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Citi and JA: A Commitment to Youth

May 12, 2015
Brandee McHale, Head of Community Investing and Development at Citi and President of the Citi Foundation
Francesco Vanni d'Archirafi, CEO of Citi Holdings and Chairman of the Board of Governors of Junior Achievement Worldwide

By Brandee McHale, President, Citi Foundation and Francesco Vanni d'Archirafi, CEO of Citi Holdings and Chairman of the Board of Governors of Junior Achievement Worldwide

JA WorldWide

Citi and the Citi Foundation have been working with JA (Junior Achievement) since 1986, partnering on every level: from helping JA build capacity, to funding large scale programs, regional and global initiatives, and projects at the community level; to dedicated collaborations with Citi volunteers.

Every year, JA reaches more than 10 million youth across 123 countries, and 50 states within the United States, working to improve their financial and entrepreneurship skills as well as providing them with the resources needed to gain employment, start their own businesses, and begin to accumulate financial assets through savings. In today's economy, these skills provide young people with invaluable tools for building their future and achieving their ambitions.

That is why we are so proud to have Citi colleagues share their knowledge, experience, and passion with young people. In the 2014-15 school year alone, more than 2,500 Citi employees have volunteered with JA, dedicating their time and skills to a variety of programs that aim to bring entrepreneurship, workplace readiness, and financial literacy education to young people around the world. This volunteer effort, combined with more than $4 million in grant funding from the Citi Foundation, is enabling JA to reach more than 200,000 young people in more than 50 countries.

From participating in JA "Job Shadow Days" in which groups of high school students come to our offices and are introduced to potential career opportunities, to the JA "In a Day" program in which Citi employees spend a full day in a school classroom to help teach and inspire youth about the connection between education and success in the workplace. Citi volunteers have dedicated their time and talents to help drive JA's mission of empowering young people to engage in their own economic development and contribute to the strength of their communities.

As a result of these efforts, JA presented Citi with the U.S. President's Volunteer Gold Service award for the eighth consecutive year, recognizing Citi's commitment to encouraging community service and for our continued support of the organization. This support includes more than 15,000 volunteer hours in 2014 and the engagement of senior executives on 60 of JA's global, regional and country level boards.

This year in June, we will commemorate our 10th annual Global Community Day – our company-wide initiative that brings together tens of thousands of Citi colleagues, family and friends in volunteer projects that support local communities. We are pleased to be partnering once again with JA as part of Global Community Day. Citi volunteers from across the world- from New York City to Prague to Kampala, will be helping JA execute their mission in a meaningful and impactful way.

Citi is pleased to congratulate the new CEO of Junior Achievement Worldwide, Asheesh Advani. Learn more here.

To learn more about the Citi Foundation's partnership with JA, please visit the Citi Foundation website.

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