Nov

November 15-19, 2010: Making Cents engages in Global Entrepreneurship Week with three events:

Youth Entrepreneurship: Beyond Collateral online dialog
Fiona Macaulay, Making Cents' President, contributed to an online dialogue Youth Business International organized as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week. YBI based the dialogue on their new report titled, Beyond Collateral: How to increase access to capital for young entrepreneurs. The report and dialogue addressed the following questions: What are the barriers to kick starting growth through enterprise? What will it take to increase young entrepreneurs' access to start-up capital? What change is required of banks, governments and development institutions? To read the dialogue and access the report, please click here.

Youth Participate in Business Simulation Game
Making Cents led a Business Simulation training on November 18th for youth at Potomac Job Corps who will soon be from their programs and entering the workforce. Making Cents’ Business Simulation provides a challenging learning experience for business practitioners and entrepreneurs to develop real skills in negotiation, teamwork, recordkeeping, risk management, and taking initiative.

YFS-Link Webinar: The Latest and Greatest on Implementing Sound Practices in Youth-Inclusive Financial Services
Making Cents held a webinar on Friday, November 19th as a part of its Youth-Inclusive Financial Services Linkage (YFS-Link) Program. This 60-minute webinar was dedicated to equipping practitioners who have been trained in our introductory course on youth-inclusive financial services - Implementing Sound Practices in Youth-Inclusive Financial Services  - with the latest materials, resources, and tools that have recently been developed in the sector. In addition, practitioners were given a step-by-step introduction to a new guide containing practical exercises and presentations Making Cents developed to help them quickly and easily take information on youth-inclusive financial services back to their colleagues at your organization. For more information on YFS-Lind and upcoming courses, please visit: www.yfslink.org.

November 13, 2010: President of Making Cents spoke at YSE event

Fiona Macaulay, President of Making Cents, joined the list of social innovator speakers at theevent, Youth Social Entrepreneurship: Unleashing Young Social Entrepreneurs. The event was organized by Ashoka's Youth Venture and took place in Washington, DC. Click here to watch a video of the presentation.

October

October 21, 2010: USAID MARKETS Livelihood and Household Nutrition Pilot in Nigeria

Making Cents, in collaboration with Chemonics International, recently completed the Livelihood and Household Nutrition pilot activity in Nigeria under the USAID MARKETS Global Food Security Response program.  The activity empowers  women in vulnerable communities in key target states in Northern Nigeria with practical skills in household asset management and cost benefit analysis.  As a result, vulnerable populations become empowered and self-sufficient by putting into practice proven skills and knowledge to allow them to lead healthier and more productive lives. 

A similar program under USAID MARKETS was implemented by Making Cents with the aim of meeting the immediate and long-term needs of OVC households.  Please click here to view a video highlighting the program and its impact, which has trained 24,000 caregivers to benefit over 100,000 OVCs across 12 states in Nigeria.

October 11-23, 2010: Course offerings in Zanzibar, Tanzania (SMDP)

Making Cents is partnering with the Sustainable Microenterprise and Development Program(SMDP), an intensive training program offering critical skills for today's microfinance and enterprise development leaders around the world, to offer the latest training in youth-inclusive financial services through the following courses:

• Implementing Sound Practices in Youth-Inclusive Financial Services (2 days)
• Market Research with Young Clients (3 days)
• Adapting and Developing Financial Services for Young People (3 days)
• Partnering for Improved Service Delivery with Young People (2 days)

For more information on courses, costs, and registration, visit the SMDP-Tanzania Web by clicking here.

