All About JA Global Orientation

JA Global Orientation (JA GO) by JA University is JA Worldwide’s global onboarding and orientation experience, designed to welcome staff, new and old, into our mission, vision, values, and worldwide community. Through a month-long series of live interactive sessions, JA GO connects colleagues across regions, introduces key strategies, and fosters cohort connections that last beyond the program. It’s not only an introduction to what we do—but also how we work together as one global team.

JA GO Leaders

Erin Sawyer, Chief People Development Officer, JA Worldwide

Jeff Hittner, Consultant, JA Worldwide

Staff feedback from a recent cohort

“I want to express my gratitude for the insightful global orientation, which allowed me to appreciate each area and the individuals behind these challenges. Particularly, I found the IPS and impact score sessions valuable. My favorite aspect was the opportunity to connect with participants from around the world in the break rooms. It was enriching to meet and learn from such a diverse group of colleagues.”

“Some of the most valuable onboarding I have ever done. Thanks!”

“JA GO is perfect. I hope it happens often.”

“What stood out the most was the opportunity to connect with other JA staff from around the world to celebrate how we are all doing the same things . . . but in unique ways.”

JA GO Session Library

September–October 2026 JA GO

Session 1: Getting to know each other, Fundraising, Bonding

JA GO Kickoff

The scope and processes of JA fundraising at a global and regional level, and learn more about their fellow cohort members.

Session 2: Theory of Change, OneJA and the JA Brand

Change & Branding

Learn about our research-based Theory of Change and navigate through OneJA, including branding materials, and articulate the advantages of a single, unified JA global brand.

Session 3: JA Mission-Vision-Values and Education Programs

JA Education Programs

Core mission, values, vision of the organization, and learn about core education initiatives like Company Program and ESP.

Session 4: JA Alumni

JA Alumni

Learning about our youth advocacy efforts! Discover the value of our global alumni network, get inspired by JA alumni, and learn about the numerous JA Worldwide and regional opportunities throughout the year.

Session 5: IPS and Impact Score

Inspire Prepare Succeed

Deep dive into the methodology for measuring the impact of our programs and the Inspire, Prepare and Succeed (IPS) model.

Session 6: History and Org Structure, JA Strategy + AI

JA History & Strategic Plan

Understanding the size and scope of the global JA network, our organizational structure and governance, JA strategic plan and AI initiatives

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Session 7: Risks – Financial sustainability, integrity and risk

Risks

We focused on understanding how to build a more sustainable and resilient organization - globally and locally and how to look at risk within our individual chapters.

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Session 8: Cybersecurity protocols and bringing it all together!

Cybersecurity

As a global organization, risks of security breaches are particularly big. JA staff members learn strategies to improve JA's own defenses: from password protection to phishing campaigns to watch out for.

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Click here to receive your JA GO Certification once you have completed this session.