1. 2010
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JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT BULGARIA
ANNUAL REPORT
2. Letter from Milena Stoycheva,
CEO of Junior Achievement Bulgaria
2010 saw JA Bulgaria position itself one step further toward achieving its mission to
help make entrepreneurial education universally available for Bulgarian youth. It is
especially rewarding to see that the Ministry of Education, Youth and Science is realiz-
ing the importance of this type of education and is introducing it from an early age in
the elementary grades as a leading strategy. Concrete steps in this direction were
done with the trainings for more than 200 teachers in four of JA Bulgaria’s programs
for kids aged 6-12 which were o cially supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth
and Science. This has enabled a growth of 100% in the number of schools with
primary education that our organization works with in introducing entrepreneurial
skills and attitudes – one of the highlights for 2010.
Another important achievement was the European Enterprise Challenge’2010 (the
competition for the best European university-level student company) which JA
Bulgaria hosted in So a in July. This was the rst event of pan-European character
which was hosted in Bulgaria and went smoothly and awlessly. Apart from the
strong corporate and donor support (big thanks to Intel, Nestle Bulgaria, Devnya
Cement, Citi, HP, Microsoft, Publicis/MARC, America for Bulgaria, Enira, Right Rental),
the event was endorsed by the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, the Minister of Education,
Youth and Science, and the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works. The
Bulgarian student company “RS Consult” from So a University won the rst award
from such a prestigious entrepreneurship forum for Bulgaria – the innovation award
Skil
for its online chess for three people. In fact, 2010 was one of the most successful years
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for Bulgarian students who study JA Bulgaria programs – you can see a full list of the
awards they won at the “Highlights” page of this report.
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I would like to extend a most heartfelt thank you to all of our
private and public partners that contributed not only nancial
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resources, but also the time and devotion of their employees
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ncial Literacy who became voluntary mentors of students and enthusiastic
transmitters of our philosophy that success and personal
development is a combination of diligence, mastery of skills,
strong will, belief in one’s potential, and a desire to develop
and achieve one’s goals by action and initiative. This is the type
of relationship we are looking to encourage as a form of corpo-
rate responsibility in Bulgaria. We will work to sustain and grow
that momentum in 2011.
Milena Stoycheva is CEO of Junior Achievement Bulgaria and an executive with
extensive national and international experience in the area of education and training,
JAfacts
entrepreneurship development, business skills and economic and nancial literacy.
She is also the Chair of JA Worldwide Member Council and in this capacity advises on
strategic and leadership matters the management of the organization. In her previous
professional experience she has been also the Dean of Students at the American
University in Bulgaria and Educational Adviser at the Fulbright Commission, So a.
3. Letter from Sasha Bezuhanova,
Chair of the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement Bulgaria
Ensuring a working link between education and business, JA Bulgaria grants a
unique opportunity to thousands of students to walk side by side with Bulgaria’s
already rightfully seen as a major partner in the promotion of best business prac-
tices and responsible leadership behavior, also acting as an agent of change and
modernization in the Bulgarian educational system.
In 2010, JA Bulgaria received for the third year in a row the prestigious Model Orga-
nization Award given by JA-YE Europe to JA organizations in recognition of the
quality of their board, management, and operations, their impact and programs at
all age levels from primary school through to university and their contribution to
the overall success of the JA-YE Europe network. The organization also received the
prestigious Thomas J. Bata Quality Award, and the CEO Milena Stoycheva was
bestowed the JA-YE Special Leadership Award. And last but not least, with its
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tion for the European Enterprise Awards organized by the Ministry of Economy,
Energy and Tourism, and will go on to represent Bulgaria on European level in 2011.
initiatives and ways of interaction between the corporate sector, the state and the
y
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This was illustrated by the active strategy for promotion
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and introduction of entrepreneurship education from an
earliest age at the primary schools which resulted in a
100 % increase in the number of schools and kindergar-
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elementary grades. A further step in providing a stronger
al L
connection between youth and business was the initia-
tive “Smart Start” which was introduced in 2010 as an
add-on to the established “Manager for a Day” initiative,
attracted more than 150 college students and 15 compa-
nies and resulted in very successful internships for the
start in their professional path.
