DGAP-News: Junior Achievement and NASDAQ OMX Help NYC and LI Youth Find the Next Million Dollar Idea

Junior Achievement of New York

24.05.2011 16:52
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Hundreds of NYC&Long Island High School Students Prepare to Pitch Winning
Business Ideas in the 4th Annual JA New York Business Plan Competition
Presented by The NASDAQ OMX Education Foundation

NEW YORK, 2011-05-24 16:52 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —
Money never starts an idea. It is always –the idea– that starts the money. This
spring, more than 900 NYC and Long Island students are participating in an
eight-week business plan writing boot-camp with the ultimate goal of devising
the next winning business idea that could put them on the pathway to success.

Together with The NASDAQ OMX Education Foundation, Junior Achievement of New
York has invested in a rigorous business education program for high school
students – the JA New York Business Plan Competition (BPC). At the end of a
class-room based boot-camp process, student teams compete in several
competition rounds, pitching their business ideas against those of their peers.
This year, a record number of 185 business plans were submitted by over 800 NYC
and Long Island high school students for initial consideration. This is the
largest pool of student submissions in the history of the four-year-old
program. A panel of top business executives, entrepreneurs and investors will
judge the final round of the competition, which will take place on June 2nd at
the NASDAQ MarketSite, Times Square. The top three student teams will receive
monetary awards ranging from $1,000-$3,000 per team member.

The Business Plan Competition is the brainchild of JA New York Board Member
Chris Andersen. A former JA student himself, Andersen wanted to give today–s
generation of budding entrepreneurs something similar to the experience that
launched him on his own successful career in finance. With a generous seed
gift, he challenged JA New York to conceive a program that would help students
learn what it takes to develop a real business; where students would receive
the fundamentals of how businesses are conceived, developed and managed. The
result: the Junior Achievement Business Plan Competition.

BPC shows young people how to apply what they learn in school to real-life
business situations. The BPC curriculum also enhances critical academic and
professional development skills that set students up for life-long success such
as: working in and managing teams, research, communications and presentation
skills. Through Junior Achievement–s experiential entrepreneurship education
programs, including and apart from the Business competition, students receive
real-world work experience helping them become prepared and confident to dive
into their future professional careers as innovators, businesspeople and
problem solvers.

–There–s a huge demand at the high school level for educational programs that
are rigorous, relevant and can be applied in the real world. Junior Achievement
of New York–s signature Business Plan Competition aims to engage and empower
students with meaningful academic, business and entrepreneurial curricula and
experiences that help them understand how companies are formed and the
different roles and skill sets necessary for a business to succeed. Ultimately
students learn that it takes more than just a good idea to succeed in business
and in life,– said Joseph A. Peri, President, Junior Achievement of New York.
–We value our partnership with The NASDAQ OMX Education Foundation and our
association with business and educational supporters. Together we provide young
people with a real chance to put great ideas into action within a structured
learning environment where they can develop their potential and confidence to
grow into successful and productive citizens.–

The NASDAQ OMX Education Foundation, Inc. is a long-time supporter of business
innovation and financial education, specifically as it relates to the future of
the global and American economies in the 21st century. Their support of the JA
New York Business Plan Competition reaffirms their commitment in investing
guidance in the next generation of young business leaders to prepare them for
the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead.

–NASDAQ OMX is where homegrown companies offer their vision to the public
marketplace fueling capital formation and job growth. As corporate citizens,
NASDAQ OMX is also responsible for supporting the young entrepreneurs of New
York who will someday become the visionaries that drive our economy,– said Joan
Conley, Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary at The NASDAQ OMX Group.
–The JA New York Business Plan Competition has nurtured the entrepreneurial
spirit of high school students with guidance on how to launch a successful
company. We–re thrilled to partner with these students who will become our
business leaders in New York and across the globe.–

JA New York is also grateful for the generous support of in-kind partners
Angelsoft, AT&T, iMentor and Columbia Business School.

About Junior Achievement of New York

For more than 80 years, Junior Achievement of New York (JA New York), the local
affiliate of JA USA, has delivered economic education and empowerment programs
to NYC and Long Island students. Through a dedicated volunteer network of
corporate and community individuals, JA New York provides high-quality K-12
in-school, after-school, and summer educational programs. JA New York
educational programs impact important societal issues including youth
development, economic development, and education reform, and focus on three key
content areas: work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. For
more information about JA New York and its programs, visit www.jany.org.

About The NASDAQ OMX Education Foundation:

The mission of The NASDAQ OMX Educational Foundation is to promote learning
about capital formation, financial markets and entrepreneurship through
innovative educational programs. It was established in New York City in 1994
and is supported entirely by contributions from The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.

NDAQG

CONTACT: PRESS CONTACT
Jacqueline Dolly
Junior Achievement of New York
(212) 907-0046 (office)
jdolly@jany.org

Robert Madden
The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.
(646) 441-5045 (office)
(347) 740-8191 (mobile)
Robert.Madden@NASDAQOMX.com
News Source: NASDAQ OMX

24.05.2011 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP –
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Language: English
Company: Junior Achievement of New York

United States
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ISIN: US9901282411
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