Open Menu Close Menu Open Search Close Search

Home / Past Initiatives / The Youth Economic Participation Initiative

The Youth Economic Participation Initiative

The YEPI Program

YEPI began in 2012 with support from Mastercard Foundation, motivated by the belief that universities around the world have an important role to play in preparing young people for meaningful and productive engagement in their societies. Too many students are completing university without the skills, guidance, and access to networks that are vital to starting a business or charting a career in a fast-changing global economy.

YEPI set out to identify some of the most promising approaches to youth entrepreneurship education at universities in the global south. Through highly experiential training in entrepreneurial attitude, personal development, leadership, business planning and community engagement, these programs are preparing students to thrive as 21st century employees, entrepreneurs, and citizens.

YEPI Reports and Films

Grants

Each YEPI partner receives a total of $350,000 USD over a period of 3.5 years (2013 – 2017). This funding allows participating programs to expand, deepen and refine their approaches to youth entrepreneurship education, while creating opportunities for international learning and exchange. An online Community of Practice allows the programs to exchange and disseminate their learnings.

Learning Partners

To support the learning goals of YEPI, the Talloires Network collaborated with Pivot Global Education, international team of researcher-practitioners who work with higher education institutions. This team has worked closely with each of the YEPI programs to facilitate and support the learning processes of each program, as well as to build knowledge, identify best practices and draw comparisons among the eight programs. The Talloires Network also collaborated with several learning partners at the University of Minnesota who contributed significantly to the launch and development of YEPI.

Learn more about the 8 YEPI Partner Universities and Programs below: