Supporting individuals in developing greater economic empowerment entails reinforcing a number of financial skills and behaviours. To provide an overview of these skills and behaviours, we have developed a framework that lists the principles and best practices associated with each one.
With regard to financial literacy, for example, the framework first presents the skills needed to develop financial empowerment: making informed decisions, exercising caution, having a positive influence on the management of family income and expenses, saving, using credit wisely, and understanding and assessing existing power relationships in society.
Each of these skills is then broken down into several behaviours, and each behaviour is associated with educational tools and content. These are classified according to the progress that learners must make, from basic to more advanced content.
The development of a support program and the choice of content to be included are based on an evaluation of learners' needs. This ensures that we identify the relevant tools and content and offer learning activities that are fully tailored to the realities and needs encountered.
Ultimately, this framework will incorporate all the fields in which Développement international Desjardins offers training support, starting with financial literacy, as well as entrepreneurship and agricultural support and digital literacy, including the concepts of gender equality and the fight against climate change. This tool will highlight how our various initiatives complement each other to promote comprehensive financial literacy and greater economic empowerment.