Sasha B zuhan a is the Public S t Di t f C t al E t Europe in Hewlett-Packard. She manages the corpora-
Bezuhanova Sector Director for Central Eastern
tion’ government business in 27 countries including Russia, new Europe, Western Balkans and Central Asia. Sasha
JAfacts
Bezuhanova is working proactively for the economic and social development of modern, democratic Bulgaria. She drives
creation of the National ICT Competitiveness Strategy. As Chairperson of the Board of Junior Achievement Bulgaria she
works for development of the Entrepreneurial and leadership skills of the Youngsters. She is a Founding Chairperson
of the Confederation of Industrialists and Employers in Bulgaria, Member of the Board of
Bulgarian School of Politics, Member of the Advisory Board to the Minister of Education.
4. High Lights
2010
Bulgarian students won a number of awards in 2010:
signature award for innovation at the European Enterprise Challenge'2010 for the Bulgarian
graduate company "RS Consult" from So a University
2nd place in the European Banks in Action Challenge for the team of Radoslav Lazarov and
Tsvetelina Tsoneva from Vocational School of Trading (Varna)
1st and 3rd place in the European Social Innovation Camp'2010 for Stoyan Iliev from 134th
School "D.Debelyanov" (So a) and for Ivaylo Kirilov from Vocational Technical School
"N.Vaptsarov" (Samokov)
1st prize in the worldwide Business Ethics Essay Competition'2010 for Emine Huseyin from
Vocational School of Economy "R.Schuman" (Razgrad)
3rd place in the European JA Titan Competition for the team of Nikolay Kalenikov, Vladimir
Margaritov, Mihail Gabrovski and Emil Filipov from Municipal Children's Complex (Plovdiv)
JA Bulgaria received a number of awards acknowledging the outstanding
quality of the organization and its human capital:
JA-YE Europe Model Organization Award 2010
JA-YE Europe Thomas J. Bata Quality Award 2010
JA-YE Europe Special Leadership Award 2010 awarded to the CEO Milena Stoycheva
1st place in the national competition for European Enterprise Awards'2011 organized by the
Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism
350
JA Bulgaria hosted successfully for the rst time a 300
large-scale European event - the European Enterprise 250
Challenge for graduate student companies from all 200
over Europe. The event was attended by the Prime 150
Minister of Bulgaria, Mr. Boyko Borisov, the Minister of 100
Education, Youth and Science, Mr. Sergey Ignatov, and 50
the Minister of Regional Development and Public 0
Works, Mr. Rosen Plevneliev. 2006 2007 2008 2010
participants in the annual competition Juniors in Action
JA Bulgaria achieved an increase of 100% in the number of schools involved in the
programs for the elementary grades. The number of newly trained teachers is 200.
5. Calendar of events 2010
March 4
March 19-20 International JA-YE Trade Fair, Lisbon
March 22 9th National "Manager for a Day" Initiative
March 23 "Smart Start" Student Conference
April 15 JA-YE Europe Banks in Action Challenge, Brussel
April 15 JA-YE Europe Virtual Business Challenge, Brussels
April 17
April 22-24 International Skills@Work Challenge, Belgrade
May 8-10 13th National Competition "Virtual Enterprise"
May 18-19
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May 25-26 Social Innovation Camp'2010, Brussels
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June 3
July 1-4
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July 20-23 JA-YE Europe Company of the Year Competition, Cagliari
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September 28-30
October 21-22
October 28-29
November 18
November 16-27 15 innovation camps and 11 open classes in schools
all over Bulgaria (part of Global Entrepreneurship Week Bulgaria)
December 10
6. Elementary and middle grades
programs and events
Through the elementary and middle grades programs, Junior Achievement
Bulgaria is delivering the youngest members of society a truly innovative edu-
-
grams provide building blocks for skills development and understanding of the
'world of work‘ – how and why individuals, families, communities and nations
work together. We truly believe that the implementation of these programs in
the elementary and middle grades greatly enhances the quality of business and
economic education in some of the most needy areas of Bulgaria. The programs
also supplement core elements of the National Curriculum, particularly with its
links to literacy, citizenship and personal and social health education. As we
youth and on us as we strive to promote their education, diligence and career
aspirations. JAB’s programs encourage the young generation's economic
literacy, initiative and independence and teach them how they can realize their
ideas in practice.
PROGRAMS:
Ourselves (5-7 year olds)
Our Families (7-8 year olds)
Our Community (8-9 year olds)
Our City (8-10 year olds)
Europe and Me (11-12 year olds)
It’s My Business (12-13 year olds)
EVENTS:
Juniors in Action
“Juniors in Action” competition was launched rstly
JA
in 2006 in Varshets with the assistance of the local
municipality and General High School “Ivan Vazov”.
facts The overall number of participants back then was
more than 70, including kids from So a, Burgas and
Varshets.
