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Three teams of Russian high school students took first, second and third place at an international business contest held this past July in Bloomington, Indiana. The contest, part of Junior Achievement's week-long International Student Forum, pitted teams of young "entrepreneurs" against each other as managers of computer-simulated businesses. The International Student Forum brings 1,200 students from 20 different countries together to develop team-building, leadership and decision-making skills, while also meeting with business leaders from around the world. The Russian teams won by operating the most profitable companies. The winners received $1,000, while the second and third place teams took home $700 and $500 respectively.

During the 1992-93 school year, over 40,000 youths in Russia alone partici-pated in the JA program. JA also operates in Armenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine. Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have pilot programs. JA's oldest and most popular program is "the JA Company," in which students form a mini-corporation, market a product, and generally operate as any small business would. The JA Company has been especially popular in formerly communist societies. According to Sam Taylor, acting president of Junior Achievement International, "President Yeltsin is one of our strongest supporters in Russia."

JA has translated its Applied Economics text book and course materials (used as a for-credit course in U.S. high schools) into Armenian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Russian, and Ukrainian. More than 300,000 NIS students as well as employees of NIS businesses are expected to complete the Applied Economics course in 1993. JA also hopes to develop a "Fundamentals of a Market Economy" curriculum in Russian that will be offered to employees of state enterprises, private companies, and NIS offices of U.S. firms.

JA describes itself as "the largest, oldest, fastest--growing economic education organization in the world." All Junior Achievement programs are initiated and managed by local boards of directors. North American volunteers have helped facilitate the development of local boards in the NIS and helped them raise funds and support from Western corporations. Volunteers have also conducted 3-6 week teacher training programs in Russia and Ukraine. JA organizes teacher training seminars in the NIS and brings teachers to the U.S, for training.

For more information, contact:
Sam Taylor
JA International
2780 Janitell Road
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
Tel: (719) 540-6300
Fax: (719) 540-6303

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