October 7, 2010: Fiona Macaulay is named a D.C. "40 under 40" International Development Leader

The recognition, the first of its kind, was given to social entrepreneurs, advocates, private sector innovators and government and multilateral agency officials.  Devex's goal is to highlight and celebrate the important work of the next generation of leaders in the international development community in Washington, DC. Criteria included individual influence on the global development agenda and results achieved. Devex and Chevron Corporation announced the honor during the Business Civic Leadership Center's annual conference. Click here for the press release. For more information about the initiative, the selectees and selection process please visit the 40-Under-40 website: http://dc40.devex.com/ and Devex.com: http://www.devex.com/articles/devex-list-of-young-aid-leaders-in-dc-is-announced

September

September 14-16, 2010: Global Youth Enterprise & Livelihoods Development Conference (Washington, DC, U.S)

Making Cents held the fourth Global Youth Enterprise and Livelihoods Development Conference at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, DC September 14-16, 2010. In just four years, this participatory and demand-driven learning event has become the "go to" conference for practitioners, funders, educators, policymakers, members of the private sector, and other professionals who design, implement, monitor, evaluate, and fund programs and policies in this field. This year's event convened 402 participants from 63 countries. The 2010 conference themes were: youth enterprise development; youth-inclusive financial services and capabilities; workforce development; monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment; and adolescent girls and young women. For more information on outcomes of the 2010 conference or how you can become involved in next year's conference, please visit: www.youtheconomicopportunities.org.  

July

July 15, 2010: YFSlink.org Platform Launch

Making Cents is pleased to announce the launch of YFS-Link—the first space for financial services providers (FSPs) and youth-serving organizations (YSOs) to gather, learn and share about youth-inclusive financial services! With your participation, this collaborative platform will act as the community driven "go-to" place for pioneers in the sector to share knowledge, experiences, and lessons learned.

Features include: Interactive Global Map; Resource Center; Practitioner Discussion Forum; YFS Blog; and more!

Special thanks to The MasterCard Foundation for its continued support and commitment to the YFS-Link Program.

June

June 26, 2010: Pakistan Handmade Fashion Show

Since January 2010, Making Cents has been working with USAID's Pakistan FIRMS Market Readiness Program (MRP) to increase access to international markets for women-owned small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) working in the handmade sector. The culmination was an exciting Pakistan Handmade Fashion Show and Exhibition held on June 25-26 in Islamabad. The international fashion show and trade exhibition attracted nearly 40 artisans, businesses, and handicrafts cooperatives showcasing their products for international buyers, including 14 major U.S. wholesale buyers.

U.S. Ambassador Anne W. Patterson opened the event, highlighting U.S. support for Pakistani industries. "This event is more than a fashion show," Ambassador Patterson said. "It is also an opportunity to support women entrepreneurs in Pakistan and to introduce them to international buyers."

Click here for the news release, or check out Pakistan Handmade's Facebook Page for more information.

May

May 31-June 12, 2010: Course offerings in New Hampshire, USA (SMDP)

Making Cents is partnering with the Sustainable Microenterprise and Development Program(SMDP), an intensive training program offering critical skills for today's microfinance and enterprise development leaders around the world, to offer the latest training in youth-inclusive financial services through the following courses:

• Implementing Sound Practices in Youth-Inclusive Financial Services (2 days)
• Market Research with Young Clients (3 days)
• Adapting and Developing Financial Services for Young People (3 days)
• Partnering for Improved Service Delivery with Young People (2 days)

 

For more information on courses, costs, and registration, visit the SMDP-Ghana Web by clicking here.

View brochure.

Making Cents' Agricultural Enterprise Curriculum expected to train 250,000 Nigerian farmers

In collaboration with the USAID/MARKETS and World Bank Fadama III projects, Making Cents is rolling out training on the Nigerian Agricultural Enterprise Curriculum. The trainings are contributing to the improvement of production and quality of life among small-scale Nigerian farmers. To learn more about how farmers are putting their training to use, click here.

May 4, 2010: Making Cents hosts a "Conversation to Build & Strengthen the Youth Enterprise & Livelihoods Development Field"

Making Cents hosted the event "Conversation to Build & Strengthen the Youth Enterprise & Livelihoods Development Field" on youth and savings. Mr. Chandula Abeywickrema, Deputy General Manager of Hatton National Bank in Sri Lanka, and Ms. Madeline Hirschland, a specialist in youth-inclusive financial services, discussed current trends and examples of how financial institutions are increasing the access young people have to appropriate savings programs. To view the presentation given by Mr. Abeywickrema click here, and to view the report prepared by Ms. Hirschland click here. For more information about this event and future events, please contact Whitney Harrelson, Associate Director of Youth Enterprise & Livelihoods Development at Making Cents (whitney@makingcents.com); 202-783-4090.