7. 16 + programs and events
As high school students begin to position themselves for their future, there are
many unanswered questions about what lies ahead. Junior Achievement's high
school programs help students make informed, intelligent decisions about their
future, and foster skills that will be highly useful in the business world.
With a range of di erent programs, Junior Achievement teaches about concepts
from microeconomics and macroeconomics to free enterprise. The volunteers
bring real-life business experience and guidance into the classroom at a time that
represents an essential crossroads for young people.
PROGRAMS:
Student Company, Enterprise without Borders,
Economics, Leadership and success skills, Business Ethics,
Banks in Action, JA Titan, Youth Business,
Graduate Company Program
EVENTS:
Youth Business Forum “Rising Stars”
Best Student Company of Bulgaria Competition
Best Graduate Student Company Competition
Manager For a Day
National Competition “Virtual Enterprise”
National Competition “Banks in Action”
Smart Start Student Conference
Innovation camps
What IF events
Records show that for the last academic year JA
JA
facts
Bulgaria youngsters won many prizes and awards in
competitions on European and global level. Bulgarian
students are among the top 3 in Europe in nancial
literacy and banking competitions.
8. More than 1000 Bulgarian students stepped into
the shoes of managers and politicians for a day
INSTITUTIONS THAT The event which is organized for the ninth year in a row and is under the
SUPPORTED "MFD" 2010
patronage of the Ministry of Finance gave the future leaders of Bulgaria the
* Ministry of Finance
* Ministry of Education, opportunity to get closely familiar with real practice in their desired profession.
Youth and Science
* Ministry of Economy,
Energy and Tourism The managers from the private and the public sector shared experience with
* Ministry of Regional
Development and Public
their young counterparts and helped them get a feeling of the real working
Works environment by showing them how their work day goes. The students partici-
* Ministry of Labor and Social
Policy pating in the initiative made a new step toward their professional development
* Ministry of Agriculture and
Food
by working on practical tasks and making management decisions in their
* Ministry of Transport, dream job.
Information Technologies
and Communications
* Parliament of Bulgaria
Mr. Simeon Dyankov, Minister of Finance and patron of the initiative, also wel-
* Parliamentary Commission comed his "Minister for a day" and greeted all participants. Ministers for a day
on Education, Science and
Children, Youth and Sports also managed the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Agriculture and the
Issues
* U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria Fandakova also ceded her position and duties to a student.
* Brisith Embassy in Bulgaria
* UN and UNDP
* American Chamber of The current U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria - H.E. James Warlick - attended the
Commerce
* Bulgarian Business Leaders
Forum
support for JA Bulgaria and Manager for a Day. The well-known American
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ers for their professional development and how to pursue their dreams in
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Among them were Iravan Hira, General Director of Hewlett Packard Bulgaria
and representatives of Porsche Inter Auto BG. At the end of the day the stu-
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during the day.
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For third year in a row, Porshe Inter Auto BG was Gold sponsor
ON 5 years ago, Porshe is now exclusive trader of Volkswagen and
Audi for Bulgaria. Porsche BG is a subsidiary of the Austrian
FOCUS
holding company Porsche Salzburg, one of Europe's largest
trading companies with new cars, with headquarters in
Central and Southeastern Europe and China.
9. Successful entrepreneurs teach students at the
conference "Smart Start"
Boyan Benev, Young Successful young entrepreneurs and managers of leading Bulgarian and inter-
Entrepreneur for
2009 in the U.K. national companies taught 200 students in entrepreneurship, business
“I joined the "Smart
behavior, planning and career management at the rst student conference
Start" conference "Smart Start". For the rst time in Bulgaria, 200 students participated in practi-
because I believe that
such initiatives cal seminars lead by experienced managers and entrepreneurs and discussed
stimulate young
people. They help
real-life case studies in di erent business sectors. Students also attended train-
them not only to ings and presentations on CV and cover letter writing, presentation skills, net-
realize the value of
their ideas, but also working, creativity, business ethics, care for the environment and business
give them motivation
to act but also give
creation in Bulgaria.
them motivation to
act on them”
In the rst part of the conference students met young entrepreneurs Boyan
Benev, Tomer Rothschild, Georgi Dichev and Ivaylo Hristov who talked about
the opportunities of starting a business in Bulgaria. Later on, the students
were divided into small groups where they were looking for solutions to real
business problems together with established managers. The 20 best perform-
ing students will have the opportunity to do an internship at the companies
which took part in the initiative.
