John McNutt. No fanfare, just the same question asked in different rooms: What would it take for this young person to thrive? Ask that enough times, and you get summers like this one. So yes, we taught budgeting and marketing. We practised pitching and customer engagement. We checked all the boxes that look good in a report. But the real outcome is harder to graph and easier to feel: Confidence. The kind that turns “maybe” into “I’ll try,” and “I’ll try” into “I did.” It’s students learning to speak up in a meeting, to balance a budget, to take a risk and survive it. It’s a bedtime conversation about price points and packaging that would have sounded impossible before. The moment a student stops waiting to be chosen and starts choosing themselves. If you read one line and take it with you, let it be this: when communities, mentors, funders, and leaders ask the same question: How do we help young peoplethrive? The answer is not a single program. It’s a network of small, stubborn acts that, together, change trajectories. We’re not done. Strawbuddies is Chapter One. The roundtable in Port Hope is a bridge. The support from our partners is fuel. And the next student who walks into a JA room will find not just a lesson, but a launchpad. We’re building more of them. Want to help write Chapter Two? Mentor, host, invest, or simply come listen. Stop by and ask a student what they’re working on. They’ll light up. You will, too. From ideas to impact, from “maybe” to “we did it”, that was the story of our summer. And if the students have anything to say about it, it’s only Chapter One. Love0 Share Share Share Pin
Skilled Futures: Highlights from the World of Choices Skilled Trades Summits
September 05, 2025 National JA Canada is proud to celebrate the success of the 2024–2025 World of Choices Skilled Trades Summits, an innovative initiative designed to inspire youth to explore rewarding careers in the skilled trades. As demand for trade professionals continues to rise across Canada – over 222,000 Red Seal tradespeople are needed over the next four years – these summits equip young people with the knowledge, tools, and hands-on experiences they need to confidently explore this essential sector. We’re especially grateful to RBC and Imperial Oil for their support in fueling skilled trades education and helping embed these programs into the core of JA’s career readiness offerings. A big thank you as well to Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) for their invaluable contributions as Summit Hosts and key resource partners for the JA Career Exploration Centre. Students can also dive deeper anytime through the JA Career Exploration Center, our virtual platform that supports both independent and classroom-based career discovery. Together, we’re building stronger pathways to skilled careers and empowering the next generation of talent. The summits provided a space for students to get exposed to: Industry panels led by electricians, mechanics, carpenters, and other skilled trades professionals, including women and BIPOC leaders, who shared their career journeys and offered advice from a range of personal perspectives. Interactive transferrable skills workshops helping students identify and build essential career skills: communication, problem solving, adaptability, creativity & innovation, collaboration, among others. Live demonstrations and hands-on sessions where students could explore the tools, technologies, and techniques used in various trades, igniting curiosity and sparking new interests. Networking opportunities where students connected directly with industry experts, learning about apprenticeship programs, certifications, academic pathways, and employment opportunities. Supporting Canada’s Skilled Workforce of Tomorrow The World of Choices Skilled Trades Summits are a direct response to Canada’s growing need for skilled trade professionals. By equipping youth with the guidance, tools, and real-world insights to explore these careers, JA Canada is helping build a strong, diverse, and future-ready workforce. We’re excited to expand the program’s reach, bringing summits to even more communities across the country and opening doors for more young people to discover rewarding opportunities in the skilled trades. Love0 Share Share Share Pin
Opening Doors, Inspiring Futures: The Impact of World of Choices
September 02, 2025 National Each year, the JA Canada’s World of Choices program opens doors for youth across the country, helping them explore different careers and giving them the tools and knowledge to pursue them. This 2024/25 academic year was no exception with over 37,000 youth going through the program. World of Choices isn’t just about career exploration. It’s about confidence-building, mentorship, and helping students envision their place in a rapidly changing workforce. From virtual panels and in-person networking sessions to hands-on workshops and career fairs, the program offered thousands of students the opportunity to engage directly with professionals across a wide range of industries. But it’s the stories behind the numbers that truly show the power of the program. Each event is unique yet most experiences feature: Plenary Sessions and Panels: Students heard firsthand from industry leaders in various fields like professional services, finance, technology, engineering, skilled trades, manufacturing, and the arts. These professionals shared their personal career journeys, discussed challenges and rewards in their fields, and answered students’ questions. Career Mentor Sessions: Students connect directly with seasoned professionals in intimate, small group mentoring sessions. They had the chance to ask questions, seek advice, and gain firsthand knowledge from subject matter experts. Career Fair & Networking Opportunities: Youth explored a diverse range of career options during interactive career fairs while also building valuable connections with mentors and peers. Empowering Youth for the Future The impact of World of Choices events has been significant, with students across Canada reporting a stronger understanding of the career paths available to them and the skills needed to pursue those opportunities. In 2024–2025, these events continued to bridge the gap between education and the workforce. We are grateful to all the partners who support World of Choices and help make this impact possible for Canadian students. As JA Canada continues to expand this program, World of Choices has become a transformative experience for students. By introducing youth to a wide range of industries and equipping them with confidence, knowledge, and inspiration to explore their goals, these events are helping to build a more inclusive and future-ready workforce. Contact your local JA office to learn more about World of Choices events in 2025–2026 and how they’re helping prepare youth for success in the workforce. Love0 Share Share Share Pin
