Make Cents, Make Sense:
Financial Literacy and Employability Workshops for SOS Children’s Villages - Empowering SOS village care leavers with financial/employability coaching for brighter futures Town/region Project takes place in: Santa Ana(Costa Rica) Skopje(North Macedonia)
| Project Title | Make Cents, Make Sense: |
|---|---|
| Year | 2025 |
| Country | Costa Rica & North Macedonia |
| Genre | Education |
| Lead Name(s) | Leontina Trajkoska |
| School(s) | UWC Costa Rica |
| Other Organisations | N/A |
| Value | $1500 |
Project details:
Over six high-energy workshops at SOS Santa Ana and UWC Costa Rica, 40 SOS youth and 40 UWC volunteers immersed themselves in budgeting simulations, savings challenges, and business pitch exercises. The sessions pushed participants beyond theory into real-world decision-making: during one activity, a participant quietly sketched out a savings plan, then looked up and said, “If I can stick to this, I can help my little sister go to the school she wants.”
It was a moment that captured the deeper purpose of the project — financial skills not as abstract knowledge, but as a tool for building futures.
By the end of the program’s first phase, 83% of participants reported feeling more confident about handling money, several had created personal savings plans, and some were exploring ways to turn their ideas into microbusinesses. In September, the project will culminate in a “Social Entrepreneur Bootcamp” and pitch competition, where participants will compete for practical prizes like tablets — a celebration of the skills, confidence, and resilience they’ve built together.
The project bridged a critical skills gap for SOS youth transitioning out of alternative care by providing practical, real-world financial knowledge often missing from formal education. It created a safe, supportive space for learning and inspired participants to think critically about money management and entrepreneurship.
It created lasting teaching resources, including workbooks and activity kits, now reused for the SOS Children’s Villages YouthCan! YouthLinks platform, and augmented to the local realities of other countries in Latin America and Serbia
A Social Entrepreneur Bootcamp is scheduled to give SOS participants hands-on experience in designing, pitching, and refining a business idea.
Impact on the people helped
Participants reported feeling more confident in managing money, distinguishing between needs and wants, and making informed financial decisions. They developed teamwork and communication skills, and several expressed interest in starting small community-based businesses. They discussed positive aspects and gaps in their support, fears related to stability and independent living, and how to navigate adulthood. I conducted numerous anonymous questionnaires before and after the workshops to measure confidence levels, prior knowledge, and feedback. Participants showed an 83% increase in knowledge and confidence, although some systemic insecurities still remain – but I always say, even if we can’t fix the system with a magic wand, we can equip youth with the tools to navigate it and plant the seed for them to become future changemakers in their community. Some were given a platform to discuss their backgrounds and concerns openly, and these were addressed. Some participants even expressed interest and asked how they could apply for UWC. The UWC volunteers broadened their horizons by seeing different realities. Since it was a hybrid model with some workshops held on the UWCCR campus and others at the SOS Village in Santa Ana, the youth had many opportunities to interact with each other. By the end of the program, we even hosted a friendly football match to foster friendships beyond the workshops.
Post-project comments:
Impact on me and the project team
Leading this project deepened my understanding of youth empowerment, project management, and cultural exchange. It reinforced my belief that targeted interventions can have a significant long-term impact. It was like a total full circle moment, and I am so grateful to GoMAD for seeing potential in my project, as it was like a wind in my back to strive to reach even more youth, teach them to be leaders, balance time, and empower others—just as I wish I had been empowered myself. I am very thankful, especially for the deadline extension to finish the project, as I was also transitioning to living independently without government support at that time, so I needed a bit of financial literacy myself! :) I additionally secured more funding, got featured in local media, and UWC International for World Youth
What they said:
I received an extended offer from SOS Villages International to present the project in front of the board of global directors. I also received offers to scale the project to even more SOS Villages across the globe in Latin America and Eastern Europe. I was even recognized and nominated by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy in North Macedonia for my youth activism through the workshops, all of which, if someone had told Leontina three years ago, she wouldn't have believed! I have gained more confidence in myself, learned not to be ashamed of my background, but to use the knowledge from my experience to uplift others and inspire them along the way.
— Leontina Trajkoska