The "Smart Start" conference was organized for the rst time by JA Bulgaria
and the U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria and is part of the "Manager for a Day" initia-
ty tive. It aims at broadening the scope of "Manager for a Day" which targets
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mainly high school students by introducing initiatives that give better oppor-
tunities for career orientation and development to university students in Bul-
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garia. Through the seminars and exercises it features, the initiative wants to
provoke the creative business approach of students, to stimulate their leader-
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ship skills and initiative and to help them kick o their professional career with
an internship in a leading company.
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The men and women of the United States Mission to Bulgaria
ON
are committed to strengthening the partnership between the
United States and Bulgaria. Using the highest standards of
FOCUS professional excellence and personal integrity, they focus
their e orts in three priority areas: security, prosperity,
democracy.
10. 120 students from 27 schools took part in
the 3rd national competition "Banks in Action"
Ivan Iskrov, 120 students from all over Bulgaria took part in the third National high-school
Governer of competition "Banks in Action” , part of the nancial management program
Bulgarian "Banks in Action" of Junior Achievement Bulgaria. Students from the Economic
National Bank :
"Work with Vocational School in Varna took the rst and third place, and their mates from
perseverance National High school in Finance and Business "Intelekt" in Pleven took the
every single day
and never give up second place.
your dreams. You
have an uncom- The educational program is realized jointly by Junior Achievement Bulgaria and
parably better
starting position Citibank Bulgaria for the fth year in a row. In 2010 Citibank celebrates its tenth
than we had and year of operation on the Bulgarian market and the fth year of its cooperation
so I encourage
you to reach with Junior Achievement.
much further in
your personal Banks in Action Competition is an interactive educational competition which is
accomplishments
and in realizing a culmination of the year-long course of study of all students in the Banks in
your potential Action program. The purpose of the program is to give knowledge in the
than we ever
could." sphere of banking and nance. The computer simulation puts students in the
roles of nancial and executive directors and requires that they nd their way
and react adequately and timely in a dynamically developing banking environ-
ment. Students also learn key concepts and acquire important skills in money
management which, having in mind the current economic crisis, will help them
ty overcome future nancial challenges. The teenagers also have the opportunity
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This year the teams were supported and encouraged by Ivan Iskrov, Bulgarian
National Bank Governor, Milena Stoycheva, Junior Achievement Bulgaria CEO,
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and Stefan Ivanov, Citibank Bulgaria Country O cer. They congratulated the
participants for their initiative and mastery of skills.
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Since establishing presence in Bulgaria in 1998, Citi is committed to o ering a wide range of
ON
Corporate and Investment Banking services to top tier local and multinational corporate
customers, nancial institutions, institutional investors and the government of the Republic of
FOCUS Bulgaria. Citi is a world leader in global transaction capabilities, handling more than one billion
transactions annually and processing more than $3 trillion in funds each day.
11. JA Innovation camps - provoking creativity,
innovation and entrepreneurial skills
The aim of the April 2010
European Creativity Close to 120 students from 20 schools across Bulgaria worked on a challenge connected
and Innovation
Challenge is to to responsible business, within the competition "Responsible Business and Innovations".
encourage young The contest was held at the Anglo-American School of So a and gave the best team the
people to develop
skills that will help opportunity to represent Bulgaria at the Innovation camp in Brussels in May 2010.
them become
successful entrepre-
neurs and employees The challenge was given to the students by a team of Hewlett Packard Bulgaria employ-
in the future. ees. The contestants had to propose an original idea for a charitable cause which HP
Caroline Jenner, Bulgaria would realize in social bene t. The participants had only 6 hours to develop their
JA-YE Europe CEO ideas for di erent activities without exceeding the budget that was given at their
"We believe that disposal. To create their idea for a charitable cause, the students, divided into 22 teams,
innovations and had access to Internet and advice of business volunteers. The lucky winners from Team 14
creativity are
encouraged when we represented our country at the Innovation camp in Brussels for their idea for a large-scale
enable young people campaign for improving the nutritional habits, the physical health and communication
to get to know
di erent cultures, role among young people.
models and the world
outside the classroom,
when we stimulate November 2010
students to work on Close to 100 students aged 15-18 from 30 schools in Bulgaria worked a whole day on
real-life problems and
teach them using the November 27 to solve a business challenge posed by Microsoft Bulgaria. This innovation
"learning-by-doing" camp was with the nancial support of Microsoft Bulgaria and in partnership with State
method."
