2009 - JA Alumni Europe

The Next Step
JA-YE Alumni Europe
This report contains what +1,000 volunteer Alumni of JA-YE Europe can achieve with passion,
networking and action in the 5th year of the organisations existence.
Annual
Report
2009
Table of Contents
About the organisation ........................................................................................................................... 3
What characterises our members? ..................................................................................................... 4
Message from the General European Coordinator ................................................................................ 5
The European Coordinators Committee – elected September 2009 ..................................................... 6
List of membership countries ................................................................................................................. 8
Stable membership countries ............................................................................................................. 8
Potential membership countries ........................................................................................................ 8
New membership countries................................................................................................................ 8
Key statistics............................................................................................................................................ 9
Achievements in 2009........................................................................................................................... 10
New structure ................................................................................................................................... 10
Web 2.0 ............................................................................................................................................. 10
New Membership Countries ............................................................................................................. 10
Facilitated founding of a new Membership Country ........................................................................ 11
The Senior Alumni ............................................................................................................................. 12
Event of the year ............................................................................................................................... 14
Financial status ..................................................................................................................................... 15
National Coordinators Meeting, London | United Kingdom ............................................................ 15
The JA-YE Alumni Europe Conference, Copenhagen | Denmark...................................................... 15
European Coordinators Meeting, Århus | Denmark......................................................................... 15
IT systems.......................................................................................................................................... 15
Overview of expenses in 2009 .......................................................................................................... 16
Thanks to sponsors and Partners .......................................................................................................... 17
The JA-YE Alumni Europe Conference 2009 ..................................................................................... 18
Sponsors: ....................................................................................................................................... 18
Partners: ........................................................................................................................................ 18
Host, Young Enterprise Alumni group Denmark ........................................................................... 18
The year ahead...................................................................................................................................... 19
About the organisation
JA-YE Alumni Europe is a Pan-European NGO and Non-profit Network existing of young
entrepreneurial volunteers across 13 active European countries. Today the organisation counts
around +1,000 registered members and has a potential growth in membership of +10.000 a year.
The members have all been participants in mainly the JA-YE Company or Graduate Programme. We
are the official Alumni organisation of JA-YE Europe and signed a Corporate Agreement together at
the JA-YE Europe Company of the Year Competition in Oslo in 2005.
The alumni movement started simultaneously in several countries each acting independently.
Among these Norway and Denmark where spearheads, and it all took off in one big synergy at the
first JA-YE Alumni Conference in Vilnius, Lithuania. On the 16th of September 2004 the JA-YE Alumni
Europe organisation was founded.
The historic roots of the organisation being formed date back to the beginning of century when, in a
myriad of European countries, many active JA-YE graduates chose to prolong their incredible JA-YE
experience by establishing local JA-YE Alumni groups and actively engaging in the activities of their
national JA-YE organisations. These are the youngsters who have participated in various
international events and conferences, such as the MGGTI conference for developing future
entrepreneurs organised by JA Worldwide and held in Chicago, IL, USA, the CANJAC conference held
in Canada, the TRACE conference for young leaders held in Central and Eastern Europe in 2001. The
camaraderie and leadership skills they learned there, the lifelong experience they obtained there,
the unforgettable memories they were bestowed there inspired many of them to strive to find ways
to stay involved with the JA-YE activities being carried out in their local communities, as well as help
the JA-YE national staff to shape a new generation of JA-YE Alumni. So it all started.
Today JA-YE Alumni Europe provides its primary members, the National Coordinators the
opportunity of
 cross border networking,
 knowledge sharing,
 operational cooperation between membership countries,
 development training for leading volunteers.
Furthermore, the network provides exclusive opportunities for alumni members such as
 internships,
 participation in JA-YE Europe events,
 to make a European impact with national achievements and events,
 relationship building across borders, religion and cultures.
The JA-YE Europe network additionally benefits from the alumni organisation because of:
 a base of current and future potential sponsors and supporters of the JA-YE vision
 support to national JA-YE organisations by doing class room presentations to promote JA-YE
programmes and supporting JA-YE Europe’s strategic goals.
 increased visibility of the JA-YE network


information to JA-YE stakeholders about the experience and learning of a JA-YE alumni
support to the JA-YE network with human resources e.g. interns, volunteers at trade fairs,
competitions and programmes
What characterises our members?
Based on the large alumni survey carried out by Young Enterprise United Kingdom, there are several
very clear and significant points characterising our members before we develop them further:
“Young Enterprise alumni tend to earn more, consider themselves more skilled and are more active in
society than their non-Young Enterprise peers.”
 Participation in the Young Enterprise Company Programme correlates with better future
earnings. ln particular in the 30+ age group alumni earn a third more than their peers.
 Young Enterprise Company Programme alumni are twice as likely to start their own business
as their peers.
 The YE alumni are more passionate about their jobs than their peers with 77 % of alumni
fulfilled and engaged by their jobs, compared to only 59 % of the Control Group.
 YE alumni are more successful in their careers than their non-participating counterparts
(even when taking into account family affluence).
 YE alumni are more likely to get involved in voluntary work (55 % compared with 39 % for
the Control Group).
 Amongst business-owning alumni, Young Enterprise was ranked as the most significant
experience they drew upon when establishing and building their venture.
 Young Enterprise is not just about preparing pupils for business - It enables them to develop
life skills such as teamwork, self motivation and decision-making, which then gives them
lasting confidence in their abilities.
Yet we have no scientific verification, we strongly believe that JA-YE Alumni Europe, in addition to
developing the unique basis above, also creates the following:
 The ability to build and maintain an international cross cultural network
 Experience of being part of a high performance team acting in a complex setting
 The curiosity and ability to work on personal development
 The self-confidence to be an entrepreneur and to be innovative.
 The passion to create and to change the status quo towards a new sustainability
Message from the General European Coordinator
2009 was a fantastic year!

The National Coordinators Meeting in London organised primarily by the former Secretary
General, Sara Green Brodersen with assistance from the former European Coordinator,
Katharina Krenn. This meeting was made possible by sponsorship representing 2,000 Euro
given by the entrepreneurial company Goodwille Ltd.

The European Coordinators’ Committee did provide consulting as well as operational help to
realise the main annual alumni event; The JA-YE Alumni Europe Conference - this time in
Copenhagen. The conference was voted "Best Conference ever". In addition, it was the
longest and the one with the most successful fundraising including an EU grant. Many
people were involved in achieving this milestone; Project Manager Andreas Eriksen, former
member of the European Committee and 15+ dedicated team members:
Alexander Jensen, Andreas Eriksen, Ani Movsisyan, Brian Gjerstrup, Brynhild Vinskei,
Christian Erfurt, Frederik Andersen, Katharina Krenn, Marius Klavsen, Michael Hold, Nana
Vassvik, Nynne Christiansen, Sara Green Brodersen, Simon Salling, Søren Aamand and many
others.
A new European Committee was elected by an improved and more open democratic election
process. We had three impressive candidates running for the General European Coordinator position
and a motivation level never seen before in the history of JA-YE Alumni Europe.

We secured vital sponsorship from Chicago based 37Signals for their pioneer programme
called BaseCamp; a tool for international communication, sharing and storage of knowledge.
This will meet our challenge to effectively communicate with our big flux of members.

Successfully completing the first European Coordinators Committee Meeting for the new
committee, with the result of a new two year strategy focusing on the following three areas:
Develop European projects - Improve our communication - Advancement of membership
countries.
I personally want to extend an immense thank you to the previous committee for all their hard work,
determination and spirit. I have personally been very impressed and hope that they all will stay
actively involved.
So a special thanks to:

Katharina Krenn, European Coordinator, Austria

Sara Green Brodersen, Secretary General, Denmark

Andreas Eriksen, Committee Member, Denmark

Patrick Stenke, Committee Member, Germany.
To all of you who might be considering getting involved with JA-YE, my final words will be:
“Take The Next Step”
The European Coordinators Committee – elected September 2009
Brian Gjerstrup | 23 years | Danish | General European Coordinator
Experience in JA-YE Alumni: First event was the Alumni Conference
in Oslo ‘05. and has since attended at the Paris ’06 and Milan ’08
conferences. Was one of the main resources behind the
conference in Copenhagen ‘09. He was project manager on ‘Leader
for a day’ in DK twice. Brian spent four years in the Danish Alumni
committee, two of which as chairman.
Study: Business Development Engineer, 6th semester, focuses on
Strategy and Entrepreneurship.
Responsibilities: Internal coordination and corporation with JA-YE
Europe and other stakeholders.
Louise Larsen | 22 years | Danish | European Coordinator
Experience in JA-YE Alumni: Participated in the first alumni
conference in Vilnius, and has since participated in the Oslo ‘05,
Paris ‘06 and Copenhagen ‘09 conferences. Established the
European alumni newsletter Flying High in 2004 working as the
editor-in-chief up until 2007, and has recently resumed this
position. Sat on the Danish Alumni committee YEAD for two years
as the international coordinator.
Study: Bsc in Economics and Business Administration, with
International management Bscb(IM), 4th semester.
Responsibilities: Coordinator for Stable Membership Countries
Preslav Mitranov | 21 years | Bulgarian | European Coordinator
Experience in JA-YE Alumni: Took part in organising the 4th Alumni
Conference in Sofia ‘07. Was Project Manager for Most Innovative
Product Award. Led the implementation of Big Sister Mentoring
Program in Bulgaria. Is currently in the board of JA-YE Alumni
Bulgaria as Marketing Manager.
Study: Finance, 6th semester, University for National and World
Economy Sofia
Responsibilities: Coordinator for upcoming membership countries
Ilva Dhjaku | 22 years | Italian | European Coordinator
Experience in JA-YE Alumni: Participated in the 2006 alumni
conference in Paris. She is one of the founders of JA Alumni Italy,
and was co-ordinator at the Alumni Conference in Milan’ 08. Has
been a National Coordinator for two years and is still in the board
of JA Alumni Italy.
Study: Finance, 4th semester, University of Bergamo.
Responsibilities: Coordinator for new membership countries
List of membership countries
Below you find a list of present membership countries of JA-YE Alumni Europe. They are divided up
in three categories: Stable, potential, new. These categories refer to their level of development.
Stable membership countries
Bulgaria
Denmark
Organisation Name: ABC –
JA-YE Alumni Business Club
National Coordinator: Boris Kolev
Organisation Name: YEAD –
Young Enterprise Alumni group Denmark
National Coordinator: Marius Klausen
Germany
Estonia
Organisation Name: JENZ
National Coordinator: Bernd Holzmüller
Organisation Name: SENT –
Starting Entrepreneurs Network of Tomorrow
National Coordinator: Mari-Liis Animäg
Potential membership countries
Finland
Lithuania
Organisation Name: JALUMNY
National Coordinator: Tomi Helvelahti
Organisation Name: LJA –
Lithuanian Junior Achievement
National Coordinator: Martynas Zurauskas
Netherlands
Italy:
Organisation Name: Young Business
Talents
National Coordinator: Erik van Zummeren
Organisation Name: JA Alumni Italy
National Coordinator: Davide Coppaloni Delfino
New membership countries
Portugal
Serbia
Organisation Name: JA Alumni Portugal
National Coordinator: Ricardo Martins Costa
Organisation Name: JA Alumni Serbia
National Coordinator: Stefan Milojevic
Sweden
Belgium
Organisation Name: JA Alumni Sweden
National Coordinator: Julia Tollin
Organisation Name: JA Alumni Belgium
National Coordinator: Sarah Capelle
Spain
Organisation Name: JA Alumni Spain
National Coordinator: Francisco José Ruiz
JA-YE Alumni Europe are constantly striving to get new countries as members and right now we have
8 countries in our scope as prospects.
Key statistics
The statistics below are estimated based on the national annual reports received and interviews
conducted with National Coordinators made throughout the year.
JA-YE Alumni Europe consists of:
+1,000 members across 13 membership countries.
+7 prospective membership countries
+70 key events
+200 meetings
Definitions:

Members: Are JA-YE Alumnis who have completed either the Company Programme or the
Graduate Programme and is registered in a national membership database.

