Module 1. Financial Literacy, Employment And Entrepreneurship

Target Audience: Internally displaced youth (IDPs) aged 16–30 in Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia

Area of competence: financial literacy, entrepreneurship, employment

Recommended Duration: 7 hours (including breaks)

Responsible Partner Organization: Junior Achievement Ukraine and Junior Achievement Georgia

Authors:

– Dr. Eka Gegeshidze (PhD in Economics, 2011) is a Professor at the University of Georgia and General Director of Junior Achievement Georgia. Areas of Expertise: entrepreneurship education, financial literacy, youth employability & work readiness, entrepreneurship mindset & skills development

– Yuliia Babenko is a financial planner at iPlan.ua, investor, financial literacy trainer, and financial advisor with over 9 years of experience. Areas of Expertise: financial literacy, personal finance management, employment, entrepreneurial mindset.

– Natalia Honcharova is a PhD student in Pedagogy at Donbas State Pedagogical University and an educational project manager. Areas of Expertise: digital competence, non-formal education, project management, and educational innovation.

Module Objective

The module aims:

To develop basic financial skills among young people, enhance their understanding of income opportunities, and support the development of economic independence. Participants will learn how to manage their money, analyze income sources, and take their first steps toward employment or entrepreneurship.
To develop among young people, Entrepreneurial thinking, skills in seeing a problem, formulating an idea, identifying a customer, basic understanding of the competitive environment, simple valuation, and planning the first action step.
To help participants recognize real-life problems, transform their own skills and resources into possible solutions, and take the first practical step toward income generation.
Special emphasis is placed on adapting to new living conditions, which is particularly relevant for internally displaced youth.

Expected Learning Outcomes

After completing the module, participants will be able to:

understand the importance of tracking income and expenses
understand how to set financial goals
be aware of basic financial safety measures
identify at least three ways of earning income
have a basic understanding of the job search process
identify their own skills and potential sources of income
develop an idea for their first earning opportunity or a mini-business
define entrepreneurship as value creation and problem solving
identify at least three practical problems that could become opportunities
map their own skills, interests, and available resources
generate and compare several micro-business or income ideas
describe one specific customer segment and its needs
create a simple prototype or visible concept of an offer
estimate a basic price and income logic for an idea
present a 30-second pitch
complete a one-page mini-canvas and a 7-day action plan

Key Concepts

Financial literacy – a set of knowledge and skills that enable individuals to effectively manage their finances, plan a budget, save, and invest. To fully understand this, we need to explore the concept in more depth.
Income – all the money a person receives (salary, gifts, business profit, side jobs).
Expenses – all the money a person spends (food, transportation, clothing, entertainment, utilities).
Budget – a plan for allocating income and expenses over a specific period (month, week).
Emergency fund – a reserve of money for unexpected situations (job loss, illness).
Active income – money earned through performing work (salary, side jobs).
Passive income – money received regularly without continuous active involvement (rent, investments, royalties).
Skills – a person’s abilities (writing, drawing, programming, teaching).
Monetization – the process of turning skills into income (e.g., creating custom designs or offering lessons).
Employment – the process of obtaining a job.
Freelancing – a form of work where a person completes tasks or projects without a permanent employer (project-based or remote work).
Entrepreneurship – Seeing a Problem And Offering a value-added solution to them in a way that creates benefits for the user and revenue for the creator.
Idea – primary Intention That About what you will offer, to whom and why.
Consumer – User – specific person Or A group that has a specific need or problem.
Value – what? I explain. Or I make it easy for the customer; why should they choose me?
Prototype / MVP – idea Most A simple , trial version that we can use to get feedback.
Evaluation – that Determine what The cost of the product or service and what will be left over as income.
Freelance – own Time And Direct selling of skills to a specific client.
Business – creating a system that It creates value and can operate partially or fully without you.
Testing – idea Fast Exam On a small scale before we invest a large resource.

Preparation for the Training

The trainer should:

Prepare materials: a presentation (e.g., in Canva or PowerPoint), printed worksheets for activities, sticky notes and markers.
Think through examples: real-life stories (e.g., “student – freelancer”), simple cases (salary, expenses, side jobs)

Create the right atmosphere:

a safe environment (no criticism)
clear explanation that “there are no wrong answers”
Keep the training practical, encouraging action instead of abstract discussion.
Work with low-cost and accessible ideas, especially those that can start with existing skills and simple tools.
Avoid judgment and create a psychologically safe environment where participants can share lived experience.
Connect entrepreneurship with dignity, adaptability, and self-reliance rather than only with profit.

Use examples that are realistic for young people in transition: side services, freelance tasks, community-oriented offers, simple products, and small digital services.
Required Materials: flipchart, markers, projector, laptop, sticky notes, pens and handouts.

Additional materials for prototyping: paper, scissors, tape, colored cards, simple craft materials, smartphones for quick online search or mock-up creation, a variety of craft materials (felt, foil, glitter, ribbons, balloons, decorative flowers, feathers), straws, sponges, small boxes, modeling clay (plasticine), disposable tableware (cups, plates, etc.), any other creative materials that can be used to build simple prototypes.

Training materials:

Module 1. Financial literacy, employment and entrepreneurship

Sign up for our newsletter