A better future for youth from Argentina

In December, young entrepreneurs from the rural towns of La Madrid and Santa Ana (Tucumán) participated in a new training program designed to help them strengthen their small businesses and build a better future.

Through three interactive sessions, ACDI provided practical tools in marketing, basic administration, cost management and entrepreneurial mindset, guided by professionals with experience working alongside small ventures. The workshops focused on real-life challenges faced by the participants, helping them organize their resources, communicate the value of their products and plan their next steps.

Beyond technical skills, the space encouraged confidence, peer learning and leadership, allowing young people to share experiences and support one another as they grow their projects.

These youth are already part of ACDI’s ongoing work in La Madrid and Santa Ana, where we support community-based initiatives that create income and strengthen local development. With the support of GlobalGiving donors, they are gaining the skills and motivation needed to move toward a more stable and hopeful future.

In Santa Ana, a small town in Tucumán still bearing the scars of the sugar mill closure more than five decades ago, resilience has become a way of life. Where opportunities are scarce and many young people have been forced to migrate in search of work, the desire to create, to build, and to stay remains alive.

With that spirit, the workshop cycle “Emprender sin barreras” (“Entrepreneurship Without Barriers”) was launched by ACDI to support young people and local entrepreneurs in transforming their ideas into sustainable projects. Over three intensive sessions, participants followed a path that not only provided technical tools, but also built confidence and motivation to envision a different future.

In the first session, the young participants explored their own abilities and learned to see themselves with an “entrepreneurial mindset,” identifying their strengths while acknowledging the challenges they face. The second meeting focused on administration, costs, and financial control—crucial knowledge for anyone seeking to make their efforts profitable. Finally, the third session introduced marketing and sales, with a very special closing activity: a fair where participants shared their own ventures and showcased what they had learned.

This space offered more than just practical knowledge: it also opened doors to self-esteem, teamwork, and the possibility of dreaming collectively. Young people who once doubted their abilities now feel empowered to imagine their own professional path, with greater clarity and the strength of knowing they are not alone.

In total, 24 entrepreneurs from the community of Santa Ana actively participated, sharing their experiences, concerns, and dreams, while finding in the workshop a space for collective learning that helped them strengthen their projects and generate new ideas for the future.