Prospective membership countries: Are JA-YE Europe licensed countries who the
Coordinators Committee sees great potential for becoming an official Membership Country,
by meeting the criteria for the category of New Membership Countries or higher.

Key events: The JA-YE Alumni Europe Conference, European Leader for a Day programme,
The Website Contest, the JA-YE Alumni Europe Mentoring Programme, The 24 hour Camp,
plus numerous national events where Alumnis are helping out their national JA-YE
organisations by supporting their marketing activities, trade fairs, competitions etc.

Meetings: General Assembly, Committee meetings, Regional Coordinators Meetings, etc.
Achievements in 2009
New structure
The largest change in 2009 was instigated by
the previous committee in cooperation with
the National Coordinators. It resulted in a
rethink of the purpose and structure of the
European Coordinators Committee itself. We
have gone from a classic function-divided
organisation structure to a ’customer
orientated’ structure; as pictured. The three
European Coordinators each have their own
group of Membership Countries to facilitate
advancement through the categories. As Membership Countries advance they gain more possibilities
including access to EU funding and the ability to raise funds from European companies.
Web 2.0
A more visual change with immediate effect was the creation of the European fanpage on Facebook.
Previously there were a few different groups and now we strive to
gather existing and potential members in one European focused
fanpage as it enables us to deliver more relevant and valuable
information and offers to our target group. In one month the group
reached almost 200 members and we believe it has potential to reach
700 within 2-3 years. Today the fanpage contains our newsletter
Flying High, several posts, links and it contains pictures back from the
very beginning – so become a fan and take a look!
New Membership Countries
In the past year we have inspired, motivated and advised JA-YE Europe Member Countries to
become JA-YE Alumni Europe Member Countries. This year we are proud to present:
Portugal
Serbia
Sweden
Each country participated in the Alumni Conference in Copenhagen in July-August and took home
loads of motivation, knowledge and maybe most importantly a network of friends who would love to
help them out with whatever challenges they might face. Below there is an extended description on
how JA-YE Alumni Serbia became a membership country and what role JA-YE Alumni Europe played
in it.
Facilitated founding of a new Membership Country
One event we are very proud of is the joint kick off meeting between JA Alumni Serbia and JA-YE
Alumni Business Club Bulgaria. This event exemplifies clearly three key points in our new strategy:
Develop European projects

Provide opportunity for cross border networking.
Advancement of membership countries

Facilitate learning and relationship building across borders.

Provide exclusive opportunities for alumni members.
The following quote describes how the above three points were met through this event.
“The Alumni from Serbia and Bulgaria developed a very strong working relationship at the
Conference in CPH, which was made possible by JA-YE Alumni Europe, and we went back home with
the necessary motivation, knowledge and network to start our Alumni organization in Serbia.”
- Dejan Markovic, Int. coordinator, Serbian committee
Sharing best practise
For the first time 13 Serbian and 8 Bulgarian
Alumni spent time together and discussed
different topics, sharing best practices and had
a lot of fun. The basis of this cooperation was
created during the JA-YE Alumni Europe
Conference in Copenhagen early last year. The
clear feeling among the Serbians and
Bulgarians was that the establishment of this
relationship would just not have been possible
without the face to face meeting.
The topics of the presentations included
everything from management of meetings,
team building, fundraising to establishing
projects. Furthermore Alumni Serbia organised
a lecture about a project idea – a special form
of unity between Alumni clubs for now called
“The Brotherhood Treaty” which aims to
improve
communication
among
all
Membership Countries around Europe. This
event marked the start of a promising
international cooperation on one of the
European acknowledged projects – The JA-YE
Alumni Europe Mentoring Programme.
The participants ended their report by stating that: “Getting to know a different culture, history and
life style made it really enriching and thrilling.”
Quotes from participants of the meeting in Belgrade on how it was to attend a cross boarder event:
“One of the most valuable memories ever!” By Aleksandar Elezovic, Serbia
“It’s a small step for our society, but a big one for European Alumni!!!” By Dejan Markovic, Serbia
“It’s been enlightening, motivating, educative and fun.” By Zorana Birsac, Serbia
“We worked together, we grew together, we lived together.” By Elena Tosheva, Bulgaria
The Senior Alumni
In these early years of JA-YE Alumni Europe’s development there is an ever existing dilemma:Who to focus on…..
seniors who have a larger network, more
youngsters who have a more free-time, far less
money, and more experience but have little
access to network organisations but smaller
OR
time and access to several highly competitive
personal networks, less money and limited
alternative networks
experience.
JA-YE Alumni Europe was started by the younger members and primarily it still successful today
because of their involvement. Step by step we have also managed to provide a product that suits the
seniors to keep them engaged:
In Denmark a great new development has been
achieved in cooperation with YE Denmark and
the senior alumnis (aged 23-30). A new part of
the ‘traditional’ alumni organisation is growing
and was founded by the same person that
founded YEAD six years ago - Nynne
Christiansen.
The founding meeting has taken place and YE
Denmark sponsored it generously and
announced that they will continue to do so. YE
Denmark sees great potential in projects such
as:



