Delta is proud to partner with 30 Junior Achievement chapters across four continents to ignite an educational spark in more than 80 0,000 students across the globe each year.
Delta people go above and beyond to facilitate job shadows and work with students through simulated real-world exercises that teach financial literacy, work readiness, entrepreneurship education and introduce them to careers in aviation.
Each year Delta participates in the JA Company of the Year (COY) Finals, an annual celebration of success for youth ages 16 to 19 who benefit from the impact of the JA Company Program®. With more than 100 participants across 14 counties, the event allows youth to demonstrate their business acumen and spirit of entrepreneurship in a competitive environment that engages business, education and policy leaders as well as the media.
Most recently, Delta participated in the JA Africa and JA Americas COY Finals, both through the presentation of Delta's Social Impact Award.
"The Social Impact Award was created by Delta to encourage youth around the globe to advance social change by making a difference in their communities," said Luciano Macagno, Managing Director -
Latin America, the Caribbean, and South Florida. "This is an opportunity for us to inspire the next generation and to be inspired by their creative thinking and innovative ideas that drive change."
Since 2015, Delta has presented six Social Impact Awards to JA youth across the world.
Delta's Social Impact Award recognizes JA Companies, which are student teams that have a real impact on society through their products and business plans. The Social Impact Award is judged by four qualifications that reflect Delta's Social Impact Pillars: advancing global diversity, improving global wellness, supporting education and sustaining the environment.
JA Americas 2019 COY Finals
Hosted in the Dominican Republic, this year's competition was made up of more than 100 student participants, representing 20 student teams across 14 countries.
In November, Luciano, presented the JA Americas Social Impact Award on behalf of Delta, to team ISHIKI from Argentina. The company created glass jars, decorated with small origamis inside; necklaces, keychains, magnets, tubes, and decorative bottles.
"The ISHIKI student team was developed with the purpose of creating awareness and promoting changes that help conserve the environment by selling different products made from biodegradable and recycled resources," said Jessica Wolf, Sales Manager - Santo Domingo. "Ishiki also provides environment awareness for youth through workshops and games using only recycled materials."
JA Africa 2019 COY Finals
Last week, the competition, hosted for the second successive year in Ghana, brought together 50 young entrepreneurs from Botswana, Eswatini (Swaziland), Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Shane Spyak, Vice President - Europe, Middle East, Africa, and India, presented the JA Africa Social Impact Award to the Active Innovators team from Zambia. "I was very impressed by Active Innovators' vision and innovative thinking to improve not only their school environment but to also help young women less fortunate than they."
The Active Innovators produced a range of household kitchen items made from recycled materials such as plastic bottles and bottle tops, with part of the profits donated to helping less fortunate women and young girls. This team donated some of their products, including fly traps, fish scalers, brooms and dustpans to the Home Management and Hospitality Department in their school. The Active Innovators also adopted a local community school and provided free brooms helping students have clean facilities.
"We are honored to be recognized by Delta Air Lines for our corporate social responsibility", said Elvis Ngosa, CEO of the Active Innovators student company team. "Thank you for investing in our future." Elvis also shared his appreciation for JA and Delta Air Lines for giving students across Africa the opportunity to build their entrepreneurship and work readiness skills from such a young age.
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DELTA AIR LINES, INC. 
