19th November 2024, Brussels: Junior Achievement (JA) Europe is thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2024 JA Europe Teacher of the Year Award, celebrating exceptional educators who have made an outstanding impact in the field of entrepreneurship education. After an intensive review of numerous inspiring applications, the selection jury, comprised of representatives from UPS, the European Commission, OECD, European Training Foundation, and Lifelong Learning Platform, selected three exemplary winners from across Europe.
The Awardees:
- Winner: Edita Naidaite from Lithuania
- 2nd Place: Georg Frauscher-Emler from Austria
- 3rd Place: Giota Chatzopoulou from Greece
Each of these educators has demonstrated extraordinary dedication and innovation in shaping the entrepreneurial skills of future generations. Through a generous sponsorship from UPS, the winners were recognised in Brussels during JA Europe’s 2024 Annual General Assembly Gala dinner.
Luciana Caciuleanu, HR Vice President UPS EMEAI said: “Teachers make a lasting difference by guiding students to learn, grow, and reach their full potential. At UPS, we recognize that their influence extends far beyond the classroom, empowering the leaders and innovators of tomorrow. We are proud to sponsor the 2024 Teacher of the Year Award in honour of their dedication and impact.”
Salvatore Nigro, CEO JA Europe said: “Teachers and educators are instrumental to JA’s work empowering almost 7 million young Europeans every year, and we are so grateful to their daily commitment across Europe. Together with UPS, we want to recognize and celebrate the most inspiring teachers through the Teacher of the Year Award. The JA network in Europe looks forward to continuing the close collaboration with schools and teachers, who can count on us to build bridges with the world of work for the benefit of the next generation of Europeans.”
Meet the winners of 2024 JA Europe Teacher of the Year Award:
Edita Naidaite from Lithuania
Edita’s story is one of remarkable resilience, determination, and service. She didn’t have the privileges that some take for granted, growing up without the care and support of parents, but she never allowed those challenges to define her limits. At the age of 27 Edita achieved her first degree, a testament to her perseverance. She’s not just a single mother of three, she’s a support for her children, raising two of them while managing the daily complexities of life with diabetes. The beginning of the story of a remarkable individual who started her career in business but shortly began teaching while sacrificing her free time she commuted every day 40-kilometer to school to inspire and make an impact on the lives of the young people she was determined to uplift. She was trying to leave education a couple of times, but her service attitude and big heart brought her back. For Edita, teaching wasn’t just a profession, it was a purpose. Starting her teaching career in a small border town in Lithuania, Edita became a community leader, and her influence expanded regionally. Today, she is a role model for teachers nationwide and has been part of the JA Lithuania teachers’ network since 2012.
Georg Frauscher-Emler from Austria
Georg Frauscher-Emler teaches geography and economics, catholic religion, music education, “Business – START UP!” profile at the grammer school BG/BRG Stainach. He is also the student advisor for the upper school, implements the entrepreneurial driving license, is the main coordinator for geography and economic education, custodian for audio-visual media, coordinator for “Business – START UP!”, member of the school community committee, of the team for the Quality Management System as well as the social team. He has been teaching JA Company Programme for over 20 years now and played a key role in the development of the Entrepreneurial Skills Pass which he has been implementing ever since. His passion for the Company Programme is seen in the great success of the mini-companies, the students he coaches reach a high level of motivation and achieve remarkable results at various competitions. The team he coached last school year “Treberei” was named the JA Europe Company of the Year 2024.
Giota Chatzopoulou from Greece
Ms. Panagiota Chatzopoulou has been an inspirational figure at the American Farm School of Thessaloniki since 2010, teaching Mathematics and coordinating the school’s Entrepreneurship Clubs. She has played a pivotal role in implementing Junior Achievement programs, especially the JA Company Programme, which she has successfully led since 2012. Under her mentorship, her students have consistently excelled, winning multiple awards at national and European levels. Ms. Chatzopoulou is known for her innovative teaching methods, integrating case studies, role-playing, and new technologies to create a dynamic learning environment. Her commitment to student growth is evident in her personalized teaching approach, ensuring that each student reaches their full potential. She goes above and beyond, offering after-school support and guiding students to develop essential life skills, from business planning to effective communication. Beyond her classroom, Ms. Chatzopoulou is a mentor to fellow educators and a driving force in expanding JA programs across Northern Greece. Her work has been recognized in Greek media, and her dedication to professional development makes her a role model in her field. Her passion for entrepreneurship education has transformed her students’ lives, many of whom have gone on to prestigious careers worldwide.
About UPS
UPS (NYSE: UPS) is one of the world’s largest companies, with 2023 revenue of $91.0 billion, and provides a broad range of integrated logistics solutions for customers in more than 200 countries and territories. Focused on its purpose statement, “Moving our world forward by delivering what matters,” the company’s approximately 500,000 employees embrace a strategy that is simply stated and powerfully executed: Customer First. People Led. Innovation Driven. UPS is committed to reducing its impact on the environment and supporting the communities we serve around the world. More information can be found at www.ups.com, about.ups.com and investors.ups.com.
About JA Europe
JA Europe is the largest and leading organisation in Europe dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed. For over 100 years, JA Worldwide has delivered hands-on, experiential learning in entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial health. In the last school year, the JA Europe network in over 40 countries provided 6 million learning experiences for youth in online, in person and blended formats with the support of nearly 110,000 teachers and almost 90,000 business volunteers. In 2024, JA Worldwide was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, the third nomination in three years.
Press and media contact at JA Europe:
Minna Melleri, Chief of Advocacy and Growth, minna@jaeurope.org