Completing a survey on how YE Denmark alumni are performing today and what their
participation in YE’s programmes have meant to them.
Enlarging the database of judges for trade fairs, competitions, etc.
Cooperating with the high quality network of the senior alumni
The next senior-meeting will take place alongside the National Finals of Company Programme in
April enabling the seniors to connect with the new generations. JA-YE Alumni Europe has great hope
for this new establishment and follows it closely to spread Best Practice across Europe as soon as
possible.
Providing access to unique alumni opportunities
Stockholm, Sweden, July 2008
In 2008 two JA-YE Europe alumni, Christian Erfurt and Sara Rywe, applied for and were selected to
be alumni representatives at the JA-YE Europe Company of the Year Competition in Stockholm. That
opportunity enabled them to then take part in a fantastic milestone in the progression of the
Company Programme competition on a worldwide scale.
Christian explains how their journey started; “We escorted JA-YE VIPs from the airport to the hotel
and got talking. Later, at the Gala dinner, we met one of the same VIPs again and after introducing
us to the rest of the table, a man leant across and said: “I am Eduardo Marty, CEO of JA-YE South
America. We are having the first South American Finals for the Company Programme in December
2009. I would like you to come and work for me. Would you be interested?””
Buenos Aires, Argentina, December 2009.
Sara and Christian said “yes” and found themselves situated on the other side of the earth some
months later helping out to host the first South
American final ever to be held. During the
competition they had the responsibility of
assisting Carolyn Bassett (Senior Director at JA
Worldwide) and her staff and the board of
judges. Christian explains; “In a conversation
over lunch we discussed how to improve the
competition and ensure more businesses
succeed in real life – my answer? JA-YE Alumni.
Several crucial questions were asked around the
table. Judges were concerned about motivation,
role models and experience. JA-YE Alumni is the
factor that can answer all those questions.”
When Christian presented how the alumni organisation works in Europe one of the CEOs asked:
“Why do you guys do it? You don’t get paid and it sounds like you sometimes end up spending your
own money working non-profit?” Christians answer was this; “The European Alumni are the type of
achievers, who would cross the desert walking without water. Just because they are more than
certain that water will show along the way. It is not the short term goals that motivate us it is our
vision and it is the lessons learned that make is more about the journey not the destination.”
Christian ends: “From a personal point of view JA-YE Alumni Europe has brought me to
unbelievable places and events, introduced me to fantastic people and made my dream of
becoming an entrepreneur possible. I am grateful and excited to work within an organisation
where innovation and entrepreneurship is possible.”
Event of the year
Looking at the scale, achievements and milestones reached, there was no doubt in the European
Coordinators Committee that the JA-YE Alumni Europe Conference – Leaders of a Sustainable Future
- was the winner of 2009.
Summarizing the conference it comes down to four major achievements:
Participation of three new alumni countries!
Portugal, Serbia, Sweden were represented with several participants at the conference – upon
returning home they started alumni groups and are now active alumni countries.
Evaluated best conference ever!
80 % of the participants rated the conference Excellent and 20 % Above Average. With 100 %
participant satisfaction the goal of continuously improving the conferences and organising the best
conference so far was met and exceeded.
First conference to receive EU grant!
After several aspirations the 6th Alumni Conference was the first to receive a major grant from the
European Commission – Youth in Action programme. An achievement we seek to continue for the
following conferences.
Foundation for a Conference Manual
Brainstorms, working documents, sponsor enquiry, promotion material was all created in English.
Every step of the planning has been thoroughly documented, for the conference team to create a
detailed manual on how to organise an Alumni Conference.
Overview of the keynote speakers from the conference programme:
Keynote Speaker
Company
Topic
1. Martin Pedersen
2. Tim Vang
3. Brynhild Vinskei
4. Penny Perry
5. Morten Feld
6. Skib Bowman
7. Jesper Vej
8. Peter Schliemann
9. Lasse Larentzen
10. Espen Sivertsen
11. Tine Tygesen
12. Nynne Christiansen
COWI
MyC4
JA-YE Alumni Europe
JA-YE Europe
Novo Nordisk
Conmoto A/S
CPH Uni. College of Engineering
Green IT, Ministry of Sc. and Tech.
Innovative reflections
Kaospilot
Venture Cup, MD
Experimentarium
Intro to COWI and sustainability