2025 Canadian Company of the Year Championship
July 23, 2025 National Over the past few weeks, JA Company Program teams have been competing in the Canadian Company of the Year Championship. We’re delighted to share that this year’s champion is Top Shelf from JA Central Ontario. Category Sessions During the week of July 7th, nine teams from across Canada competed in one of the category sessions: Technoogy Social Enterprise Manufacturing & Retail The top team from each category was invited to participate in the Championship event as a finalist. This year’s finalists included: Top Shelf from JA Central Ontario – Manufacturing/Retail Finalist Hearts & Heritage from JA Manitoba – Technology Finalist Cherish N Care from JA South Western Ontario – Social Enterprise Finalist Congratulations to all of this year’s teams. The judging panel was impressed with the presentations this year making the judging process difficult. It’s wonderful to see so many great JA Company Program teams highlighted this year. 2025 Championship Event – July 17, 2025 This year’s championship event took place virtually. We were delighted to have JA Alumnae Rachel Bruce from JA PEI as the event host and MC. Before any of the team presentations started, JA Alumnae Mia Cvetkovik from JA Central Ontario participated in an engaging fireside chat where she shared her experience with JA as well as how she’s further developed her career and built strong skills in leadership. Each of the three finalists had prepared a strong presentation about their company and JA program experience. Following their presentation, each of the teams also participated in a Q&A session with our judging panel. Congrats to all the teams for a job well done! Thank you to our Supporting Sponsor, The Rossy Foundation, for your support of this event. If you missed the event, you can see the recording below! Watch on YouTube Love0 Share Share Share Pin
For Immediate Release: Junior Achievement PEI receives Scotiabank gift to help build financial literacy skills among Island youth
July 09, 2025 Prince Edward Island Press Release For Immediate Release July 9, 2025 Junior Achievement PEI receives Scotiabank gift to help build financial literacy skills among Island youth Charlottetown, PEI – Junior Achievement Prince Edward Island (JA PEI) is proud to announce a generous gift of $75,000 from Scotiabank to promote a shared commitment to building financial literacy skills and economic resiliency among Island youth. Scotiabank’s support is provided through its ScotiaRISE community investment initiative, which aims to help individuals and communities thrive. Scotiabank employees selected JA PEI to receive this ScotiaRISE donation, supporting efforts to build economic resilience by helping people adapt to change, overcome barriers, and fully participate in the economy. JA PEI expressed gratitude to the team at Scotiabank for this record-high one-time donation. JA PEI will use this donation to expand the reach of their programs, providing youth with the essential skills they need to define personal success, prepare for the workforce, ensure strong money management, and pursue their dreams. It is the aim of JA PEI to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. “It is an honor to be recognized by Scotiabank employees for this donation,” said JA PEI President & CEO, Sheryl MacAulay. “We always enjoy working with the team at Scotiabank. They are dedicated JA volunteers who use their expertise to help deliver our programs. We are excited to continue to work with them in this new capacity and are grateful for their continued support.” “Through ScotiaRISE, we recognize the importance of education and training in helping open doors to a brighter future,” said Stephen Van Wart, District Vice President, East New Brunswick and PEI, Scotiabank. “Through ScotiaRISE and with the support of Scotiabank employees across Atlantic Canada, our partnership with Junior Achievement PEI is helping equip individuals with the financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurial skills they need to reach their full potential.” To learn more about JA PEI and how you can donate, visit japei.org. To learn more about ScotiaRISE, visit https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/about/responsibility-impact/scotiarise.html Photo Details: Pictured (left to right): Chelsea Neill – Branch Manager, Scotiabank; Sheryl MacAulay – President & CEO, JA PEI; Stephen Van Wart – District Vice President, Scotiabank About JA Prince Edward Island Junior Achievement Prince Edward Island (JA PEI) helps Island youth build transferable skills in the areas of work readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. JA PEI collaborates with educators, volunteers, and organizations across the Island to deliver nearly 7000 hands-on and immersive learning experiences to students in grades 3-12. JA PEI’s mission is to inspire and prepare students to succeed in a global economy. About ScotiaRISE ScotiaRISE is Scotiabank’s $500 million community investment initiative designed to help people in three focus areas: improving high school and post-secondary participation, removing career barriers, and supporting newcomer economic inclusion. ScotiaRISE also invests in programs that address reclamation of Indigenous language and culture as well as urgent and basic needs, such as improving access to basic supports like food and water, shelter and medical care. Since its launch in 2021, ScotiaRISE has invested over $150 million and partnered with over 300 organizations worldwide to provide the tools people need to reach their full potential. For Further Information Contact: Sheryl MacAulay, President & CEO | W: 902.892.6066 | C: 902.940.6802 | smacaulay@japei.org Love0 Share Share Share Pin
