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Programmes
Economic Engagement
Social Engagement
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Youth Business Albania
Youth Entrepreneurs Get Their Start
Imagine that you are a smart, talented young person
in Albania with a dream of starting your own business.
On the plus side of the ledger are your energy,
creativity, and sheer drive to make it happen, which is reinforced
by the scarcity of available jobs on the market.
On the minus side are the extremely high interest rates of
up to 30% offered to young people taking out loans, the
price you will have to pay to register your business, and
the knowledge you will need to develop it and ensure its
success. To top it all off, your parents were employed in
a state company during the communist era and have no
experience to share with you.
Matching the ambitions of aspiring youth entrepreneurs
with the resources they need to realize their
dreams is the goal of Youth Business Albania, a joint
initiative of the Balkan Children and Youth Foundation
(BCYF) and Youth Business International (YBI), a unit
of The Prince of Wales International Business Leaders
Forum based in the UK. more...
One Year Later
Launched in May 2005, Youth Business Albania (YBA)
is a means to an ambitious end. For young Albanians
with the dream of starting their own small business,
YBA provides them with the technical training and
financial support to do so. Already, 17 loans of up to
US$4,000 were made to 20 young entrepreneurs, ages
21 to 29, to launch small enterprises. To date, more
than 50 young people are employed as a result.
Turning innovative business ideas into reality – while
addressing the employment needs of Albanian youth
– lies at the heart of the program. Those enterprises
created, with support totaling US$55,800, range
from a graphic design studio to an IT center, from
a fast-food restaurant to a high-end boutique. The
program has not only created livelihoods for loan
recipients and their employees, but has contributed
to an atmosphere within Tirana in which young
people’s talents and entrepreneurial spirit are gaining
increasing recognition. more...
Youth Business Bulgaria
Youth Business Macedonia
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