Making Cents Partners with MasterCard Foundation

MasterCard Foundation awards Making Cents a 1.5 million dollar grant to increase the access youth have to financial services.  The Youth-Inclusive Financial Services Linkage Program (YFS-Link) is a three-year knowledge management and global capacity building and training initiative that aims to support the greater provision of appropriate financial services to young people. For further information on YFS-Links and how you can play a role in this important initiative, click here.

March

Course offering in Accra, Ghana (SMDP), March 15-27, 2010

Making Cents partnered with the Sustainable Microenterprise and Development Program(SMDP), an intensive training program offering critical skills for today’s microfinance and enterprise development leaders around the world, to offer the latest training in youth-inclusive financial services through the following courses:

• Implementing Sound Practices in Youth-Inclusive Financial Services (2 days)
• Market Research with Young Clients (3 days)
• Adapting and Developing Financial Services for Young People (3 days)
• Partnering for Improved Service Delivery with Young People (2 days)

Making Cents participated in the planning meetings for the 2010 Global Entrepreneurship Week March 9-10, 2010

Making Cents is pleased to be a global partner of Global Entrepreneurship Week, an initiative of the Kauffman Foundation. In November 2010, Global Entrepreneurship Week will connect young people everywhere through local, national and global activities designed to help them explore their potential as self-starters and innovators. Students, educators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, employees, non-profit leaders, government officials and many others will participate in a range of activities, from online to face-to-face, and from large-scale competitions and events to intimate networking gatherings. For more information and to see how you can become involved, please visit: www.unleashingideas.org.

Making Cents hosted “Partnerships That Make Youth Workforce Development Work”, March 4th 2010

Making Cents was pleased to collaborate with The SEEP Network on the March, 2010 “Conversation to Build and Strengthen the Youth Enterprise & Livelihoods Development Field”. This was Making Cents’ 2nd event in a new series we’re hosting throughout the year and in between our annual Global Youth Enterprise & Livelihoods Development Conferences.  Our goal is to provide a regular, open, and safe learning space where members of our global community can have an honest dialogue around lessons learned, promising practices, pressing questions, field-tested tools, and innovative approaches for increasing and improving economic opportunities for young people.  The dialogues are designed to be informal and practical so participants will walk away with concrete information that can inform their programming, policymaking, and partnership building.

The March 4th conversation on “Partnerships That Make Youth Workforce Development Work” featured the Education Development Center and Partners of the Americas. The presenters shared their experiences and lessons learned in the following areas:

• Partnering with multilateral international organizations

• Partnering with corporations and learning to ‘speak their language’

• Working with universities to develop quality training curricula
• Managing large numbers of local partners
• Building local capacity
• Helping partners through crises.

Fifty people, representing all sectors, engaged in the Conversation. To access the learning product that emerged from SEEP’s Practitioner Learning Program on Youth and Workforce Development, visit http://seepnetwork.org/Pages/YouthandWorkforceDevelopment.aspx.

January

Making Cents participated on the Kick-Off committee for NMC and the First World Youth Meeting, an initiative of the Government of Italy January 19-21, 2010

Since 2008, Making Cents has participated on the Kick Off Committee for a global initiative the Government of Italy is leading to increase the influence young people have in policymaking related to employment and entrepreneurship, education, health, the environment, and civic participation. The work of the Kick Off Committee culminated in the First World Youth Meeting, which convened 500 young “agents of change” from 120 countries. These young leaders strategized to develop concrete action plans they could implement in their home communities as part of a new global support network. Other members of the Kick Off Committee included: Italy’s National Agency for Youth, Greece’s National Agency of Youth for Greece and the EU, the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Labour Organization, UNESCO, UN-HABITAT, MTV, Amartya, and Microsoft. For more information, please visit:

 

• http://www.viddler.com/explore/entrepreneurs/videos/1/  the complete video
• http://www.youtube.com/user/EntrepreneurVoices#p/c/926E4231A3878C36  broken up into different parts

New Course: Implementing Sound Practices in Youth-Inclusive Financial Services, provided to financial service practitioners and youth serving organizations in Toronto, Canada, January 13–14, 2010.

