Fiona Macaulay

Meeting the needs of the global youth population requires evidence-based, scalable, and sustainable initiatives. In response, Making Cents International offers a demand-driven Knowledge Management (KM) platform that builds the capacity of youth development stakeholders to design, implement, and evaluate high-impact youth economic opportunity programs, policies, and partnerships. The platform components are:

Global Youth Economic Opportunities Summit
Convening of Global… Show more

Meeting the needs of the global youth population requires evidence-based, scalable, and sustainable initiatives. In response, Making Cents International offers a demand-driven Knowledge Management (KM) platform that builds the capacity of youth development stakeholders to design, implement, and evaluate high-impact youth economic opportunity programs, policies, and partnerships. The platform components are:

Global Youth Economic Opportunities Summit
Convening of Global Companies
Virtual Learning Events
Online Learning Hub
Social Media
Implementers, donors, leading global companies, youth leaders, policy makers, and educators from across the globe benefit from the concrete and actionable information made available though our KM platform. In 2015, 710 people from 67 countries participated in live KM events organized by Making Cents; another 50,000 people from 187 countries engaged virtually with the platform.

The flagship activity for our KM platform is the annual Global Youth Economic Opportunities Summit. In 2015, Making Cents organized five interconnected activities anchored to the Summit that increased knowledge exchange and knowledge capital and contributed to changed practices and improved performance among organizations and individuals engaged in the sector.

Looking Ahead: Our 10th Anniversary Global Youth Economic Opportunities Summit takes place September 28-30, 2016 in Washington, DC. Organizations and individuals committed to increasing youth economic inclusion and reversing the global youth unemployment trends are invited to become Summit partners and to use this engagement to meet their strategic goals. Show less

In our rapidly changing, hyper-connected world, the information and communication technology (ICT) industry is driving economic growth, innovation, and job creation. More than 50 percent of today’s jobs require some degree of technology skills, and experts say that percentage will increase to 77 percent in the next decade. Workforce development programs must become better at identifying and responding to patterns of demand for technology skills. This places a premium on better access to labor… Show more

In our rapidly changing, hyper-connected world, the information and communication technology (ICT) industry is driving economic growth, innovation, and job creation. More than 50 percent of today’s jobs require some degree of technology skills, and experts say that percentage will increase to 77 percent in the next decade. Workforce development programs must become better at identifying and responding to patterns of demand for technology skills. This places a premium on better access to labor market information, stronger connections with employers, ready access to a comprehensive body of relevant training materials, and new strategies for working effectively with a diverse range of young people and disengaged adults. This framework aids in the mapping of existing youth technology skills training workforce development programs draws core principles, success factors, and lessons learned from a vast base of effective and efficient examples. Show less

Innovations is about entrepreneurial solutions to global challenges.The journal features cases authored by exceptional innovators; commentary and research from leading academics; and essays from globally recognized executives and political leaders. The journal is jointly hosted at George Mason University's School of Public Policy, Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, and MIT's Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship.

Fiona Macaulay was invited to be the Guest Editor of… Show more

Innovations is about entrepreneurial solutions to global challenges.The journal features cases authored by exceptional innovators; commentary and research from leading academics; and essays from globally recognized executives and political leaders. The journal is jointly hosted at George Mason University's School of Public Policy, Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, and MIT's Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship.

Fiona Macaulay was invited to be the Guest Editor of the Youth Economic Opportunity edition. She was also asked to contribute a Case Narrative about her experience as a social entrepreneur and leader working to increase economic opportunities for young people globally. Show less

A Guide for Programming, Policymaking, and Partnership Building
The 2013 "State of the Field" publication looks at the field of youth economic opportunities with a focus on five learning tracks:

Workforce Development (WFD);
Youth Enterprise Development (YED);
Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW);
Youth-Inclusive Financial Services and Capabilities (YFS); and
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Impact Assessment (M&E).

Additionally, the 2013 Conference spotlighted… Show more

A Guide for Programming, Policymaking, and Partnership Building
The 2013 "State of the Field" publication looks at the field of youth economic opportunities with a focus on five learning tracks:

Workforce Development (WFD);
Youth Enterprise Development (YED);
Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW);
Youth-Inclusive Financial Services and Capabilities (YFS); and
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Impact Assessment (M&E).

