Thursday, August 27, 2020 – Hagatna, Guam
The JA Asia Pacific Company of the Year competition (JA AP COY) is JA Asia Pacific’s annual celebration of the achievements of young entrepreneurs in the region. The Company Program and regional competition help young people understand the role of business in the global economy by allowing students to organize and operate an actual business enterprise – where they must market and sell a product or service in the real world.
This year marks the 10th edition of JA AP COY, where 17 student companies took part in the first ever virtual iteration of the competition in the Asia Pacific region. The student companies represented 11 locations including: Brunei, China, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Turkmenistan.
The winners of the JA Asia Pacific Company of the Year Award were announced at the JA AP COY Awards Ceremony earlier yesterday, August 26, 2020.
- JA Student Company Team Revival from Singapore took first place for their multi-functional bag made from repurposed banners, making each one unique and water resistant. Team Revival has automatically entered the global JA competition to compete with COY champions from the five other JA regions for the de la Vega Global Entrepreneurship Award.
- Team Emi Student Company from Indonesia came in second with their versatile jacket that features a multitude of storage pockets and transforms into a bag.
- Third place went to Team BruFiniti from Brunei, who produced a matching card game called “BAH” that teaches the community and tourists about local culture.
- Voted on by other participating JA student companies, VISCO Student Company from Indonesia won the Young Entrepreneurs’ Choice Award.
Alongside the JA AP COY Awards and Young Entrepreneurs’ Choice Award, the following JA student company was crowned winner of the FedEx Global Possibilities Award:
- Team Pasiadot from Guam won the FedEx Global Possibilities Award by impressing the judges with their outstanding business idea for a culturally distinct set of reusable utensils made from bamboo that are designed to be used during travel. Each set comes with four utensils and a straw to meet basic culinary needs.
Each year, the FedEx-sponsored award goes to the student company whose business idea is driven by innovation, provides connectivity to new markets and drives community development, along with sustainability and social responsibility.
“With the JA AP COY, students not only gain their first taste of entrepreneurship by starting and running a real company – learning by doing – but they also develop much needed 21st century skills such as complex problem solving, critical thinking and creativity. Our young entrepreneurs are passionate about creating businesses that are both profitable and purpose driven, with the ambition of creating a better world through their business ventures” said Maziar Sabet, President and CEO of JA Asia Pacific. “The global pandemic has made travelling impossible for our students and staff. We are grateful for the resilience and support from our partners, judges, and our virtual event host, JA Guam, for making this first virtual regional competition not only possible, but a resounding success” Maziar added.
Please click on the following link to watch the replay of the 2020 JA AP COY Awards Ceremony and other videos: https://youtu.be/WBXPNSiIn_8
About JA Asia Pacific Company of the Year Competition (JA AP COY):
The Competition celebrates the accomplishments of JA Company Program® students in the Asia Pacific region. During participation in the JA Company Program, students start and run their businesses with support from volunteers from their local business community. They develop and market a product or service with the goal of realizing a profit for their shareholders. The program reached more than 20,000 Asia Pacific secondary school students over the past year.
About JA Asia Pacific:
JA Asia Pacific is a member of JA Worldwide, one of the world’s largest youth-serving NGOs dedicated to preparing young people for employment and entrepreneurship. With the Asia Pacific region being home to 60% of the world’s youth, JA Asia Pacific aims to empower young people to benefit from and contribute to the region’s economic development and to create a positive impact in their lives and communities.
With teams across 18 countries and territories, the JA Asia Pacific network is comprised of nearly 50,000 volunteers, mentors, and teachers from all sectors of society with an annual reach of more than 1.2 million students. As a member of JA Worldwide, our global network is comprised of more than 465,000 volunteers, serving more than 12 million students in over 100 countries each year.
For more than 100 years, JA has delivered hands-on, experiential learning in work readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. We create pathways for employability, job creation and financial success. For more information, please visit www.jaasiapacific.org
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