We are proud to announce the 2021 cohort from Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean for the U.S. Department of State’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellowship Program. This program will begin in January 2021 and close in April 2021, bringing together 263 young leaders from 37 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada for a virtual fellowship. This year we are pleased to announce that 13 young leaders from Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean have been accepted out of over 2,300 applicants. They are: –
- Ashante Lindsay, Antigua and Barbuda
- Refica Attwood, Antigua and Barbuda
- Joshua Forte, Barbados
- Rohan Ford, Barbados
- Toni Thorne, Barbados
- Damian Lewis, Dominica
- Tridel Edwin, Dominica
- Denny Cronneit, Grenada
- Rehanna Warren, Grenada
- Amal Wilkin, St. Kitts and Nevis
- Randy Lafontaine, Saint Lucia
- Trudy Popo Leonce, Saint Lucia
- Kenna George, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
The 2021 YLAI Fellowship Program, sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, includes a three-month virtual fellowship between January and April 2021. During this time, Fellows will complete the YLAI Entrepreneurial Leadership Curriculum and will work with a U.S. host organization for four weeks. They will also be paired with a designated mentor and will collaborate with other fellows to address shared foreign policy challenges throughout the exchange. Additionally, they will engage in live events and cross-cultural activities. The program is a collaborative, enriching experience that combines technical entrepreneurship training with leadership development and networking opportunities.
The YLAI Fellowship Program will begin on January 11 at the virtual Opening Orientation hosted by IREX, followed by the four-week fellowship. The program concludes with a virtual Closing Forum in April. Fellows return to their ventures with new skills, resources, ongoing support from U.S. counterparts, and a broader network, strengthening business ties between the U.S. and Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada.
The https://ylai.state.gov/ website includes information about the YLAI Professional Fellowship Program and the YLAI Network.
For further information, please contact bridgetownexchanges@state.gov. Follow the fellowship on social media using #YLAI2021Innovators.