Young Americas Business Trust  (YABT)

                                              “The Entrepreneur and the Information &

                                                Communications Technology Society”

Future Planning

 

 

Upon the completion of YABT’s first two successful videoconferences, YABT is strategically organizing a series of future videoconferences to take place.  These videoconferences will occur between a period of 11-12 months, approximately once a month.  The purpose for these videoconferences now has shifted to focus more specifically on the four underlining themes of the YABT.

 

They are:

 

I.                    Building National and Regional Alliances for Young Entrepreneurs.  Strategic Program Planning / National and Regional Partnerships.

II.                 Developing Young Entrepreneur Leadership.  Young Entrepreneur Leadership Network.

III.               Maximizing the Benefits of Information Technology. Ybiz.net and integrated Information Technology project.

IV.              Expanding Business and Entrepreneurial Education for young people. Business Labs.

 

The format would include a presentation, a seminar or a conference, hosted by individuals volunteering their expertise in or to share their personal experiences about the respective themes.  The YABT will be coordinating the videoconferences but the volunteering participants will be in charge of teaching, sharing and exchanging their ideas for the continual development of entrepreneurship and organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean.  In this form, the participants are able to acquire practical knowledge quickly and more efficiently, while keep business moving and immediately putting new skills and ideas into practice.

 

Many of the World Bank’s Global Development Learning Network (GDLN) learning programs take place over a period of weeks or months, utilizing several hours or a couple of days each week, so that participants go back to their work place to put practical skills and knowledge to work.  This joint YABT-GDLN program is no different.  By hosting these videoconferences once a month, with alternating sequences of the YABT’s four main themes, it will provide a strong learning and capacity building program, thus meeting with the World Bank GDLN’s goals of development.

           

Some examples of the many different discussion topics that could be addressed by the individuals and organizations include:

 

 

 

The YABT, in conjunction with the World Bank’s GDLN, has coordinated

“The Entrepreneur and the Information & Communications Technology Society” videoconferences for the last months of the year 2002.

 

The Basic schedule looked as follows:

MONTH

THEME

TOPIC

RESPONSIBLE

October 2002

 

Partnerships

Planning with Distance Learning Centers.  Exchange ideas of future videoconferences

MASHAV,

Mount Carmel International Training Center, Israel / YABT

November 2002

 

Partnerships

Training young entrepreneurs, business plan, economic development

Latin American Venture Capital Association

 

Technology

Ecuador -

Business Labs course

MASHAV,

Mount Carmel International Training Center, Israel

With four successful YABT-GDLN videoconferences already completed since July 2002, the “The Entrepreneur and the Information & Communications Technology Society” videoconferences program has been altered a little and strategically developed to benefit the young entrepreneur and his organization further more.  With the use of best practices and past successful projects presented by the Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development (IACD), the important exchange of ideas and experiences with these projects will be crucial in the development of also successful models for entrepreneurs in their businesses and their organizations in Latin America. 

With the aid of surveys, the YABT-GDLN team has better analyzed a needs assessment for the participants who responded, and also for the whole program itself.  The results demonstrated that the overall consensus wanted (and needed for most part), for three areas / topics to be more developed and discussed throughout the videoconferences programming.  These were further divided into Finance, Technology and Small Business Development (which includes Networking and Training).  The focus is also on project development and curriculum development, which override all three areas. 

 

Finance includes topics for which individual businesses and organizations can learn new and improve existing skills needed in the field so to be able to increase their abilities to sell, market, trade and produce their services and products.  For both local and global ventures.

 

Technology includes topics presented by partners and volunteers, which will increase the awareness for entrepreneurs and organizations, about the benefits and different uses of technology for their products/services/businesses/organizations.

 

Small Business Development includes topics that assist in networking entrepreneurs and organizations in Latin America, enabling for the exchange of ideas and experiences.  It also includes introducing Best Practices from many successful projects in the region in order to stimulate questions, suggestions and positive reactions from participants abroad.  This will increase motivation for the participants to work harder and work together, so that their businesses and organizations can succeed.  This has already happened with some participants.  Training is fundamental as well, and in complimenting YABT’s “Business Labs” project, the YABT-GDLN videoconferences will hold specific training events to elaborate on skills development for various participants in Latin America.      

