JA’s faces “Putting money into developing young people is not an expenditure. It is an investment in our future. In our prospective economic growth and competitiveness, in We need a change job creation and prosperity, as well as in of mind-set. social cohesion and stability.” Tibor Navracsics European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport “I see now how a small effort from our side as business people can have such a huge in昀氀uence on students; impacting not only the way they behave today but also the way they see their future careers. I hope that all the youngsters I’ve met with realise the value Mentoring: of the education they are receiving through projects like GEP, how this experience will small effort, distinguish them from others, make them stand out from the crowd and give them big impact. more con昀椀dence to take on any challenge.” iván madueño Donoso business volunteer, Siemens “The JA programme really made me think about my future. What do I want? Which career path do I want to pursue? What skills am I good at? And also: which not? Also, the programme taught me to be creative and persevere. Think and act Everything is possible. All ideas which beyond your come to mind are possible to create: it’s about investing time and energy and boundaries. continue where other people would have stopped. It’s not necessarily about the Benjamin Schriel idea, it’s about your actions.” student in The Netherlands 14 JA EUROPE / Annual Report 2016