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Washington, DC (10 September 2007) —ImagineNations is co-sponsoring the first-ever global Youth Microenterprise Conference, a two-day event that marks the first-ever gathering of the world’s leading experts and practitioners in youth microenterprise, entrepreneurship and livelihood development, held in Washington, D.C.

"This conference is an important step in fostering the emerging field of youth microenterprise—creating access to capital and business development opportunities for young people—much like what has been accomplished successfully for women and the poor over the last 30 years,” said Rick Little, president and CEO of the conference’s main sponsor, ImagineNations Group. “We believe given the right access points, the right financial incentives, the right support, the right encouragement, and the right coaching and mentoring, millions of young people can successfully rise to the challenges of entrepreneurship and self-employment.”

Little will be participating as the opening speaker, giving welcome remarks and setting the stage for the conference, “The Role of Youth Microenterprise in the 21st Century: Facing the Challenge of Youth Unemployment and Vulnerability.” ImagineNations will also lead a discussion group addressing “Large-Scale Approaches to Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship.”

The Global Youth Microenterprise Conference is taking place at a time when the youth population of the world, those aged 12 to 24, has reached a historical high of 1.5 billion.  Youth are the entrepreneurs, workers, leaders, and parents making an impact today, and they will be responsible for the economic and social development of tomorrow.  Many youth around the globe however continue to lack access to quality employment and education opportunities. Without a background in financial literacy or access to business development resources, youth face constraints made more difficult by their age.  Expanding the entrepreneurial culture and skills of young citizens has the potential to improve international security, economic stability and the overall health of communities.

It is against this backdrop that Making Cents International—the D.C.-based consulting and training firm whose mission is to equip entrepreneurs of all ages in the U.S. and around the world with the necessary vision, confidence, and skills to create, develop, and manage their own businesses—decided to organize the Global Youth Microenterprise Conference.

Making Cents International has convened more than 270 of the world’s leading practitioners, policy makers, youth, leaders of the private sector and other professionals from more than 30 countries in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America and North America in order to address the following critical issues:

• The Role of Youth Microenterprise in the 21st Century: Facing the Challenge of Youth Unemployment and Vulnerability
• Strategies to Address the Needs of Youth Entrepreneurs
• How to Build Partnerships and Advance Youth Microenterprise to Support Social and Economic Development

“These leaders have committed themselves to working together in the effort to achieve innovative solutions to the complex challenges surrounding youth unemployment, poverty, and vulnerability. This open learning environment will provide them with the space to develop concrete new programmatic, policy and research initiatives that better advance the interests of the world’s youth as change-makers and leaders,” said Fiona Macaulay, president and founder of Making Cents International. “We aim to catalyze new proactive initiatives, actionable ideas, and revolutionary strategies that build employability, entrepreneurship, life and financial skills for youth around the world.”

The three main conference topics have been broken down into a variety of subjects including: youth unemployment in conflict-affected areas (like the Middle East, Haiti, Afghanistan and Uganda); the specific needs of girls in poverty-stricken areas; online lending and the changing face of microfinance; the widespread need to incorporate entrepreneurial learning into school systems; fomenting partnerships with youth to support rural development; private sector engagement, workforce development, and youth entrepreneurship; youth financial education; integrating the arts into youth development; and youth microenterprise as a strategy to combat and mitigate HIV/AIDS.

A team of senior specialists in the youth microenterprise, entrepreneurship, and livelihood development fields, has been selected to capture the learning that happens throughout the conference. Outcomes will be shared through a conference report and through the Making Cents Web site at www.makingcents.com.

Additional Information:

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[Post Conference Document Now Available]
Youth Microenterprise and Livelihoods:
State of the Field Lessons from the 2007 Global Youth Microenterprise Conference

[Additional Details]