General Information

Audience

The ESR Conference is the yearly conference for organizations and individuals participating with the BYU Economic Self-Reliance Center. This network consists of those involved in helping families become economically self-reliant at home and throughout the world including:

• Practitioners (NGOs, nonprofit organizations, churches, government entities, etc.)
• Researchers (faculty, students, researchers from non-academic institutions, etc.)
• Sponsors (donors, advisors, mentors, interested community members, etc.)

Objectives

• Facilitate the collaboration and networking between conference participants.
• Create an open exchange and sharing of research, innovations, best practices, etc.
• Concretely discuss and build on the Economic Self-Reliance Center’s research agenda

Location and Parking

The ESR Conference will be held at the BYU Conference Center located on the corner of 900 East and University Parkway in Provo, Utah. Parking is available free of charge in the lot west of the Conference Center.

History

Starting in 1998 the faculty and students of the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University sponsored a conference focusing on the microenterprise movement (first called the Rocky Mountain Microcredit Conference and then the MicroEnterprise Conference). This conference was a gathering place for organizations and individuals who were interested in microenterprise and other development activities that benefited families.

In 2005, two years after the chartering of the BYU Economic Self-Reliance Center, the conference was renamed the ESR Conference to reflect the broader set of development innovations being researched and followed at the ESR Center that benefit families domestically and around the world.

Admission and Standards

Participants of any race, color, creed, and ethnic or national origin are accepted for admission to this conference provided they maintain the university standards while on campus. These include modesty in dress and conduct and abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea, and harmful drugs.

We are committed to providing a learning atmosphere that reasonably accommodates persons with disabilities who are otherwise qualified. Prior to registration, applicants with disabilities are invited to discuss the program content and available facilities with the program director.