Managing Youth Economic Development Projects

The purpose of this program is to explore some of the development possibilities of the links between youth work and contemporary economic change. We will describe the skills needed to promote self employment among young women and young men, including the principles of setting up micro enterprises. We will explore how aspects of informal education can help young people to develop enterprise skills and undertake enterprise projects.

In this program, we focuses on the nature of current economic development and its relationship to enterprise activity. Other sessions concentrate on practical guidelines and exercises to develop enterprise skills. While one session of this program takes the form of a training program that you will be able to deliver to enterprising youth in your community.

When you successfully complete this program, you should be able to:

• Identify the different factors that shape and influence current economic development, particularly at a local level.
• Use experiential learning strategies to develop youth enterprise skills, with the aim of promoting local economic development.
• Support young women and young men in setting up small business projects.
• Contribute entrepreneurial expertise in the development of local economic strategies.
• Devise and deliver programs of informal education for young people to acquire enterprise skills.

• Mentors of business incubators and accelerators.
• Professionals responsible for the development of economic strategies.
• Youth Program coordinators.
• Young leaders.
• Youth workers in government departments, corporations and NGOs.

Day 1

Understanding Economic Development

Opportunities in the global market

Unleashing entrepreneurship

Economic development in rural areas

Youth enterprise

Small and informal enterprises

Training entrepreneurs

Government policies and support

Changing role of government and NGOs

Day 2

Youth and enterprise

What is youth enterprise?

Barriers to enterprise

Being creative

The enterprise development cycle

Setting up a small business

Setting up a small business: The training program

Starting out

Preparing the ground

Accounting practice

The business model

Day 3

Planning a micro-enterprise

Planning an enterprise

Planning for micro and informal enterprises

Informal learning

Opportunities for young people