My project, titled "$MART MONEY - Unlocking Financial Literacy: Your Path to Financial Freedom Starts Here," was designed to address the issue of poor financial literacy in Tunisia, specifically targeting the youth. The project involved organizing a series of 3-hour conferences in 5 different cities across Tunisia, including Sousse, Monastir, Mehdia, Djerba and Binzart.
Understanding financial concepts includes understanding how the economy functions, basic accounting principles, the importance of compound interest, the time value of money, and insights into the stock market. These essential financial topics are not covered in the existing educational curriculum in Tunisia. The current state of financial inclusion in Tunisia stands at 40%, with less than 1% of the population engaging in stock market investments. These statistics underscored the pressing need to enhance financial literacy in the country. To address this issue, I targeted a total of 200 high school and college students, ranging in age from 14 to 24. Some participants even invited their parents, broadening the project's impact.
The project's main impact was measured through a combination of methods. During the conferences, I actively engaged participants through informative slides, quizzes, and discussions. I covered key financial terminology, explained how an economy grows, emphasized on ways to increase output through leverage, discussed the basics of investment, and highlighted the relationship between risk and return. Additionally, I delved into different types of investments and the importance of portfolio diversification.
To further encourage active participation and learning, I conducted a quiz at the end of each conference, with a $10 bill as the prize (in Tunisia, dollar bills are a big deal). This approach motivated participants to apply the knowledge gained during the conference in a practical context.
In terms of feedback and evaluation, I shared a Google form to the participants, seeking their impressions of the conference. The results were thankfully positive, with an average rating of 4.32 out of 5 for overall satisfaction with the conference and 4.21 out of 5 for the likelihood of recommending the conference to a friend.
The conferences' success was a result of a productive partnership with AIESEC, an NGO that handled project management, while I focused on content presentation and advertising. I leveraged my social media presence, which accounts for over 150,000 followers on Instagram to ensure a wider reach and participation in the project. Their professionalism was pivotal, and without their support, these events wouldn't have come to fruition. Impressively, we managed to organize, advertise, and prepare 400 slides of content in just one month, a testament to the efficiency and dedication of our collaborative team effort, ultimately providing valuable financial education to the participants.
In summary, the project, "$MART MONEY - Unlocking Financial Literacy," sought to address the critical issue of low financial literacy in Tunisia by targeting high school and college students. Through a series of engaging conferences and quizzes, I aimed to empower participants with essential financial knowledge, with promising results and positive feedback indicating the project's success in improving financial literacy among the youth in Tunisia.
In the future, my goal is to expand my project further. I plan to pursue a Master's degree and then spend two years building a team. Together, we'll travel through Tunisia, the Middle East, and Africa to host workshops and conferences. The aim is to address ambiguous questions about the world of investment in Tunisia. I believe this mission is adaptable and can tap into new market opportunities, including app and website development in the fintech industry and online education in finance and economics. The potential for social and economic impact in Tunisia, while raising financial literacy, is vast. The sooner I start taking action, the better I'll understand the demand for this kind of knowledge. Ultimately, I plan to dedicate at least half a decade to this mission as a top priority, focusing on it daily and seeking answers to important but often neglected questions.