AIG and Junior Achievement Prepare Local Students for the Workplace

A grant from AIG implements Junior Achievement programs in NYC and Long Island K-12 schools during spring and fall of 2015

NEW YORK, NY— On Friday, June 19, AIG employees joined Junior Achievement of New York (JA) community volunteers to close out the 2014-2015 public school year. With a grant from AIG, local elementary school students in second through eighth grade classes received lessons in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and college and career-readiness skills. Implementation of the grantbegan during spring 2015, and to date, AIG employee volunteers have served more than 600 elementary and middle school students.

During spring 2015, financial literacy was blooming in NYC classrooms when AIG employee volunteers worked with JA New York to provide programs and volunteer resources to PS 71, PS 86, and PS 184. Students in various grade levels were introduced to the concepts of spending and saving tools and skills, local economic interdependence, businesses they can start, as well as jobs they can perform to earn money. In addition, they learned about the skills people need to work in specific careers, and how businesses contribute to a city, region and country in the global economy. AIG employees also provided volunteer support at Capital One / JA Mobile Finance Park Brooklyn, in March 2015, where middle school students learned how to build a foundation for making intelligent, lifelong, personal financial decisions through hands-on, budgeting and adult decision-making experiences.

“We recently surveyed teens and found that while 59 percent think the best time to learn about money management is in elementary or junior high school, half surveyed said their school has no programs available,” said Joseph Peri, President of JA New York. “The K-12 years are the ideal time for students to learn these basic life skills and we’re thankful to AIG to continue our partnership and grow the number of students learning about personal finance concepts.”

This is the second year AIG has gifted funds to support Junior Achievement programs to help studentsgain the knowledge and skills they need to make smart academic and economic choices. Totaling$425,000, this year’s grant will serve schools in 19 global locations, including: Amarillo, Texas; Atlanta; Boston; Chicago; Cleveland, Ohio; Dallas; Greensboro, N.C.; Houston; Los Angeles; Neptune, N.J.; New York, Oakdale, Minn.; Stevens Point, Wis.; Dublin, Ireland; Madrid, Spain; Jakarta, Indonesia; Muntinlupa City, Philippines; Bogota, Colombia; and Toronto, Ontario.   As part of the partnership, AIG employees will engage as dedicated classroom teachers, capstone volunteers and board members, as well as support other special events.

“We are committed to supporting organizations like Junior Achievement that help develop and prepare young people for future success – particularly in a time when there is a growing skills gap between unemployed/underemployed individuals and companies in need of qualified workers,” said Brian Inselberg, Head of Financial Lines EMEA. Mr. Inselberg is also a member of JA New York Board of Directors. 

Junior Achievement’s programs are in direct correlation with AIG’s commitment to supporting financial education and workforce readiness.

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About Junior Achievement of New York

Junior Achievement of New York is the local affiliate of Junior Achievement USA, the world’s largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. We recruit, train, and mobilize more than 5,000 corporate and community volunteers to provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students knowledge and skills in financial literacy, college and career readiness, and entrepreneurship. Today, JA New York delivers nearly 70,000 student experiences per year, free of cost, in more than 200 NYC and Long Island public schools. Visit http://www.jany.org/ for more information.

About AIG

American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is a leading global insurance organization-serving customers in more than 100 countries and jurisdictions. AIG companies serve commercial, institutional, and individual customers through one of the most extensive worldwide property-casualty networks of any insurer. In addition, AIG companies are leading providers of life insurance and retirement services in the United States. AIG common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Additional information about AIG can be found at www.aig.com | YouTube: www.youtube.com/aig | Twitter:@AIGinsurance | LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/aig

AIG is the marketing name for the worldwide property-casualty, life and retirement, and general insurance operations of American International Group, Inc. For additional information, please visit our website at www.aig.com. All products and services are written or provided by subsidiaries or affiliates of American International Group, Inc. Products or services may not be available in all countries, and coverage is subject to actual policy language. Non-insurance products and services may be provided by independent third parties. Certain property-casualty coverages may be provided by a surplus lines insurer. Surplus lines insurers do not generally participate in state guaranty funds, and insureds are therefore not protected by such funds.