"Let's Invest Girls Traveling Around Indonesia" Targets 500 Young Girls to Get the Benefits of Sustainable Financial Literacy in 2024

Bogor, 23 Februari 2024 – Yayasan Pendidikan Investasi Muda Indonesia, through the Let’s Invest Girls program, continues its journey traveling around Indonesia, with the first destination this year being the city of Bogor. In collaboration with the Youth Red Cross (Palang Merah Remaja), this year’s LIG targets 500 young women aged 15-25 to gain free financial literacy knowledge and strengthen leadership and communication skills.

As a non-profit organization that focuses on strengthening and empowering young Indonesian women, the workshops have the theme “The Power from Within” – they took place at SMAN 9 Bogor and were attended by 35 selected female students to get insight, inspiration, and tips regarding financial literacy, leadership, and communication.

Elvera N. Makki, Initiator of Let’s Invest Girls , stated, “Let’s Invest Girls has a mission to make young Indonesian women wisely manage, mitigate risks, and develop finances independently. Not only that, the foundation of this movement is the strengthening and empowerment of Indonesian women. Hence, they can optimize their potential, realize their dreams, and become their best version. Since 2022, our program has reached more than 480 SMA/SMK female students represented from Aceh to Papua. “This year, our target is to impact increasing financial literacy in various regions of Indonesia for 500 young women.”

The results of the Financial Services Authority National Survey of Financial Literacy and Inclusion (SNLIK) in 2022 show that the financial literacy index of Indonesian society is 49.68 percent, which has increased compared to 2019, which was only 38.03 percent, but there is still a gap/difference in the level of inclusion finance (85.1%). “This data also encourages Let’s Invest Girls to intensify financial literacy programs that focus on young women as a group that is very decisive in making financial decisions not only for themselves but also when they have a career and family in the future, so they must be equipped with the right practical financial knowledge and insight,” continued Elvera.

Apart from that, the millennial generation and Gen-Z are very attached to consumption activities, which occasionally require finances that should be aligned with their lifestyle. Taken from a study by Morgan Stanley, the Institute for Sustainable Investing, in 2017, states that apart from paying attention to lifestyle, there is an interesting trend among the younger generation, where they tend to spend and invest in companies that have aligned values with their sustainability consideration, which include: Thrifting (frugal and environmentally friendly shopping by buying quality used goods). Recycled materials (shopping for recycled products). Emissions-focus (shopping with attention to emission factor). As many as 86% of millennials are interested, and 72% of Gen-Z express their hope that making responsible investments can lead to sustainable societal results.

Elvera added, “With Let’s Invest Girls, young women have the time and opportunity to learn about financial literacy from a young age, so this is an important moment for them to gain the right knowledge and insight from an early age in understanding the various benefits of saving and investing.” She continued, “None of the participants in this session had ever received a special class or session related to financial literacy. Of course, this is an opportunity for them to learn the basics of financial management and development. They must understand the relationship between them and money, how to use money wisely, as a tool to achieve their goals.”

In the financial literacy session, LIG not only discussed how money works but also how investments can protect their finances from inflation, increase assets from compounding (merging and multiplying) of investments invested, achieve financial goals more effectively, and, most importantly, how women can have control over their financial future. The more literacy programs reach young Indonesian women, the more they can create a better world because there will be so many important financial decisions in life made by women, both for themselves, their career, their families, and their children.

Rini Listari, S.Pd., M.Pd., Principal of SMAN 9 Bogor, welcomed this valuable opportunity, “Apart from focusing on the school curriculum, female students also need to take part in developing their soft skills and hard skills, one of the most important topics is financial literacy. We are happy that Let’s Invest Girls chose our school to provide free financial knowledge and insight. Hopefully, more girls will have the opportunity to have workshop sessions with LIG. The children looked delighted and enthusiastic about this activity.”

The program with the theme “The Power from Within” has been implemented since 2022 and will continue to be carried out in various cities in Indonesia, combined with online training and webinars for young women aged 15-25.

About LIG
Let’s Invest, Girls! (LIG) is a non-profit literacy initiative for young women to be smart in managing, mitigating risks, and developing finances independently. Not only that, the foundation of the LIG movement is to strengthen and empower Indonesian women to optimize their potential, realize their dreams, and become the best version of themselves. LIG was formed out of concern for the things that happen to women negatively due to low financial literacy, lack of confidence, oppressed in their environment, mentally disturbed due to lack of positive support, and other things that cause them to feel less valuable.

LIG is part of VMCS Advisory Indonesia, a Public Relations and Social Impact consultancy with a mission to contribute to the wider community through various programs and initiatives. Operationalization of LIG under Yayasan Pendidikan Investasi Muda Indonesia.