Events

As part of the Banking on Change program, Plan International UK, CARE International UK, and Barclays have developed a YSG model to increase young people’s access to financial services and to improve their financial and business skills. The model outlines good programming principles for YSGs and, moving beyond simple financial inclusion, provides insight into their role in improving young people’s income, empowerment, and standard of living. The aim of the model is to encourage others – international NGOs, local NGOs, funders and policymakers – to integrate YSGs in their work. The YSG model has been developed over a three-year period through the programme experience of Banking on Change in Egypt, Ghana, India, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, as well as through consultation with peer NGOs and with young people, and through independent primary research commissioned by Banking on Change.

The principles of the Banking on Youth Model include the following:

1. Reach young people through young people and in their own spaces – and expect it to take longer
2. Consider forming homogenous groups with similar needs
3. The VSLA methodology works for YSGs – but make some adaptations
4. Engage with families
5. Protect young people from the ouset
6. Build needs-based training into programs
7. Use a social fund to help foster resilience
8. Link responsibly to formal financial institutions
9. Foster youth leadership and advocacy
10. Commit to continuous, participatory, monitoring , evaluation and learning