Young Leaders to Take Part in U.S. Exchange

The Fellowship Program of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) will bring 250 young leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean to the United States for an exchange program to learn and share experiences in different U.S. organizations.

The program will take five weeks, during which time participants will experience working in start-ups, small businesses and non-governmental organizations throughout the United States, in partnership with community groups and U.S. universities.

The program will begin on the 5th of October in Dallas, Texas, and will culminate with a summit in Washington DC in early November.

During the program, participants will further develop their business or social venture plans through internships and skill-building workshops, as well as by working with their U.S. counterparts.

In 2016, the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative Professional Fellows received around 4,000 applications for the program. The 250 companies and social entrepreneurs involved represent 35 Latin-American and Caribbean countries, and aim to build stronger, more prosperous and more secure communities throughout the Americas.

The focus of the businesses lies in various areas, including agriculture, clean energy, consulting, e-commerce, education, entrepreneurship, development and support, food and beverage, food security, health care, hospitality, LGBTI issues, marketing and branding, mobile applications and women and youth empowerment.

The Fellowship Program is one of four programs within the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative. It is part of US President Obama’s commitment to empower young people around the world and to ensure that they have the tools, skills, and networks to deal with our shared global challenges. President Obama launched the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative to build linkages between young leaders across the Americas and to expand the opportunities for young entrepreneurs and civil society leaders.