This is highly interactive course offers a practical step-by-step framework for understanding what it takes to offer youth-inclusive financial services. The course will be held January 13-14, 2010 in Toronto, Canada..

November

Making Cents President Fiona Macaulay is featured at George Mason University event as an expert panelist on innovative entrepreneurship.

Fiona Macaulay spoke on building a successful social enterprise as part of the panel "A New Capitalism?" for George Mason University's Hunger and Homelessness Action Week. The event drew a wide audience of students and educators in effort to increase awareness and active participation in social innovation and entrepreneurship to reduce poverty.

Making Cents presents at SEEP Network Annual Conference

Fiona Macaulay, President of Making Cents, recently presented at The SEEP Network Annual Conference  on her work as the lead facilitator of SEEP's Practitioner Learning Program (PLP) in Youth and Workforce Development. Her presentation can be viewed here: Youth PLP Presentation. For more information about the PLP please visit The SEEP Network Youth and Workforce Development website. Beth Porter, Director of the Youth-Inclusive Financial Services Linkages Program at Making Cents, also presented at the conference. Her presentation can be viewed here: YFS Presentation.

Beth Porter named WAM Woman of the Year 2009

Making Cents' Beth Porter was named Woman of the Year by Women Advancing Microfinance (WAM) on November 4th. Beth was recognized for her years of service in the microfinance industry and for her current initiative at Making Cents to expand youth-focused financial services worldwide. For more information, visit www.wam-international.org.

Film Screening of "Where the Water Meets the Sky". November 16, 2009, Washington, D.C.

Making Cents collaborated with Camfed, an NGO that works to educate girls and invest in economic and leadership opportunities for young women in Africa, to share the award-winning documentary Camfed produced, “Where the Water Meets the Sky”. “Where the Water Meets the Sky” is the inspiring story of a group of women in rural Zambia who learn how to make a film as a way to speak out about their lives. The film covers topics such as HIV and AIDS, livelihoods opportunities for girls and young women, education, and human rights. This was the first event in Making Cents’ new series called Conversations to Build and Strengthen the Youth Enterprise & Livelihoods Development Field”. Our goal is to provide a regular, open, and safe learning space where members of our global community can have an honest dialogue around lessons learned, promising practices, pressing questions, field-tested tools, and innovative approaches for increasing and improving economic opportunities for young people.  The dialogues are designed to be informal and practical so participants will walk away with concrete information that can inform their programming, policymaking, and partnership building. More than 25 people attended the documentary and dialogue.

September

Global Youth Enterprise Conference. September 29-30, 2009, Washington, D.C

Making Cents convened more than 300 practitioners, educators, researchers, youth, funders, government representatives, and other partners in youth enterprise, employment, and livelihoods development from 43 countries for the 2009 Global Youth Enterprise Conference. The conference took place September 29-30, 2009 in Washington, DC.

This participatory and demand-driven learning event provided participants with a space to share their promising practices, lessons learned, and innovative ideas for increasing and improving economic opportunities for youth. A whole half-day focused on the new and growing field of Youth-Inclusive Financial Services. Participants have reported that as a direct result of having attended, they gained new technical capacity, explored new partnerships, and shared information with leading stakeholders from around the world. Making Cents is in the process of synthesizing the key learning points and programmatic examples from the conference to produce a practical publication, which will be disseminated and available for free download in early 2010. For more information on the conference and Making Cents’ post-conference publications, please visit: www.youtheconomicopportunities.org or contact Whitney Harrelson (202-783-4090; whitney@makingcents.com).

