Timeline of events for the 2005 GMA Programme
March: Formation of Country Teams.
Country Teams are responsible for designing and
implementing the GMA Programme in their respective
countries, generally consisting of one member
from the United Nations local office, two
members from the Microentrepreneurship Student
Alliance (one U.S.-based student and one
locally based student) and in select countries
one volunteer member from the local Citigroup
Inc. office.
April: Formation of country-specific Advisory
Councils and communication to Microfinance
Institutions about the GMA begins.
Country Teams will engage key members of the
local microfinance sector, local personalities,
representatives from local universities, governments,
the media, and civil society to get involved
in the GMA Programme through participation in
the GMA Advisory Council. Advisory Council members
will be able to provide valuable insight and
counsel on the design and implementation of the
GMA Programme. Their participation may also increase
awareness of the program, fostering additional
volunteer interest in the GMA Programme.
Country Teams will also reach out to local Microfinance
Institutions to make their clients aware of the
contest and to encourage them to participate
in the GMA.
May: Nominating period for Awards Selection
Committees.
Each Country Team will have the task of organizing
its Awards Selection Committee of nine impartial
judges. These judges will evaluate the GMA applications
submitted by local contestants and will choose
the winners in each participating country.
June — July: Enrollment Period for
Contestants.
During this time local microfinance institutions
will nominate clients who own and operate innovative
and sustainable businesses that reflect the entrepreneurial
spirit represented by the GMA Programme.
August — Mid-October: Pre-selection
of contestant applications and selection
of finalists
Each Country Team will have the task of pre-screening
the nominations to ensure that only qualified
applicants are submitted to the Awards Selection
Committees. From this pool of qualified applicants,
the best applications will be passed on to the
Awards Selection Committees for selection of
the finalists in accordance with the prize categories
of the contest.
In some cases the Awards Selection Committees
or members of the Country Team will visit finalists'
places of business.
October 17 to November 8: GMA Programme
Awards Ceremonies and Stock Exchange Openings.
The pinnacle of the GMA programme in each country
is the Awards Ceremony. It is at this event that
the winning contestants will be recognized for
their accomplishments and claim their prizes.
Each Awards Ceremony will reflect the culture,
style and attributes of the country where it
takes place. In many of the participating countries
select winning contestants will be given the
opportunity to ring open the bell at their local
stock exchange.
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