Celebrating the JA Career Exploration Centre: Powered by Partners, Driven by Students
June 18, 2025 National JA Canada is proud to spotlight the Career Exploration Centre, our virtual, open-access learning platform that supports students aged 13–18 as they navigate future career possibilities. With interactive tools and sector-specific content, the Centre empowers young people with the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions about their futures. This powerful resource continues to grow and thrive thanks to the incredible support of our partners. Their commitment to youth education and career readiness is driving meaningful impact and helping build a future full of possibility for young Canadians. The JA Virtual Career Exploration Centre Curious what’s inside? Keep reading to explore the three career rooms technology, skilled trades, and energy each packed with interactive experiences, videos, and real-world insights to inspire students across the country. Visit the Career Exploration Centre today and help prepare the next generation for success. Together with our partners, we’re opening doors to brighter futures. Interested in Sponsoring a Sector? Connect with Us Love0 Share Share Share Pin
2025 National Scholarship Recipient
We’re delighted to share JA Canada’s national scholarship winner. This year, the Seymour Schulich Entrepreneurship Scholarship was available to graduating students who participated in the JA Company Program (with one of the 14 local offices across Canada). As part of the application process, participants developed a personal reflection about their JA experience and how they’re now better equipped with new skills to help them in their future. The 2025 Scholarship Recipient is Chris Tao from JA South Western Ontario. Congratulations! Love0 Share Share Share Pin
JA Canada’s Virtual Trades Expo 2025: Empowering Youth with Career Exploration and Skills Development, Powered by VFairs, Announced for June 6, 2025
May 16, 2025 National Toronto, ON – JA Canada is excited to announce the upcoming Virtual Trades Expo on June 6th for youth powered by vFairs. The Trades Expo is the first National event to be hosted on JA’s Career Exploration Centre, a virtual platform designed to empower youth aged 13-18 with the knowledge and tools they need to make informed decisions about their future careers. This easy-access, self-exploratory simulation provides students with a wealth of resources to explore emerging career opportunities and trends in trades, technology, energy, and more. JA Canada, along with its Career Exploration Center partners Amazon Canada, TC Energy, and RBC, is committed to equipping youth with the skills, toolsets, and mindsets necessary to become the employees and business owners that will drive Canada’s economic future. The Trades Expo will feature webinars on more than 15 trades, and the self-guided Career Exploration Centre provides a range of interactive learning modules, webinars, and downloadable resources designed to enhance students’ understanding of various career paths and the skills needed to thrive in today’s job market. By engaging in these JA learning experiences, students can gain valuable insights into different industries, helping them to identify their interests and strengths. “We are excited to offer youth an opportunity to explore Trades pathways through these engaging learning experiences. The Trades Expo and Career Exploration Centre demonstrate our commitment to preparing youth for the future,” said Scott Hillier, CEO of JA Canada. “The innovative platform not only provides essential career information but also encourages self-discovery and personal growth, ensuring that our students are well-equipped to navigate their career journeys,” said Hillier. “We are proud to support JA Canada’s Virtual Trades Expo and Career Exploration Centre in empowering youth to explore meaningful career paths. At vFairs, we believe technology plays a vital role in creating accessible and engaging learning environments. This innovative virtual platform perfectly aligns with our mission to provide tools that inspire self-discovery and prepare the next generation for success in a rapidly evolving job market.”– Muhammad Younas, CEO, vFairs The Trades Expo and Career Exploration Centre are free and accessible to youth, teachers, and parents. The Career Exploration Centre provides tailored guides that support and maximize the learning experience. Teachers can integrate the platform into their curriculum, utilizing the teacher guide and activities to align with educational standards and objectives. JA Canada has a long-standing history of delivering impactful educational programs focused on financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. The Career Exploration Centre is the latest addition to JA Canada’s suite of offerings, reflecting the organization’s dedication to evolving and adapting to the needs of today’s youth. To explore the platform and register for the virtual Trades Expo visit Love0 Share Share Share Pin
2025 Royden Richardson National JA Volunteer Awards
At JA Canada, we are most grateful for our volunteer network. Last year, more than 6,000 volunteers across Canada helped us provide more than 445,000 learning experiences and opportunities to youth from coast-to-coast. Volunteers make all of this possible. National Volunteer Week is a wonderful time to celebrate our many volunteers. Each year, we recognize the recipients of the Royden Richardson National JA Volunteer Awards. These awards recognize volunteers whose participation has immeasurably furthered the aims and objectives of JA in Canada. This year, we’re delighted to recognize two volunteers in the programs category and one volunteer in the governance/administration category: Thank you to all our dedicated volunteers who make it possible for more youth to become inspired and prepared for the future! See a list of our current and previous award winners here. Love0 Share Share Share Pin