 

The survey introduced by YABT and the GDLN in the month of December 2002, stimulated new ideas of how to coordinate responsibilities and follow-up duties for the “before and after” the videoconferences Dialogues take place.  Before the Dialogues itself, it is crucial to identify potential partners and volunteers who are willing to present or propose questions of discussion, for the events.  Preparing evaluation forms for participants attending events at Distant Learning Centers (DLCs).  Targeting the right audience is also important for the success of any of the events.  After the Dialogues, it is important for the participants in the different sites to follow-up with evaluation forms distributed to them by the DLCs.  If there are any questions that were not answered during the event, or any suggestions to be made by the participants, it is important for YABT to make available bulletin boards and chatrooms in order to receive such input by participants. 

A current but not final program for the year 2003 YABT-GDLN videoconferences.  Remember:  Topics are flexible and can be changed with no notice ahead of time. 

MONTH

THEME

TOPIC

RESPONSIBLE

January 2003

 

 

Focus Groups

World Bank GDLN

-Ecuador

-Colombia

-Brazil (also Sebrae)

-Peru

-Mexico

-Washington D.C.

-YABT & IACD

February 2003

 

 

 

 

Technology

Examples of how technology can be used for small business development

Various partners in different countries across Latin America.

March 2003

 

 

 

 

Education

Generating Business Ideas

IACD

April 2003

 

 

 

 

Leadership

Motivation

CIJE – Spain

May 2003

 

 

 

 

Partnerships

Global Business Education

Western Illinois University and others

June 2003

 

 

 

 

Technology

 

 

July 2003

 

Education

Satellite-Based Education

Edsat Americas

August 2003

 

Leadership

 

 

September 2003

 

Partnerships

Trading Network

 

October 2003

 

Technology

ISO9000

Lic. Henrick Lopez

November 2003

 

Education

Business Labs Update

 

December 2003

 

Leadership

 

 

 

 

Partnerships

Annual Review

YABT / GDLN

 

 

EVALUATION:

 

It is crucial to measure the immediate impact and results from the YABT-GDLN videoconferences that took place on July 10th and 12th in order to plan ahead for future projects.  It is important to understand what has worked in the past and in what ways it is possible to change or modify the program so to be able to achieve the desired objectives of the videoconferences.  With the successful completion of the first two “Leadership Link” videoconferences, an increasing number of individuals and organizations, from those who participated in them and others interested in participating for the first time, have committed themselves to fully collaborate and get involved in the preparation for these future events.

 

The most visible and positive outcome coming from the videoconferences were the networking opportunities presented to the participants.  The YABT has taken the key role as the communication portal, linking the individual entrepreneurs, organizations and non-governmental organizations with each other so to advance their businesses and their goals.  Some examples of how the YABT has successfully “linked” the participants from the different sites are as follows:  

1.                           Ariosto Manrique, a young entrepreneur with the COPARMEX in Tijuana, has signed an agreement of cooperation with entrepreneurs in Peru, to form the first “Binational Agreement of Young Entrepreneurs between Mexico and Peru.” 

2.                           Florida International University in Miami, has provided the YABT with important contacts in the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce (GMCC).  The YABT has therefore initiated plans for future projects in conjunction with different representatives of the GMCC.       

3.                           The Chamber of Commerce of Cancun has enthusiastically contacted the YABT with plans for working together in various projects in the region. 

4.                           The Junior Achievement, amongst others who participated in the videoconferences in July, have volunteered their expertise and time, to assist in the presentations of the various topics involved for the upcoming videoconferences.

 

In evaluating the progress and participation of the YABT-GDLN “The Entrepreneur and the Information & Communications Technology Society,” videoconferences, the YABT have taken the initiative to establish a network between the participants, in the form of a “community.”  The creation of an electronic magazine called, “NoticiasYbiz,” will provide an up-to-date summary of articles written by entrepreneurs and organizations, in addition to news about the partnerships and collaborations taking place among this network.  The further usage of the existing bulletin board and chat room on the www.ybiz.net website will facilitate the interaction of ideas between the different participants on any given subject and interest.  A list-server containing all the emails in the YABT database will facilitate in the sending of information regarding any updates on projects, participants and events that might be of any interest to the parties involved.