Skip to content

  • Futuremakers

    Unleashing the economic potential of girls

Home > About us > Sustainability > Investing in communities > Goal

About Goal

Goal is part of Futuremakers by Standard Chartered, our global youth economic empowerment initiative to tackle to tackle inequality and promote economic inclusion.

Since its launch in 2006, Goal has grown into an internationally-recognised global movement operating in more than 20 markets. Designed for girls aged 12-18 living in underserved communities, we provide life skills education through sport and activity-based learning.

Our global youth economic empowerment initiative to tackle delivers modules on financial education, communication skills, health and hygiene, self-confidence, employability and cybersecurity to help girls and young women transform not just their own lives, but those of their families and friends.

Between 2006 and the end of 2023 our target was to reach one million girls.  By the end of December 2023, we had exceeded that target by reaching over 1.44 million girls. 

Based on learnings from 17 years of Goal programmes we have developed Goal Accelerator for Goal alumni and young women job-seekers, to support girls’ transitions from education to employment. As part of the Employability pillar of Futuremakers, Goal Accelerator will contribute to our target to help 70,000 young people, predominantly women and people with disabilities, to find decent employment.

  • Future looks rosy for Salma

    Salma knows how to communicate with clients, manage money and acquire new skills for her business in Tanzania after participating in Futuremakers

    Read now

  • Ayim embraces gender equity

    Ayim learned about gender bias and leadership which empowered her sense of worth and reignited her dream of becoming a doctor in Nigeria

    Read now

  • Deepika shapes change

    Deepika is shattering menstruation myths and has become the change-maker in her family and community since she joined Futuremakers in India.

    Read now

Why invest in girls?

We know that investing in girls can result in increased prosperity and diversity. Giving girls the tools to shape their own future has an incredible multiplier effect on communities and societies.
Women who are more educated are healthier, as are their children, who are more likely to attend school and study. Gender equality is also critical for economic growth.

Globally, young women are almost 1.5 times more likely to be unemployed than young men. If countries around the world could achieve gender parity, global annual GDP could increase by as much as USD12 trillion by 2025.
Yet in many countries around the world, girls and young women are vulnerable or marginalised due to factors such as a lack of education, cultural bias, gender-based violence and poverty.

Women face most of these issues in adolescence, which limits their potential to learn, earn and grow as individuals.

Goal x LFCW

Watch this series to learn about the shared life lessons football has taught our Goal alumni and Liverpool FC Women players

The Goal curriculum

The Goal curriculum is available free of charge under a Creative Commons license. It is understood as a guideline and should be adapted to suit local context and need. The curriculum was designed by Standard Chartered in collaboration with the Population Council.

1. Goal curriculum (Modules 1 to 4)

In 2021, the curriculum was updated with input from Goal implementing partners across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. This curriculum is divided into four modules, and includes interactive and play-based activities focused on key life skills.

  • BE YOURSELF: Communication, building self-confidence and valuing what it means to ‘be a girl’
  • BE HEALTHY: General health, reproductive health and hygiene
  • BE EMPOWERED: Rights, freedom from violence, and how to access resources and institutions in the community
  • BE MONEY SAVVY: Saving, spending, making, storing and borrowing money
2. Goal Programme Workbook

This workbook is linked directly to the Goal curriculum. It is a great resource for Goal participants to keep learning about Goal topics at home and outside of their regular Goal sessions. Girls and young women can take notes related to their practice at home activities from the Goal sessions as well as doing fun puzzles and games in between sessions. In the workbook, activities are divided into the Goal session that they are related to.

Click here to download the Goal Programme Workbook

3. Goal Coaching Guide

This guide is a resource that provides coaching recommendations, tips, and strategies for Goal curriculum coaches. You will find information about what it means to be a Goal coach, general coaching tips, guidance about safe coaching, and a glossary of terms that are used throughout the Goal curriculum.

This resource was created with the understanding that every organisation has its own coach training strategies and practices, and that every coach has their own unique style and methods. This is simply a guide for those coaches who will be implementing the Goal curriculum and should be contextualised based on each organisation’s safety and coaching guidelines as well as the local context.

Click here to download the Goal Coaching Guide

4. Goal Goes Digital

This guide will give you suggestions and strategies around how to use different forms of technology to supplement sessions in the Goal curriculum or reach participants during times where in-person activities might not be possible. It also includes methods to engage with your participants digitally through messaging and social media, and some tips on how to engage with participants online in a safe way.

Click here to download the Goal Goes Digital Guide

5. Be Independent module

Be Independent is a 12-session module of the Goal programme, which builds on Module 4 (Be Money Savvy) and basic financial literacy by introducing adolescent girls and young women to themes, topics and skills related to entrepreneurship and employability.

Click here to download the Be Independent Toolkit

6. Goal Games Toolkit

Goal Games are fun play-based activities that take Goal life skills and add movement, competition and physical activity. They can be used as standalone sessions in place of Goal curriculum sessions or in combination with Goal curriculum sessions. They can also be used at community-based events, schools or other larger gatherings with youth.

In 2020, the Goal games were reviewed in light of COVID-19 and restrictions on gatherings and events. Adaptations have been indicated within the original game to comply with social distancing and other practices necessary to prevent or decrease the spread of COVID-19 or other viruses.

Click here to download the Goal Games Toolkit

7. Goal@Home Activity Book

The Goal@Home Activity Book is a great way for girls and young women to stay active and keep learning about key Goal topics at home. The Activity Book has lots of fun exercises that girls and young women can do by themselves or with a group of friends or family members. Goal@Home is divided into three sections:

  • Be Brave: girls can learn about Goal topics through colouring, storytelling, drawing, mazes, and fun quizzes.
  • Be Active: girls and young women can stay active at home by doing fun yoga poses and stretching. They can also maintain focus and stay mentally calm when they feel anxious or nervous, through meditation exercises and calming breathing techniques.
  • Be Creative: girls and young women can get to know about famous female athletes from all of the countries where the Goal programme is being implemented. They will read about the athletes’ stories and then colour in a picture showing them playing their sport.

The Goal@Home Activity Book has been translated into Sinhala, Tamil, Swahili, Nepali, Mandarin, and Korean. Please contact Women Win at programmes@womenwin.org if you are interested in accessing these translations.

Click here to download the Goal@Home Activity Book

8. Goal Comic Books

The Goal Comic Books highlight local contextualised stories related to life skills and themes from the Goal curriculum. The Comic Books can be used as a supplement to the Goal programme, during times when either programming has been suspended due to specific circumstances or between Goal programme cycles. The stories show girls in local communities addressing different issues and how girls can use the life skills they learn through Goal to make decisions and act.