High School of Trade in Svishtov and was the last large-scale event in the Global Entrepre-
neurship Week.
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ty
watch which measures the current and necessary level of vitamins in the organism, the
level of stress, the pulse, and the blood pressure.
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The ve teams will take part in the nal round of the National Competition "Innovation
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Camp 2010-2011" which will be held in So a at the end of February 2011. The winning
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ncial Literacy teams of the local innovation camps in 14 schools held within the Global Entrepreneur-
ship Week, as well as up to 10 participants from an individual online competition will also
participate in the nal competition.
An international team of students won the European competition "Social Innovation Camp 2010" which was held in
Brussels on May 25-26. The Bulgarian student Stoyan Iliev from 134 High School "Dimcho Debelyanov" in So a was part of
JA
FOCUS
the winning team. The students developed a project for an innovative system for growing agricultural crops in urban
conditions. Another team with a Bulgarian student got a prize as well - the team of Ivaylo Kirilov from Technical Vocational
High School, Samokov, won the third place with a concept for a waste recycling enterprise. The winning team consisted of
students from Spain, Norway, Belgium, Romania and Bulgaria and presented a project for an automated system for
agricultural crops production - ATARO. The system is a box containing soil, seeds, nutrients and an intricate system of
electronic sensors which control the growth of the crops and reduce the need for human interference. The device gives
the individual consumer the opportunity to grow their own vegetables and other crops in their home.
12. Innovation EXPO
(Skills@Work Innovation Camp & Trade Fair)
Junior Achievement Serbia (JAS) hosted more than 130 JA youth entrepreneurs from 11
European countries (Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus, Slovakia, Lithuania, Israel, Azerbaijan,
Georgia, Hungary, Turkey and Macedonia) and Serbia for the 2010 Junior Achievement
Innovation EXPO. The event was supported by the British Council’s Skills@Work program,
Microsoft and Delta City. At During the rst two days of the EXPO, (April 22nd & 23rd),
participants competed at the Skills@ Work Innovation Camp Finals, where student entre-
preneurs formed multi-national teams and were challenged to devise a business plan for
a futuristic school: an educational institution relying on technology to modernize teach-
ing and improve student performance.
Four girls – two Serbians, one Lithuanian and one Macedonian – formed the winning
team. Their solution skillfully applied technology to create a paperless school. All partici-
pants in the competition won local Skills@Work Challenges in their home countries to
qualify for the all-European nals.
Innovation EXPO continued, and on Saturday 24th of April, 20 Student Companies from 7
countries (Macedonia, Romania, Lithuania, Slovakia, Turkey, Hungary and Serbia)
displayed and sold their products at the International Student Trade Fair held in
Belgrade’s Delta City Mall. Like the two-day Innovation Camp, this International Fair was
the last major “sales” event for the student companies for school year 2009/2010, where
student companies got to show o their innovative ideas, and in a public setting shared
their entrepreneurial spirit. The event boosted their business results and reinforced
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The Skills@Work Challenge is a national and international competition aimed at encouraging young people to use their
skills in enterprising and innovative ways, ultimately increasing their employability and entrepreneurial air.
JA
FOCUS
The Skills&Work is a joint project of JA-YE Europe and British Council. JA Bulgaria was the host of the rst European
competition in 2009. Sponsor of the event was Microsoft.
More than 500 students have taken part in the national competitions that were held in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria,
Georgia, Israel, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Turkey and the UK.
13. Youth Business Forum "Rising Stars" gathered
more than 500 people
Milena Stoycheva,
CEO of JA Bulgaria
and aims to meet young people with leaders from the private and the public
“In order to start
successfully their
sector to share experience and views on important issues for education and busi-
professional career ness. The one-day initiative featured a discussion panel during which the need for
young people need to
have well developed placing educational programs and young people's preparation for professional
communication skills,
teamwork skills and
realization on more practical lines was ardently debated. During the forum the
creative thinking as best student and graduate student companies working in JA Bulgaria's program
early on in their school
years as possible. We "Student Company" were awarded.
believe that initiatives
like "Rising Stars" give
students the opportu- The students who participated in the forum had the opportunity to meet and talk
nity to make a further
step along their with representatives of leading companies, state administration and local govern-
professional develop-
ment road through
ment. Among them were: Milka Kodzhabashieva, Deputy Minister of Education,
meeting and sharing Eli Anavi, chief of "Entrepreneurship" sector in the Ministry of Economy, Yordanka
experience with
leaders from the
private and the public Embassy, Frank Bauer, President of America for Bulgaria Foundation, as well as
sector."
members of JA Bulgaria Board of Directors.