Additionally, the 2013 Conference spotlighted technology’s role in promoting economic opportunities for youth. Show less

The paper states that Making Cents International (MCI) along with a growing cadre of organizations believes that providing young people with tailored financial services at the right times in their lives and with the right support services can help them improve their education and livelihoods in the short term, and position themselves for more sustainable productive lives in the long term. MCI partnered with Equity Bank in Kenya, Hatton National Bank in Sri Lanka, and Fundación Paraguaya to… Show more

The paper states that Making Cents International (MCI) along with a growing cadre of organizations believes that providing young people with tailored financial services at the right times in their lives and with the right support services can help them improve their education and livelihoods in the short term, and position themselves for more sustainable productive lives in the long term. MCI partnered with Equity Bank in Kenya, Hatton National Bank in Sri Lanka, and Fundación Paraguaya to study their business models of YFS. The paper concludes that these early examples provide promising models for future growth in the YFS sector. Recommendations highlight the importance of:

Continued product innovation and research around cost-effective microfinance-plus models;
Policy and regulatory reforms for increasing children and young people‘s independent access to savings accounts;
Greater funding to support ongoing product experimentation and documentation. Show less

Access to appropriate financial services can play a critical role in enabling
young people to navigate the challenges and opportunities they face, regardless
of their employment or educational status. This paper discusses:
1) the results of a global survey conducted in 2009 by Making Cents
International; and 2) findings of leading NGOs and financial institutions
which are pioneering youth-inclusive and youth-specific financial products.
The outcomes of the survey findings and… Show more

Access to appropriate financial services can play a critical role in enabling
young people to navigate the challenges and opportunities they face, regardless
of their employment or educational status. This paper discusses:
1) the results of a global survey conducted in 2009 by Making Cents
International; and 2) findings of leading NGOs and financial institutions
which are pioneering youth-inclusive and youth-specific financial products.
The outcomes of the survey findings and lessons learned have been synthesized
into six ‘Emerging Guidelines’ for linking young people to financial
services. Existing concerns are explained regarding defining and achieving
impact, sustainability, scale and a favourable regulatory environment as
it relates to youth-inclusive financial services. The paper concludes with
practitioners’ visions for this nascent field by 2020. Show less

The world youth1 population is growing rapidly, with many youth facing serious obstacles: according to statistics from the International Labor Organization, only 30 percent are living in countries where there are decent jobs for them. The majority of these young people are highly motivated but poorly prepared to identify, seize, and generate employment opportunities for themselves.

As we begin the twenty-first century, the world is becoming an increasingly youthful
one. More than 50% of the world’s population is below the age of 25 (1.2 billion
people) and the vast majority (85%) live in developing countries (1 billion people).
Sixty percent of the world’s young people live in Asia, making it home to the greatest
number of youth. However, the proportion of the population under the age of 25 is
greatest in Africa, where it constitutes 50% of the population… Show more

As we begin the twenty-first century, the world is becoming an increasingly youthful
one. More than 50% of the world’s population is below the age of 25 (1.2 billion
people) and the vast majority (85%) live in developing countries (1 billion people).
Sixty percent of the world’s young people live in Asia, making it home to the greatest
number of youth. However, the proportion of the population under the age of 25 is
greatest in Africa, where it constitutes 50% of the population in most countries. Show less

With the global youth population reaching an historical high of 1.5 billion, economies world-wide are increasingly unable to provide young people with jobs. The situation has reached critical proportions in developing countries where 1.3 billion youth reside. As youth employment grew by only 0.2 percent over the past decade while the global youth population grew at a rate of 10.5 percent, the world is experiencing a youth employment crisis and the challenges surrounding youth livelihoods have… Show more

With the global youth population reaching an historical high of 1.5 billion, economies world-wide are increasingly unable to provide young people with jobs. The situation has reached critical proportions in developing countries where 1.3 billion youth reside. As youth employment grew by only 0.2 percent over the past decade while the global youth population grew at a rate of 10.5 percent, the world is experiencing a youth employment crisis and the challenges surrounding youth livelihoods have become increasingly complex. Innovative and sustainable approaches are therefore necessary to ensure these young people are able to lead healthy and productive lives that contribute to socioeconomic development in their communities. Show less