Junior Achievement Insurance Learning Labs: Fostering Financial Literacy and Insurance Know-How

Travelers has partnered with Junior Achievement (JA) for nearly two decades, providing financial support and employee volunteers for local programs. In 2019, in coordination with JA, Travelers launched insurance learning lab “storefronts” in Colorado, Minnesota and Georgia to teach students about insurance basics and how to make responsible economic decisions, help them develop financial literacy and prepare them for future success. Housed in JA’s experiential learning centers, the storefronts reinforce concepts for students by providing hands-on business simulations. In 2021, Travelers partnered with Junior Achievement of Central Maryland to create our fourth Travelers storefront, which serves more than 46,000 K-12 students each year. The opening celebration of the new facility took place in October 2022.

In 2023, Travelers provided more than $250,000 in financial support to nine JA organizations across the country, and employees volunteered to support an additional nine JA’s. In 2023, employees logged 1,409 volunteer hours, supporting 18 JA’s across the United States and Canada. In addition, Travelers sponsored Chicago’s Junior Achievement Inspire Virtual Career Expo, where more than 6,000 students made visits to corporate “booths” to explore career opportunities in a variety of fields, including property and casualty insurance. 

Travelers received the U.S. President’s Bronze Volunteer Service Award for the 2022-2023 school year. Created by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, the award recognizes individuals and organizations that contribute a significant amount of time to volunteer service. Junior Achievement USA^®, as an official certifying organization, designated Travelers for volunteering more than 1,400 hours across the country.

Community benefits

• The program provides age-appropriate learning on topics such as civic constructs, currency, economics and business, helping students prepare at an early age for career and financial decisions to come.
• Our partnerships with JA are focused on districts with limited resources, where students may otherwise not have access to these programs.

Travelers benefits

• The program introduces students to Travelers as potential future employees or customers.
• Employee volunteers have opportunities to build their own capabilities, such as teamwork and presentation skills, which helps develop Travelers’ talent base.
• Employee volunteers expressed satisfaction with the company making investments in youth, which deepens engagement and helps with retention.