Two juries assessed the young entrepreneurs in both age groups. The winners in
the category "Best Student Company of Bulgaria 2010" - Junior Recyclers from
"Vasil Levski" High School in Velingrad - impressed the jury with their
Skil environmentally-friendly recycled products. They represented Bulgaria at the
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European contest for student companies in Cagliari, Italy.
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The award for "Best Graduate Student Company" went to RS Consult from the
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students will test their product in competition with companies from other Euro-
pean countries at the "European Enterprise Challenge 2010" which was held in
ncial Literacy
Nestle Bulgaria is a traditional friend and supporter of JA Bulgaria. The story of
Nestle Bulgaria begins in 1994 when NESTLE buys the biggest Bulgarian
ON priorities are the development of new products in accord with tradition and
FOCUS the improvement of the quality of existing products. For the period 1994-2002
Nestle made investments equaling USD 16 million. In the last couple of years,
the company expanded considerably its core business with a diverse range of
high-quality products which lead to a doubling of its market share. The total
number of employed workers in the company is more than 1100.
14. from 34 strong contenders
Beat Bannwart, JA YE 231,000 young people created JA-YE student companies across Europe this year. The top 175
Company Competiton young entrepreneurs were showcased in the 21st JA-YE Europe Company Competition 2010.
Winner:
400 people witnessed the event hosted by JA Italy in Cagliari which included enterprises from a
“An important lesson wide range of industry sectors.
that we’ve learnt this
year is that nothing is
impossible! A year ago The enterprising secondary school students have all been running a JA-YE business through the
I would never have ‘Company Programme’ and they have each received the support of their teachers as well as
believed that I could
take on a challenge
like this. Ultimately and/or services and they have all successfully dealt with the challenges of setting up and
though I acquired a lot running a business.
of knowledge about
organisation, team
work and self belief The winners of the JA-YE Europe Company of the Year Competition 2010 were announced as
which are all really
important skills for an follows:
entrepreneur and I’m
sure will help me in the
future.”
Winner - ‘Pnööö’ from Switzerland with their innovative products made from recycled bicycle inner tubes.
2nd place – ‘Thirteen’ from the United Kingdom who created a place mat and reward wall chart to encourage children to eat more
fruit and vegetables.
wipe board.
team and explained; “they are a model of European entrepreneurship, a paradigm for the
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management of complexity and the approach to the current challenges of business: environ-
mental sustainability, social responsibility and the inclusion of those who are less fortunate in
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In the last 5 years over 1 million students in Europe have participated in the Company
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ncial Literacy An estimated 15% of those students will go on to set up and run an enterprise after their edu-
cation which will positively impact Europe with 150,000 new businesses providing vital
employment opportunities and a real boost to the economy.
JA
FOCUS
JA Bulgaria ‘s winner Junior Recyclers from "Vasil Levski" High School in Velingrad - impressed the jury with their
environmentally-friendly recycled products. Even though they did not win any particular prize, the JR’s girls presented our
organization on professional level, convincing all the participants that Bulgaria has not only beautiful, but smart girls.
15. Young start-ups capture the spotlight in unique
competition
Sasha Bezuhanova, Student company ‘Greeny Games’ from The Netherlands won the JA-YE Europe
CEE Public Sector Enterprise Challenge 2010 in So a, Bulgaria (hosted by JA Bulgaria) with their
Director, HP Bulgaria
educational game which focuses on teaching children aged 8 to 12 about clean
“It was an exciting and
challenging experi-
energy and the importance of being environmentally friendly.
ence, excellent
business ideas,
innovative products The team competed with 51 European students from 10 European countries and
and marketing
concepts. Our choice
met the Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boyko Metodiev Borisov, and the Minister of
was for “Greeny Education, Youth and Science, Prof. Sergey Simeonov Ignatov, who o cially
Games” because they
had an excellent opened the two day competition. Speaking at the event the Prime Minister said;
product, clear
nancial concept,
"I am pleased to be here today to see all these young people and their creative
sustainable business, projects. I want to highlight that most of the leading people in Bulgaria are below
good branding,
convincing presenta- the age of 30. Keep up the good job. You are part of our future."
tion and team
balance"
The enterprising students have all been running a JA-YE company through the
‘Graduate Programme’ as part of their higher education courses. The teams repre-
sented a wide range of industry areas ranging from Belgian water saving bath
design to a Romanian web application which enables easy online selling. Their
challenge was to sell their idea to a panel of potential “investors”, each of whom
had a ctional 50,000€ to spend. To be eligible to participate in the European
nals, each team had to be a winner at their national level.
