DUSHANBE, March 12, 2015, Asia-Plus -- From March 9-17, the University of Central Asia (UCA) joined Child and Youth Finance International in engaging youth in Global Money Week (GMW), according to press release issued by UCA.

Throughout the week, UCA’s School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE) coordinated a range of GMW activities across the region to increase financial literacy and awareness among youth.  Maximizing UCA’s regional facilities and partners, activities were reportedly held at SPCE learning facilities in Khorog, Tajikistan; Naryn, Kyrgyzstan; and Tekeli, Kazakhstan; local schools in Khorog and Tekeli; and at Teacher Training Colleges in Shugnan, Ishkashim and Darwaz, and Badakhshan University in Faizabad, Afghanistan.

SPCE facilitated GMW activities that allowed youth to creatively engage with information and institutions addressing fiscal responsibility under the theme “Save Today. Safe Tomorrow.”  Participatory training sessions on financial planning and management for youth, including Financial Planning and Savings in Your Life, Your Personal Budget, and How to Save and Use Money Wisely were held in all four countries.  A drawing competition, with a focus on themes related to money, was organized in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

This is not the first time that SPCE has engaged young learners in fiscal responsibility and entrepreneurship.  Since 2012, SPCE has delivered its Social Entrepreneurship Training Program to Change the World Around You! finalists in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.  The training covers social entrepreneurship, social marketing, business planning, information technology, presentation and negotiation skills. UCA implements the program with funding from the Coca-Cola Foundation and the Coca-Cola Company, and to date, 62 participants have received training and 15 winners received up to $3,000 to implement their projects.

GMW is an annual international money awareness celebration to engage children and youth worldwide in learning how money works, including saving, creating livelihoods, gaining employment and entrepreneurship.  GMW is a growing international initiative; in 2014, three million children and youth in 118 countries participated in 2,000 activities organized by 490 organizations.

SPCE is Central Asia’s first provider of post-secondary, short-cycle education, giving young people and adults professional and vocational qualifications in a flexible learning format that enhance employment and income generating opportunities.  With learning facilities in Khorog and Dushanbe, Tajikistan; Naryn and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; Tekeli, Kazakhstan; and in Shugnan, Ishkashim, Faizabad and Darwaz, Afghanistan, SPCE has reached over 74,000 learners since it was founded in 2006.  In keeping with UCA’s mission to foster socio-economic development, SPCE has programs in areas relevant to sustainable business development in the region, including Business Development, Small Business Management and Practical Business Management, and internationally benchmarked accounting courses.

The University of Central Asia (UCA) was founded in 2000 to offer an internationally recognized standard of higher education and prepare graduates to contribute leadership, ideas and innovation to the economies and communities of the region.  The International Treaty and Charter establishing this private, secular University was signed by the Presidents of Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan and His Highness the Aga Khan, ratified by the parliaments of the founding states and registered with the United Nations.  UCA is the first internationally chartered university in the world. UCA’s mission is to foster the socio-economic development of Central Asia, particularly its mountain societies, while helping the peoples of the region preserve and draw upon their rich cultural heritages as assets for the future. UCA brings with it the commitment and partnership of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).