JA Ottawa

JA Ottawa has been reaching and impacting youth in the community since 2012. 

JA offers innovative and experiential learning entrepreneurship, financial literacy and work readiness education programs, delivered at no cost to elementary, middle and high school students thanks to donor support.  

Students and teachers from all four school boards in Ottawa participate in JA each year. Select programs can be delivered by local volunteers, others can be accessed and delivered directly by teachers. JA programs, available both in English and in French, enable young people to develop essential life skills and leadership through exposure to experiential learning activities and programs with direct ties to the provincial curriculum.   

Educators

You can register your class for JA programs for the 2025-2026 school year today by  filling out this form. A member of the JA team will reach out to discuss the availability and timing of your chosen learning experience. 

Note: We work to accommodate as many classes and students as possible, however there are a limited number of spaces and volunteers available for our programs. When you register, a member of the JA team will reach out promptly to discuss the availability, delivery method, and timing of your chosen learning experience. 

Volunteers (must be 18+)

Empower the Next Generation

Volunteers are at the heart of everything we do. Every day, our programs are brought to life for students by a very dedicated network of volunteers and mentors that help us deliver our programs. 

Volunteers come to JA individually or through corporate groups and generously give their time to inspire and prepare youth for a successful future. Volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds, but all share a desire to help students achieve their highest potential. 

Why Volunteer with JA?

In addition to positively impacting and inspiring young people, volunteering with JA is a professional development opportunity where your leadership, mentorship and public speaking skills are utilized. JA provides the program materials, training and support to make your experience fun, meaningful and easy to deliver. 

In-Class Volunteers

An occasional commitment based on teacher program requests and your availability, you will be facilitating a program targeted to school-aged kids, engaging them to learn about financial literacy, work readiness or entrepreneurship. Here is your chance to share your knowledge and experience in topics such as creating a budget, developing long-term goals, exploring interests, developing skills for success, and about different types of investments and methods of payments (depending on grade level of the students). 

JA Company Program Mentors/Advisors 

This is your opportunity to mentor students as they experience the life cycle of a business; from building a business plan, creating a product, manufacturing, sales, marketing, financials, safety, technology and closing that business. This 15-week program hosts weekly meetings where you will provide guidance, foster group engagement, and help youth develop self-confidence and self-belief, while keeping it fun.  

Ready to volunteer? Register here.

For more information about our programs please contact: