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JA University: Learning and Development for JA Staff

JA University is JA’s global learning and development hub—offering a powerful, interconnected suite of growth opportunities for staff and close collaborators—and, increasingly, other stakeholders like alumni, volunteers, board members, and educators. Through JA University, we’re building the capacity of our global network to deliver deeper impact for young people everywhere.

From onboarding new hires and supporting first-time managers to convening experienced CEOs and training board members, JA University brings together the best of our leadership development programs, technical trainings, and learning exchanges. It’s our global platform for skill-building, collaboration, and knowledge sharing—designed to support our professional growth at every career stage and across every region.

JA University Opportunities

JA staff have a number of JA University learning and fellowship opportunities, many of which are led by JA staff around the world, ensuring that lived expertise and local innovation shape global learning.

  • Global Leadership Conference (GLC in-person): Held every two years, GLC in-person brings together senior leaders from across the JA network for shared strategy sessions and leadership growth.

  • GLC Virtual: Also held every two years, GLC Virtual, a virtual four-day conference, offers all JA staff focused, functional training in fundraising, learning experience management, finance, marketing, development, and so much more.

  • JA Global Orientation: A foundational onboarding experience for new JA staff, available globally.

  • Fellowships and Leadership Exchanges: Programs like the JA Worldwide Fellows, ROC Stars, and LEAD provide immersive professional growth and peer learning across borders.

  • Global Town Halls: Three times per year, JA staff and stakeholders come together to explore timely themes, best practices, and new tools.

  • Webinars, Microlearning, and Toolkits: A wide range of topical and technical trainings, from AI to youth safeguarding, accessible in short formats.

  • Communities of Practice: Peer-based learning circles focused on shared challenges and strategic goals.

JA University is a core element of how JA Worldwide advances our strategic vision and supports a globally connected, continuously learning network.

JA Global Town Halls

October 2026 JA Global Town Hall

Join the JA Global Town Hall on October 14 at 9amEDT/2pmCEST/9pmHKT to discuss all things fundraising. If you haven’t joined a Global Town Hall before, please sign up below to receive the calendar invitation with the Zoom link. If you have attended in the past, you will receive an invitation from contact@jaworldwide.org and do not need to sign up again.

March 2026 JA Global Town Hall

Watch the recording below, and view the slide deck (PowerPoint or PDF) from the March 2026 JA Global Town Hall.

Town Hall Action Items:

September 2025 JA Global Town Hall

At the September 2025 JA Global Town Hall, we unveiled the 2026–2028 JA Worldwide Strategic Plan and introduced the new Strategic Planning Toolkit to help member organizations align and implement it. Attendees got a closer look inside The JA Institute, heard the latest findings from the AI and Entrepreneurship Competency Survey, and reviewed new impact intelligence insights. Updates on OneJA 2.0 showcased how we’re strengthening global collaboration, and the global alumni team showed how graduates continue to drive impact across the network. Finally, we look ahead on the road to GLC Rio, before opening the floor for a Q&A session.

Watch the recording below and view the slide deck (as a PowerPoint or a PDF).

Catch up on previous JA Global Town Halls

Access the slide deck from the March 2025 JA Global Town Hall (“Did you know?”) as a PowerPoint or a PDF. Watch the recording below.

Watch the recording of the September 2024 JA Global Town Hall (“Tech from all sides, Part II”) below and view the slides (PDF [full deck] | PowerPoint [does not contain the AI for Education slides])

Unlock the Power of Microlearning with EdApp

Staff around the world joined an exclusive microlearning opportunity designed to enhance their content-creation skills and master the innovative EdApp platform. With its user-friendly interface, EdApp empowers you to craft captivating content that’s enriched with gamification elements and cutting-edge AI integration. Whether you attended and want to rewatch some sessions or you weren't able to attend, you can watch the recordings below. Contact Erin Sawyer or Emmalyn Green with any questions.

JA Worldwide Fellows

The Fellows nomination and application period has ended, but we encourage you to apply next year. To make sure you know when the next nomination and application period opens, sign up for the OneJA newsletter at the bottom of this page.

“The JA Worldwide Fellowship is a great opportunity to work on a project that is either regional or worldwide. It allowed me to have a small window into the operations of other member countries and, therefore, to understand how they are able to impact young people in their country. It is also an opportunity to learn from other people, and to develop new contacts. This has been very useful for me in my work at local level. I have been able to use the network that I build through the Fellowship, to set up potential collaborations with my local JA. It has enabled us to benefit from the knowledge and lessons learned from other JA member countries.”
— JA Worldwide Fellow

Fellows FAQs

  • The JA Fellows is a JA Worldwide initiative to support the human-capital development of our high-potential leaders across the globe. Our goal is both to develop leaders within the network and encourage your local JA location to deepen your commitment to investing in staff. By the end of the program, Fellows will have achieved the following:

    –Developed deep expertise in servant-based leadership; empowering their teams, coaching colleagues, creating psychological safety, and drastically improving communication

    –Developed deep understanding of who they are at their best and how to summon their best selves with ease

    –Dramatic improvement in productivity, motivation and alignment to their personal purpose

    –Collaborated on a regional or global project of strategic importance to the success of JA globally

    –Deepened skills, including fundraising, education pedagogy, operations management, communications and marketing, design thinking, digital expertise, and more

  • Applicants must be JA employees (consultants are not eligible) with at least two years of employment with JA. Applicants with less than two years of JA employment are welcome to apply, but will be selected only in exceptional circumstances.

    We are looking for applicants with little to no formal leadership training who can commit to five to eight hours of leadership training and global project development each month.

    Applicant must be comfortable engaging with peers in English. The fellowship involves deep collaboration, training, and coaching in English.

  • Yes and no. There is no cost to participate as a Fellow in these virtual times. However, there is one in-person training, and although Fellows aregiven a large stipend to attend, it may not cover all expenses.

  • Semi-finalists are selected based on the quality of their applications and recommendations. Semi-finalists may then be video-interviewed before decisions are final.

  • Applications were due Friday, December 6, 2024. If you're selected as a semi-finalist, written approval from your supervisor is due by January 8.

  • A Fellow's commitment is significant. This is why support and approval from your supervisor is critical. You’ve been identified as a high-potential leader and worthy of significant investment by JA Worldwide. In total, you will commit eight hours a month (the equivalent of a full day) to your leadership development. Half of this time will be dedicated to your Fellow’s Project. The results of this project will be shared with staff and board members around the globe as this project will get global attention.

    Fellows will also attend two monthly live video-training sessions for two hours each. All trainings are mandatory, and absence from more than two will be grounds for dismissal from the program.

  • Fellows will participate in a variety of high impact initiatives. In the past, JA Worldwide Fellows have supported the launch of JA Worldwide’s global onboarding initiative, the launch of GLC Virtual, design of and participation in the Women in Global Leadership Development Conference, and much more.

“By working on a JA Worldwide Fellowship project (mine was about digital transformation), I had the opportunity to communicate with other member countries and get information on how they run their programs and what technology is used. One of the focuses for further exploration is the use of WhatsApp and platforms that can improve WhatsApp features. With the ChatBot, for example, we will be able to improved functionality and associated features. This will allow us to provide respond on a large scale.”
— JA Worldwide Fellow