Focus on Financial Services. September 30, 2009, Washington, D.C

Making Cents will host a half-day dialogue focused on the state of the youth-inclusive financial services sector and strategize a participatory growth plan for the field over the next three years during the 2009 Global Youth Enterprise Conference.  Become engaged and attend. For more information, please contact Rathi Mani, Youth-Inclusive Financial Services Linkage Project Coordinator, by email: rathi@makingcents.com.

Adapting Training Products for Youth. September 28, 2009, Washington, D.C.

Making Cents hosted a half-day session on how to adapt several of the Making Cents field-tested enterprise development training products to participants' programs. Attendees gained hands-on experience with Making Cents training products, and learned how these products can be adapted to different programs. Featured curricula included: Market Opportunities curriculum, Agriculture Enterprise curriculum, Business Fundamentals for Cooperatives, and MicroEnterprise Fundamentals curriculum for illiterate and semi-literate populations. 

June

Publication Announcement

Making Cents is pleased to announce the release of the following publication:  State of the Field in Youth Enterprise, Employment, and Livelihoods Development. Market-Driven Approaches; Monitoring, Evaluation and Impact Assessment; and Youth-Inclusive Financial Services.

• To download a copy, please click here.
• To order a hard copy, please click here.

Making Cents Featured in New York Times Article

The New York Times wrote an article on the importance of providing business skills training to the world’s poor, and how such training can be a way to end hunger and stabilize societies. Full Article.

Making Cents Selected for OPEN Savings American Express Print Advertisement

The American Express OPEN Savings advertisement selects Making Cents to be featured in the July/August, 2009 issue of Fortune Small Business as example of the kind of client-driven business America needs. View Ad.  

International Symposium on Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship

Making Cents’ Manager of Innovative Partnerships & Learning Initiatives, Whitney Harrelson, presented lessons learned in the area of market-driven approaches related to youth employment and entrepreneurship at the International Symposium on Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship.  The Symposium took place in Beijing, China, and was co-organized by the All-China Youth Federation, the International Labour Organization and the World Bank.

Making Cents Leads Course at the MicroEnterprise Development Institute.

Making Cents’ President and Founder, Fiona Macaulay, conducted a course on youth-inclusive financial services at Southern New Hampshire University’s 2009 MicroEnterprise Development Institute. Microfinance and microenterprise practitioners from around the world participated.

March

Making Cents Conducts the “Youth-Inclusive Financial Services: Implementing Good Practices in the Field” Course.

Making Cents conducted its "Youth-Inclusive Financial Services: Implementing Good Practices in the Field" course in Washington, D.C. Fully subscribed, the 30 course participants came from Africa, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and North America. They participated in an innovative and action-oriented program that provided engaged learning on program approaches and designs to link youth to appropriate financial services. To find out more about future offerings of the course, please click here.

December

Making Cents Hosts Webinar: “Youth-Inclusive Financial Services: Assessment and Product Design.”

Making Cents conducted this two-part webinar for members of the SEEP Network’s Practitioner Learning Program. It attracted participation from 12 microfinance institutions and youth-serving organizations, as well as collaborators from four leading youth-inclusive financial service providers. Attendees included international NGOs (e.g. MEDA, Save the Children, and Plan International) and local practitioners (e.g. Camfed Zambia, Partner MFK Bosnia, Fundación Paraguaya and BRAC). 

November

Making Cents Hosts Session at the National Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education Forum. 

Making Cents’ Business Development Associate, Fernando Maldonado, led participants through an interactive session on Making Cents’ experiential learning curricula and teacher’s aids for elementary, middle, and high school levels.    

Making Cents Presents at the SEEP Annual Conference

Making Cents presented Youth Enterprise & Youth Financial Services: Key Considerations and New Understandings, sharing with practitioners the lessons learned from the Youth-Inclusive Financial Services: Emerging Good Practices course Making Cents conducted in September, 2008.

