The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) is pleased to announce that applications for the 2020 cohort of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Program will open in August. Please see the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative website for updates and application information.
ECA has increased the number of Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellows for the 2020 cohort from 250 to 280. Additionally, for the first time since its launch in 2015, YLAI will include fellows from Canada. The program will be implemented by IREX.
The YLAI Professional Fellowship has brought over 750 business and social entrepreneurs from 36 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to the United States to collaborate with American counterparts in businesses across the country. Through this exchange program, Fellows expand their entrepreneurial ventures by building leadership skills to advance social and economic development in their communities. Each year, approximately 70 U.S. hosts visit or organize virtual exchanges with their Fellows to work on joint action plans. YLAI also underscores the crucial role of small businesses at home and abroad and supports the efforts of young innovators in our neighboring countries.
The yearly YLAI Professional Fellowship is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It is complemented by the 40,000-member strong online YLAI Network and activities organized by U.S. Embassies and Consulates to promote entrepreneurship throughout the hemisphere.
