For the third year in a row, the JA New York Business Plan Competition is nurturing the talents of young New York entrepreneurs. Teams of students compete to identify an opportunity or need and create and present a business plan to meet that need. This school year, a $1 million grant from NASDAQ OMX Educational Foundation will help Junior Achievement of New York (JANY), the competition’s organizer, double participation in the program, reaching 600 students from 15 schools, according to the Foundation Center.
Corporate volunteers from NASDAQ OMX will also mentor and advise the participants in their classrooms during the contest, and the company will host the citywide final of the competition at its Times Square office.
JANY, a nonprofit organization, helps volunteers offter their skills to K-12 students during class time, at after-school programs and via workplace visits. JANY aims “to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.” The NASDAQ OMX Educational Foundation supports partnerships and programs that promote innovative educational endeavors that further the mission of its parent company, The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.
The Business Plan Competition has big ambitions borne of a faith in young people’s potential. A JANY announcement about last year’s contest stated that, “More than a passing fad, it appears that youth entrepreneurship education is here to stay and with it, a potential to re-ignite a national passion for business and enterprise. New generations of young, business savvy innovators are leading the way.”
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