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NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
July 2, 2009
Austin, TX, High School
Students Win
2009 JA Banks in Action North American Competition
Financial skills contest sponsored by
Citi Foundation and Junior Achievement
Colorado Springs, Colo. — Junior Achievement® today announced that a
group of Junior Achievement students from Bowie High School in Austin, TX, are
winners of the 2009 JA Banks in Action North American Competition,
sponsored by Citi Foundation. As the winning team, the students will receive
$1,500. Teams from Las Vegas, NV, and Louisville, KY, took 2nd and 3rd place,
respectively.
The students were one of the 10 teams from across the U.S and Canada to
qualify to face off in the final round of an exhilarating game of financial
know-how in New York City on June 28-July 1, 2009. The participating teams
represented Louisville, KY; Jacksonville, FL; Tampa, FL; Wilmington, DE; Las
Vegas, NV; Salt Lake City, UT; Austin, TX; Tucson, AZ; Hartford, SD; and
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Geared to high school students, JA Banks in Action demystifies finance
by explaining how a bank works. While exposing students to banking basics,
operations, and history, students learn about various career paths they can take
in the financial services industry. A computer simulation allows student
competitors to role-play as bank managers, challenging them to successfully
operate a bank in a dynamic environment where their decisions will impact the
bottom line of "their" bank.
"This competition provides a unique and innovative learning experience, which
is made possible through the support of the Citi Foundation," said Sean Rush,
CEO of JA Worldwide. "These young people are learning lessons about banking that
they will be able to carry with them throughout their lives, in every facet of
their lives. Junior Achievement is proud to be able to offer this opportunity
through the JA Banks in Action program."
"Citi is pleased to partner with Junior Achievement to help educate our
leaders of tomorrow about the banking industry," said Francesco Vanni
d'Archirafi, Chief Executive Officer of Citi Global Transaction Services and who
also serves on the JA Worldwide Board of Governors and is the Chairman of
JA-Young Enterprise Europe. "We hope many of them will be inspired to pursue
careers in the financial services industry, as well as gain an understanding of
how financial institutions help people manage their money and achieve their life
goals."
In 2007, JA Banks in Action expanded from its roots in Latin America
to become a global program. It now has reached more than 63,000 students- thanks
to more than $8.6 million in funding from Citi Foundation to support the
program's growth and development.
Citi Foundation's support also enables JA Worldwide® to build infrastructure,
which will allow it to translate JA Banks in Action into any language-the
program is currently available in ten languages, with plans to translate into
additional languages. The grant is part of Citi and Citi Foundation's 10-year,
$200 million commitment to financial education. Citi employees also invest in
students' futures by volunteering to teach financial literacy and responsible
business skills to young people in the classroom.
About Citi
Citi, the leading global financial services company, has approximately 200
million customer accounts and does business in more than 140 countries. Through
its two operating units, Citicorp and Citi Holdings, Citi provides consumers,
corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial
products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and
investment banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management. Additional
information may be found at
www.citigroup.com or
www.citi.com.
About Citi Foundation
The Citi Foundation is committed to the economic empowerment of individuals and
families, particularly those in need, in the communities where we work so that
they can improve their standard of living. Globally, the Citi Foundation targets
its strategic giving on its priority focus areas: Microfinance and
Microenterprise, Small and Growing Businesses, Education, and Financial
Education and Asset Building. In the United States and Canada, the Citi
Foundation also supports Community Development programs. The Citi Foundation
works with its partners in Microfinance and Microenterprise, Small and Growing
Businesses, and Community Development to support environmental programs and
innovations. Additional information can be found at
www.citifoundation.com.
About JA Worldwide® (Junior Achievement)
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring
and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated
volunteer network, Junior Achievement provides in-school and after-school
programs for students which focus on three key content areas: work readiness,
entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Today, 135 individual area operations
reach more than four million students in the United States, with an additional
five million students served by operations in 123 other countries worldwide. For
more information, visit www.ja.org.
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