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JA-YE Europe "Company of the Year" Award Local Signature Awards
Winner - Greeny Games (The Netherlands) HP Responsible Business Award - ‘SESO’ (Norway)
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1st Runner-up - Top Safe (Norway) Devnya Cement/Italcementi International Potential Award - ‘Top Safe’ (Norway)
2nd Runner-up - TDT (Portugal) Nestle Best Sales and Marketing Strategy Award - ‘SensAqua’ - Belgium(French)
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ng
FIna
European Signature Awards
Citi Sustainability Award - ‘Greeny Games’ (The Netherlands)
ncial Literacy
Intel Innovation Award - ‘RS Consult BG’ (Bulgaria)
JA
HP Bulgaria is another believer in JA Bulgaria mission. Twelve years ago,
HP opened its fully functional o ce in the country. For the last 6 years
HP has been the ultimate market leader providing products, services,
FOCUS and solutions for its customers. Today, working with both public and
private sectors, HP is helping Bulgaria to meet the EU conditions of
membership and move towards the information society.
16. WHAT IF EVENT SOFIA
initiated by the recently born organization What IF as a result of the collaboration between a group
Achievement joins this new initiative as a partner because we believe it not only makes sense but
has the potential to contribute to real change and improvement. The discussion was held on the
Together with “What IF” we tried an experiment: to read enterprises as intergenerational vehicles, as
places that contribute to a sustainable development able to start, grow and pass wellbeing from
generation to generation. And when we speak about entrepreneurship, we do not refer only to
those that start-up a new endeavour. We have in mind those that, within an existing enterprise,
struggle to reform existing mindsets to design and concretize new policies. We want to promote a
better understanding on how entrepreneurship can become a ship where generations can pass their
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The event was focused on three particular issues: Reaching the bridge, or how to help young people
to reach a fair working environment or to start up their own busines. Crossing the Bridge, , or how to
allow a fair dialogue between seniors and juniors within and across enterprises and how to help
entrepreneurs make their business evolve and pass it on to the new generations. Reaching the island
and approaching the next bridge, , or how to support those whose skills are obsolescent to regain
work and dignity and how elderly people can transform their experience in a patrimony to be
for Emplpassed on to the new comers.
oyab
Skills ili
ty
These issues were discussed by three working groups made up of young and senior representatives
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of the public institutions, the academic world and the business community and a moderator. Each
group came up with ideas for policies and projects to address the issues. There were interesting
proposals such as introducing age balance rule when applying for jobs, similar to the gender
Ent
ng
balance rule, or organizing a national award for best company "Bridge between generations". The
FIna
ncial Literacy
will also be passed on as legacy for future What IF events across Europe.
JA
Publicis MARC is a long-standing partner of JA Bulgaria contributing with PR advice and services for all large-scale events
organized by the foundation. Publicis MARC Group is part of Publicis Groupe, the fourth biggest communicational network in
FOCUS and employs more than 44000 people.
17. "It's my business" competition
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ity took part in the "It's my business" competition in Universiada hall on Decem-
ber 10, 2010. The competition was held based on the model of the annual
national initiative of Junior Achievement Bulgaria "Juniors in Action". Its aim is to
provoke the creativity, entrepreneurial thinking and attitude to business of the
youngest students.