September

Making Cents Conducts the “Youth-Inclusive Financial Services: Emerging Good Practices” Course.

Making Cents brought together 25 youth-serving and microfinance practitioners from around the globe for a collaborative course to identify, understand and address the need youth have to access finance. A key outcome of the courses was the identification of the 14 principles or guidelines for creating financial products or programs that link youth to financial services. 

Making Cents Hosts Second Annual Global Youth Enterprise Conference.

The 2008 Global Youth Enterprise Conference convened 350 representatives from 189 organizations in 50 countries to discuss: 1) Market-Driven Approaches; 2) Effective Methodologies and Practices for Monitoring, Evaluating, and Conducting Impact Assessments; and 3) Youth-Inclusive Financial Services. Through these technical themes, conference participants engaged in action-based learning on topics such as youth financial services, working with adolescent girls, and implementing initiatives in conflict-affected environments. The conference has led to the formation of new partnerships; the acquisition of new technical skills; and the dissemination of lessons learned, promising practices, and innovative ideas.  For further information, visit the Global Youth Enterprise Conference website at: www.youtheconomicopportunities.org

July

Making Cents Hosts a Workshop at Ashoka’s First Annual Youth Venture Summit

Held at the American University in Washington, D.C., Making Cents conducted an interactive session to youth leaders on key enterprise skills and how to apply them to their community based ventures.  For a video ad on the First Annual Youth Venture Summit click here!  

 

May

Making Cents was Invited by the Italian Government to Engage in a Collaborative Effort to Develop a G-Local Initiative: Youth for Sustainable Development

This long-term process promotes and supports the creation of a durable G-Local (Global-Local) environment where young citizens can fully exert their responsibility to actively participate in shaping a sustainable future for all.

Making Cents Participates in the World Bank Annual Communications Conference

Making Cents was one of a select group of organizations invited to participate as discussion facilitators in the “Working with the Next Generation” session at the World Bank’s Annual Communications Conference. Communications Specialists from each World Bank country office convened in Washington, D.C. for meetings and trainings related to communications, and those also working on issues pertaining to youth.

April

Making Cents Presents at Unite for Sight’s Fifth Annual International Health Conference

Making Cents’ Business Development Associate, Fernando Maldonado, delivered a presentation on Increasing Income, Confidence and Business Growth for Women in the Developing Worldas part of a panel discussion on women’s health issues.

December

Making Cents Authors “Perspectives on Youth, Conflict and Enterprise.” 

Authored by Making Cents’ President, Fiona Macaulay; Making Cents’ Manager of Innovative Partnerships & Learning Initiatives, Whitney Harrelson; and independent consultant, Anita Campion, the article appears in CHF International’s February, 2008 publication, International Development Matters. Full Article

Making Cents Sponsors the First World Conference on Self-Sufficient Agricultural Schools in Cerrito, Paraguay.

The conference -- organized by Fundación Paraguaya and its sister organization, TeachAMantoFish -- convened 140 experts in education, microfinance, and agriculture at Fundación Paraguaya’s agricultural high school campus. The theme of the conference was Integrating Entrepreneurship in Agricultural Education, emphasizing the significance of agriculture in sustaining rural life in the developing world. Full Article.  

 

September

Making Cents Holds First-Ever Global Youth Enterprise Conference

This first-ever Global Youth Enterprise Conference brought together 270 participants from 28 countries. These participants were practitioners, funders, members of the private sector, government representatives, educators, and youth who address challenges and opportunities related to youth enterprise, employment, and livelihoods development. Making Cents created the learning agenda after conducting a global consultation with key stakeholders that identified the field’s priority interest areas.

Making Cents Curriculum Featured in the Fall 2007 Edition of Future CEO Stars

Click here to read more

Making Cents Quarterly Newsletter

• Summer 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Spring 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Winter 2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Summer 2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Winter 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YFS-Link Quarterly Newsletter

• Winter 2009