Success Stories
Youth-Inclusive Financial Services Linkage (YFS-Link) Program
Dates:
04/2009
to
3/2012
Program Goal/Need
YFS-Link is a three-year global initiative to expand access of young people to quality financial services by strengthening the capacity of financial service providers (FSPs) and youth serving organizations (YSOs). YFS-Link also seeks to expand the body of knowledge and connect practitioners within the youth-inclusive financial services space.
Program Description
Based on the analysis of youth needs and the current service provision, Making Cents International developed a four-pronged approach to address gaps in information, skills, and resources required for institutions to meet demand for financial services by young people. YFS-Link’s program components are:
- State of the Sector: Capture and consolidate the experiences and priorities of stakeholders in youth-inclusive financial services through a global survey and publication on the state of the sector.
- Capacity Building Curricula: Translate knowledge of promising practices into demand-driven courses to train financial services providers and youth-serving organizations.
- Training & Technical Assistance: Disseminate capacity building materials globally through partnerships with leading regional and national training and technical assistance providers.
- Collaborative Learning and Resource Centre: Dynamic online platform to facilitate ongoing learning and exchange and serve as the “go-to” place for YFS resources.
Program Results
- Conducted a global survey of over 160 financial services providers, network/training organizations, youth-serving organizations, NGOs, and other technical assistance providers interested in youth-inclusive financial services to assess the state of the YFS sector.
- Developed a suite of institutional capacity building curricula and delivered over 25 capacity building events and technical assistance to support youth-serving and financial organizations and practitioners.
- Trained over 350 participants from 155 organizations in 47 countries, reaching more than 1,000 microfinance and youth-serving practitioners worldwide.
- Created an online platform (www.yfslink.org) to facilitate ongoing learning and exchange and serve as the “go-to” place for and by the YFS community.