This year the competition was part of the project "Children in education and
society" funded by the Operational Programme "Human Resources Develop-
ment". The project was realized with the partnership of 119th School and 137th
potential of every child, to ensure opportunities for physical, intellectual and
personal development and full social integration, as well as to contribute to
improving the quality of education by diversifying and expanding the extracur-
ricular and out-of-school activities. More than 1700 student from more than 80
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December 2010.
my business". They were divided up into teams and categories depending on their
Skil age group and the JA program they had studied. Working to solve various busi-
ls for Employabili
ty
ness challenges the young entrepreneurs generated many ideas for attractive
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ideas.The big prize went to the team "Smile for all" from 105th School "Atanas
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ng
FIna
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tion which would also shelter a children's museum.
ncial Literacy
JA
General Electric has been supporting JA Bulgaria's entrepreneurship programs for the youngest kids as a true friend for many
years now. More people around the world turn to GE for advanced power systems and around-the-clock energy services than
FOCUS has grown to over 10,000 units, representing over a million megawatts of installed capacity in more than 120 countries. With
over 13,500 wind and 3,600 hydro turbines, the installed capacity of renewable energy exceeds 160,000 MW.
18. THOMAS J BATA AWARD FOR QUALITY
GOES TO JA BULGARIA
The award recognizes a JA-YE member organization for demonstrating the highest stan-
dard of excellence in the JA-YE network. The winner is a role model within JA-YE and for
other NGOs as it has cultivated a reputation for quality at home and abroad among
business and government leaders.
The award was judged by a jury of JA-YE Europe board members who assessed 8 member
organizations against criteria which included performance in 4 strategic areas: human
and organizational capital; programmes/activities; sustainability and resources; position-
ing. In order to receive the award, JA Bulgaria had to qualify as a “Model Organization” in
the 2 previous years.
The winner, JA Bulgaria (www.jabulgaria.org) was announced at the JA-YE Europe Annual
Awards dinner in front of an audience made up of 150 business leaders, politicians,
students and teachers. Speaking about the award recipient, Caroline Jenner, JA-YE Europe
CEO said; “JA Bulgaria have always been leaders within the pan-European network and
indeed global JA organization. They have grown student numbers to 26,661 in the last
academic year and have a top-quality reputation at the national level. This year they will
host our Enterprise Challenge event for graduate entrepreneurs. Their spirit of initiative is
an example to us all.”
ls for Employabili
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repreneurship
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FIna
ncial Literacy
JA
A
awards
wards
19. JA Bulgaria wins entrepreneuship award
The competition "European Enterprise Awards" was organized for the second year in a
row in Bulgaria by the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism. The youth educational
organization Junior Achievement Bulgaria won the rst place in the category "Promoting
the entrepreneurial spirit" and was chosen by the Ministry to represent our country in the
European edition of the competition in 2011.
The winners were awarded at a special ceremony on December 17 at the Ministry of
Economy, Energy and Tourism. The Minister of Economy, Traycho Traykov, personally
handed the award to a representative of Junior Achievement Bulgaria. The organization
took part in the competition for the rst time and impressed the jury with its program
"Graduate Student Company" which is sponsored by Nestle Bulgaria.
The competition "European Enterprise Awards" is initiated by DG Enterprise and Industry
of the European Commission. It distinguishes top achievements in encouraging entrepre-
neurship. The rst stage of the competition features participation of institutions and
organizations from member states of the European Union, as well as Norway, Iceland,
Croatia, Turkey and Serbia. They compete on national level and are evaluated by a local
jury. Junior Achievement will represent Bulgaria in the second stage of the competition
where the national winners will be assessed by a jury from the European Commission.
ls for Employabili
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JA
awards
20. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Balance sheet
Income statement
nancial report of Junior Achievement
Bulgaria, including a balance sheet at
December 31, 2009, and proft and
loss report, own capital changes,
statement of cash fows about the
reporting period, that appears to be
the end of the year 2009, and a
summary of signi cant accounting
policies and other explanatory notes”
Maria Vaklinova
Registered Auditor
21. CONTRIBUTORS AND PARTNERS
America for Bulgaria Foundation
Citi Foundation
U.S. Embassy
Microsoft Bulgaria
THANK YOU
GE Foundation
Manpower
Porsche Inter Auto BG
Nestle Bulgaria
Publicis / MARC for believeing
Devnya Cement
Hewlett Packard Bulgaria
Intel Siemens
Right Rental Congress Engineering
Enira Kempinski Hotel Zografski
Balkan News Corporation Sheraton Hotel Balkan
ls for Employabili
M3 Communications Group Economedia
Skil ty
Quickstart Global Ministry of Education, Youth and Science
Boni Bonev / Vaptzarov AD Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism
repreneurship
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Enel Ministry of Finance
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ncial Literacy
So a Municipality
European Lifelong Learning Programme
Andon Ichev
in the entrepreneurial Emmis Bulgaria
Manager Magazine
SPIRIT Darik Radio
Karieri.bg
PC World