Social Entrepreneurship
History of JA-YE Alumni Europe
Cooperation with JA-YE
Novo Nordisk Way of Management
Cross-cultural interaction
Networking
CO2 reduction by IT
Combining art and business
Open Space session on PM
What is Leadership
Introduction to Experimentarium
Finally, here is a quote from one of the speakers to show what they experienced while taking part:
“Thank you SO MUCH for including me in your exciting programme! It is always a pleasure to meet
people that are set in the world to change things for the better (it’s what drives an entrepreneur after
all, isn’t it?)… but you surprised me in a way that I normally do not experience; Keep your
enthusiasm, curiosity and energy level up it will take you far!! Take risks!!”
– Tim Vang, Co-Founder of MyC4
Financial status
The organisation has a limited use of resources compared to its achievements; an overview can be
seen in the last figure. Here follows the main elements of the financial status, based on mainly
estimated expenses from the four volunteers that form the ECC- European Coordinators Committee.
National Coordinators Meeting, London | United Kingdom
Expense
Conference facilities
Travel
Accommodation
Subsistence
Phone
Internet
Income (source)
Goodwille ltd., Sponsorship
Privately funded by ECC
Privately funded by ECC
Privately funded by ECC
Privately funded by ECC
Privately funded by ECC
in kind 2,000.00 €
est 450.00 €
est 200.00 €
est 300.00 €
est 15.00 €
est 10.00 €
Sum
2,975.00 €
NB. Three European Coordinators participated, one situated in London. Meeting length: Three days.
The JA-YE Alumni Europe Conference, Copenhagen | Denmark
Expense
Various expenses*
Income (source)
Bata, Sponsorship
EU, Sponsorship
Participants Fee
10,000.00 €
13,536.00 €
7,858.00 €
Sum
31,394.00 €
*Various expenses covers: Accommodation, Activities, Transport, Promotion, Administration, and Planning.
Key points describing the conference; 6 days, 53 participants, 13 speakers,.
Accommodation was the primary expense covering approx 40% of the total expenses approx 14,000.00 €.
European Coordinators Meeting, Århus | Denmark
Expense
Conference facilities
Travel
Subsistence
Phone
Income (source)
Stud.væksthuset Århus, Sponsorship
Privately funded by ECC
Privately funded by ECC
Privately funded by ECC
Sum
in kind 500.00 €
350.00 €
180.00 €
15 €
1,045.00€
NB. Three European Coordinators participated, two situated in Århus. Meeting length: Three days.
IT systems
Expense
Home page, all incl.
PM, 1 years license
Sum
Income (source)
JT-International, Sponsored
37Signals, Sponsored
in kind 1,000.00 €
in kind 410.00 €
1,410.00 €
Overview of expenses in 2009
Summarised expense
National Coordinators Meeting,
London | United Kingdom
Income (source)
50 % Sponsored by Goodwille ltd. (in kind)
and 50 % Privately funded by ECC
The JA-YE Alumni Europe
Conference
75 % Sponsored by: Bata and EU and
25 % Participation fee.
European Coordinators Meeting,
Århus | Denmark
50 % Sponsored by Stud.væksthuset Århus
(in kind)
50 % Privately funded by ECC
IT systems
Sponsored by: JT-International and
37Signals (in kind)
Total sum
2,975.00 €
31,394.00 €
1,045.00 €
1,410.00 €
36,824.00 €
Thanks to sponsors and Partners
JA-YE Alumni Europe is a non-profit network organisation built and maintained by volunteers.
Therefore we are extra grateful for our sponsors and partners who are listed below:
Thank you for:
Always being there with great knowledge and network
to support our growth throughout Europe.
Thank you for:
Supporting us growing to a worldwide level step by
step. A special thanks to South America and USA.
Thank you for:
Being our main sponsor and support from the very
beginning. Thanks for enabling us to continue the work
of JA-YE Europe in the name of Entrepreneurship.
37signals
Thank you for:
Giving us a breakthrough in our online collaboration
and making it possible for volunteers to work together
across Europe.
Thank you for:
Making it possible to situate the National Coordinators
meeting in the middle of London for the first time.
Thanks for hosting us and providing
top quality facilities.
The JA-YE Alumni Europe Conference 2009
Sponsors:
Partners:
Host, Young Enterprise Alumni group Denmark
Thank you for:
Having taken our main event, the annual Alumni Conference,
to a new level and by doing that building a bridge to the European Union
and several great companies.
Further creating the new conference manual was a great achievement.
The year ahead
The world was hit by a financial crisis in 2009. JA-YE Alumni Europe managed to host the biggest
annual Alumni Conference so far including EU funding, establishing a new European committee, and
maintaining a steady growth across Europe. That is a proof of a sustainable organisation.
The way forward is stability and cooperation
In the year to come the European Coordinators committee will focus on following main points to
create a stable growth in cooperation across Europe:




Strengthen the impact of existing and new European projects by implementing one common
European IT platform.
Promote the JA-YE Alumni Europe to key stakeholder by strengthening our brand.
Be clear, concise, reliable, timely and targeted in our messages.
Create an encouraging environment for advancement, through our three categories and
beyond, of Membership Countries.
In connection to our strategy we will furthermore enhance the effort put in to documenting the
difference and success JA-YE Alumni makes around the year.
Toolset for sustainable cooperation
The new European Coordinators Committee have now internally implemented an IT system for
cooperation and have great hope for the effect of rolling it out as an unique free offer to all
Membership Countries in 2010. Great advancement will be in following points:




Sharing fresh best practice
Saving and sharing information and knowledge
Time tracking on big projects
Supporting the new structure of Membership Countries by visualizing the difference in
needs and solutions.
With the chance of failing we dare to state that we will have brand new membership countries in
2010 and we will endeavor to re-engage with countries who have previously been highly involved
with JA-YE Alumni Europe.
2010 will be the year where National Coordinators across Europe will experience a new level of
commitment and support from the European Committee. With our expected continued growth,
they will be offered the first official JA-YE Alumni Europe Leadership Course. A course that is made to
suit needs of Leadership of volunteers.
... and one more thing for 2011:
Two countries that have been with us from the very beginning and who have always delivered a high
quality product, Germany and Estonia, have both indicated a clear interest in hosting the Annual
Alumni Conference in 2011. So to all of you out there who have the possibility join our unique
conference - look forward to 2011!
JA-YE Alumni Europe | The Next Step