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© Fotolia
© Professor Claudia Tomescu
Raiffeisen Bank International | Sustainability Report 2017
The Junior Achievement Foundation, established in the
Czech Republic in 1992 by Tomáš J. Batá, is a
charitable organization specialized in teaching at
primary and secondary schools. Founded in 1919 in
the United States, the organization is the world’s oldest
and largest non-profit organization in the area of
education and works closely with companies whose
managers give presentations or function as jurors in
competitions, for example. More than ten million students
between the ages of six and twelve participate annually
in the Junior Achievement Program. The partnership
with Raiffeisenbank a.s. began in 2005. As part of this
competition, the bank introduced the “Raiffeisen
Students Leadership Award” for the first time in the 2014/15 school year. The foundation prepares students to be
successful in business and teaches them about starting up companies and creating jobs. Raiffeisenbank a.s. is a
long-term partner of the Czech student competition “The best practice company”. Employees of Raiffeisenbank
get involved as members of the jury and work actively on developing and expanding the competition.
Raiffeisen Bank S.A. in Romania supports a national
financial education program, coordinated by the
NGO Junior Achievement Romania. As one of the first
financial education programs in Romania, the program
has obtained investments totaling about half a million
euros. Established in 2010, the program can now look
back on many years of experience in the area of
financial education. Children and young people were
given help in understanding financial management
concepts, providing them with sufficient knowledge to
make decisions regarding financial products and
services. The program aims to assist children in
developing their skills to plan expenditures, save
money or manage their personal budget in an age appropriate manner. The program offers separate modules
for each primary school level. These are called “We ourselves”, “My family”, “My town”, “Our economy”, and
“Our community”. The module at secondary level is called “The ABCs of banking”. The modules are used in
accordance with the public-school curriculum as an optional subject, with the goal of promoting skills in connection
with financial independence, prosperity and life management. Each module contains its own set of instructional
materials, including a manual for teachers, a notebook for students and a variety of resources.
Between 2010 and 2017, more than 35,350 primary and secondary students benefited from this education, and
the teachers, parents and volunteers also benefited indirectly. In total, 1,136 teachers from over 460 Romanian
schools participated in the financial education over the past seven years. Every year, more than 100 employees
of Raiffeisen Bank S.A. volunteer in the program. Our employees have already made over 700 visits to classrooms
to share their expertise. In 2016, 1,300 primary school students of the first round of the program (2012–2016)
completed all five modules of the financial educational series.
Additionally, parents of the instructed children were involved through various means – such as a questionnaire
that determined the extent to which parents already include the topic of money as part of child rearing, and a
letter explaining the advantages of financial education in more detail.