#COY2015

The 2015 Regional JA Mini Company Competition of the Year (COY) was a big success for JA Mascareignes (Mauritius), with an unprecedented 5 Awards won:

  1. CITI Client Satisfaction Award 2015 (GreenBiz/MGSS Moka)
  2. FedEx Access Award 2015 (GreenBiz/MGSS Moka)
  3. Runner Up Mini-Enterprise 2015 (GreenBiz/MGSS Moka)
  4. Best Facilitator Award (Mrs Nisha Sewpal, Eco Frames Co Ltd/MGSS Nouvelle France)
  5. Runner Up Model Nation Awards (JA Mascareignes, Mauritius)

It was a night to remember for the JA Mascareignes team and for Executive Director Mrs Michèle Lionnet. “I am very proud and happy of how well both of our teams performed. Coming back with 5 Awards is simply fabulous. We always emphasise on the importance of standing out of the crowd, being curious, applying ethics and working as a team at all levels. I am happy to see that this was rewarded at the Regional Competition.”    

The 2015 team, GreenBiz, from MGSS Moka was the star of the night with 3 awards to their name. “GreenBiz did really well. The level of the competition, in Gabon was exceptionally high. The awards were a recognition of their hard-work, team-spirit, creativity and innovation.”

The best facilitator award also went to Mauritius, with Mrs Nisha Sewpal, from MGSS Nouvelle France (Eco Frames Co. Ltd) being announced as the winner. “I am proud of her, she was involved at more than 100% with the team and applied all the mentoring qualities that we promote”.

There was another good surprise in store for the Mauritian based Junior Achievement Office. “JA Mascareignes won the Runner Up prize for the Model Nation Award. We have been in operation for 6 years and this is a recognition of the hard work and structured organization that we have built. We would also like to thank our sponsors, without whom this would not have been possible.”

It was unfortunately not all good news for JA Mascareignes as their 2014 representatives found the competition more difficult. “My only regret is that Eco Frames Co. Ltd did not win any award themselves. They were very good, but the level of the competition was very high. For me, however, they are still winners because they managed to maintain the high standard expected from teams who represent Junior Achievement Mascareignes. I am also proud of the way in which they dealt with this setback. They showed great maturity by losing with grace and it did not prevent them from sharing in the joy of their friends of GreenBiz.”   

Apart from the trophies, this was a fantastic experience for all our students. They were able to meet youth from other African Countries and this exposure and exchange enabled them to grow as individuals. “There was a big change in their attitude. They left as teenagers and came back as young adults.”

“Finally, I would like to thank our sponsor for JA Mini Company, Barclays Bank Mauritius, without whom this program would not have been possible.”

Metlife Foundation 2015 Entrepreneurial Award

We are delighted and proud to announce that JA Mascareignes was awarded the 2015 Entrepreneurial Award of 25,000 US Dollars on 24 July 2015 by MetLife Foundation and JA Worldwide, rewarding the association for its new program, the JAM Socio-Economic Awareness.

 

This Entrepreneurial Award program is designed to identify, fund and promote replication and adaptation of innovative programs and processes developed by JA Affiliates worldwide.

 

The Socio Economic Awareness Program aims at making young adults living in “Pockets of Poverty” of the island become aware of what exists in their community, so that they may seize employment opportunities or identify business possibilities, in order to ensure their economic sustainability.

Job Shadow

“The dream is not what you see in sleep, dream is which does not let you sleep” said Mr. Ajsh Baby. The quote from the late Dr. Abdul Kalam, former President of the Republic of India, signaled the launch of the JA Job Shadow 2015, hosted by Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) with the support of Junior Achievement Mascareignes. The 60 participants, who had previously participated in JA Success Skills, were divided into two groups. The first group experienced the job shadowing experience on the 29th July and second group on the 30th July 2015.

After the opening address from Mr. Biswajeet Ganguly, Chief Manager of LIC, the students were introduced to the work place and discovered the world of Insurance through the exposés of Mr. Ajsh Baby, Marketing Manager and of Mr Jah Mugul, Administrative Manager. “An insurance is like a parachute to be taken before the risk occurs,” said Mr. Baby. The two LIC hosts then proceeded and explain to the students the different aspects of insurance: the history of insurance, the concept of risk and the different types of insurances.

The participants were satisfied to have had the opportunity to participate in the JA Job Shadow experience. Valerie Lee Chee, student of St Mary’s West commented, “I always wanted to work for an Insurance Company, the presentation by the LIC Staff helped me to better understand what to expect”.