WASHINGTON, USA – The office of the spokesperson US Department of State, yesterday announced that 280 emerging entrepreneurs from 37 countries across Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada began the 2024 Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellowship Program.

“YLAI connects diverse business owners from throughout the Western Hemisphere to the United States and provides training, tools, networks, and resources to strengthen economic and social development across the region. In addition, the fellowship program is a key people-to-people diplomacy exchange that supports broader US foreign goals to promote peace and democracy by expanding access to education, economic equity, and societal opportunity and inclusion,” the press release said.

YLAI Fellows will participate in a virtual curriculum before travelling to the United States to collaborate with American companies and social enterprises in 19 US cities that highlight our geographic diversity: Phoenix, AZ; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; Denver, CO; Washington, D.C.; Miami, FL; Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Boston, MA; Detroit, MI; Kalamazoo, MI; Minneapolis, MN; Kansas City, MO; Lincoln, NE; New York, NY; Portland, OR; Austin, TX; Salt Lake City, UT; and Burlington, VT.

“The YLAI Fellows will conclude the program in April 2024 and join over 1,500 Ylai Fellowship alumni, many of whom maintain active professional and personal ties with the United States.

In addition to the Fellowship program, YLAI offers an active online network that provides young leaders throughout the Americas with opportunities to collaborate, further professional development, and fortify people-to-people ties,” the department further advised. “ The Ylai Fellowship Program, an initiative of the US Department of State, is implemented by IREX.”