AMG Guatemala, was established in 1976 and exists to encourage, equip and develop future national leaders who can become instrumental in transforming their communities. AMG aims to transform youth centred initiatives alongside core values and beliefs.
When working in vulnerable areas, AMG stresses the lack of saving habits among children, young people or their parents. “For us as an organisation it is necessary to work integrally with families because we know that parents are the model of good habits for their children, and in the development of social and financial skills we go step by step influencing families hoping to observe significant progress in their quality of life”
Our partnership
For ten years, both the Aflatoun, the AMG team and the teaching staff of each the educational centre have become more familiar with strategies and tools to apply and develop social and financial entrepreneurship and savings plans, aiming at meaningful learning.
To uplift urban as well as rural livelihoods, AMG implements Reinforcement Centres and Schools, across Guatemala, and, as a result, numerous initiatives have sparked in 2023 among student groups to promote environmental, as well as financial awareness.
Inspiring Young Minds at Work
Under the scope of their activities, AMG Guatemala has organised and carried out several projects with the active participation of youth. They engage with their peers, while learning and taking care of their communities.
In the Western area of the country, a group of students goes out into the streets of their community to pick up trash and then sort it, as part of the “Clean Streets” project.
Another group under the “Think Big” project is committed to the preservation of the environment through the reuse of inorganic materials to make garbage cans. They also collect clothing in good condition to help people in need. In this area, a growing initiative called “Forest Nursery” also aims to plant vegetables and continue this project this and next year.
In the South area, “The bank in my classroom” project teaches students to save from quetzal to quetzal, in order to open their own bank accounts with the money saved. In addition, in the central region of Guatemala, AMG has a school of parents, which includes topics on financial skills, with the purpose of involving parents in the Aflatoun’s programmes and creating educational spaces to encourage their children to become key mobilisers of change.
The central area is also vividly witnessing other inspiring projects like the “Leo, aprendo y crezco”. The implementation of this project has consisted of making product sales involving parents in the sale or in providing the products. Thanks to this initiative, more than 80% of the funds needed for the renovation of the school library have been raised.
The nature of these initiatives nurture team spirit and enhance children and youth’s awareness of the value of saving. For instance, financial entrepreneurship characterises the micro-enterprises of high school students, organised to improve their learning spaces. The first step was to make a “Healthy Market” in which young people formed clubs and created micro-business models and sold products to buy the necessary materials to improve their spaces (brushes, paints, etc). Upon completion with the goal of improving their learning spaces, they will continue to use their earnings to save in their bank accounts.
Students are now more familiar with and involved in developing their financial and social skills.
