April 11, 2017 -- U.S. Embassy Bridgetown is looking for entrepreneurs between the ages of 21 and 35 to participate in the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) 2017. The program gives entrepreneurs an opportunity to travel to the United States to learn best practices and build lasting connections.
The deadline to apply is April 23!
YLAI builds linkages between young leaders across the hemisphere. It also helps address the opportunity gap for youth, especially women, by empowering entrepreneurs and civil society leaders with the training, tools, networks and resources they need to transform their societies and contribute more fully to economic development and prosperity, security, human rights and good governance in the hemisphere.
We’re proud of our current YLAI Fellows who came out of the YLAI pilot in 2016. One such Kittian alumnus is Tishon Thomas, CEO and co-founder of SKN IT Solutions. About YLAI he notes, “It has opened my eyes to a bigger world and given me even more to aspire to. My best highlight in the United States was the attachment to my host company, XS International. They really treated me like a business partner.”
Tishon believes that being a part of the YLAI Alumni Network has benefited him tremendously through the expansion of his network of friends and potential business partners, adding, “I am working on setting up a Channel Partnership with XS International, so I can represent their interest in the Caribbean and Latin America.”
The other Kittian Fellow Necola Charles, who conceptualized her organization, “Millenial Financial and Professional Development Institute,” in an effort to improve the standard of living of under-privileged families in St. Kitts and the Caribbean, said, “The Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative has presented me with an enviable opportunity to connect with 245 brilliant and dynamic business and social entrepreneurs throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. The program enhanced my professional network enormously and it has also enabled me to instantly connect with entrepreneurs from varying backgrounds through social media and the like for the exchange of ideas.”
In fall 2017, 250 YLAI Professional Fellows from Latin America and the Caribbean will expand their leadership and entrepreneurial experience through fellowships at businesses and civil society organizations across the United States. Through the YLAI Entrepreneurship Institute and the individualized Fellowships, YLAI Fellows will accelerate their commercial and social ventures’ success and develop specific action plans to carry out upon return to their home countries. YLAI Fellows will build networks, linkages and lasting partnerships to attract investments and support for their entrepreneurial ventures.
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