TOLEDO — Junior Achievement of Northwestern Ohio has announced the launch of a redesigned Creative
Problem Solving program to help high school students understand the concepts of innovation and
entrepreneurship, which has been part of JA’s high school programming for nearly 20 years.
The multi-session class will introduce students to design thinking concepts such as creative
problem-solving and innovating.
“Being entrepreneurial isn’t just for business owners,” said Jim Pollock, president of Junior Achievement
of Northwestern Ohio. “Entrepreneurship education teaches students to be solution-focused, to learn from
failure, and that innovation isn’t just about the bottom line, but also the benefit to society as a
whole.”
A new partnership with Owens-Illinois, which is based in Perrysburg, has enhanced this learning
experience by encouraging students to view these critical thinking models through a lens of
sustainability.
“As a global leader in manufacturing, O-I has also committed themselves to being a global leader in
sustainability, and that’s an equally important lesson for our future leaders to learn,” Pollock said.

This learning experience is a blended model that includes teacher-led content, volunteer-led
opportunities and self-guided content to support flexible implementation options. These models allow JA
programs to be delivered in various learning environments, including virtually. Study in the Experience
will be a pre-requisite to enter the JA Innovators Challenge this spring.
In the JA Innovators Challenge, students across Northwest Ohio will identify social problems, use design
thinking concepts to identify solutions, and pitch their ideas via online submission. The challenge has
up to $25,000 in scholarships available.
For more information click the ‘Get Involved’ link at toledo.ja.org.