The Embassy is proud to announce the 2022 cohort from Argentina for the U.S. Department of State’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Fellowship Program. Launched in 2015, YLAI empowers emerging entrepreneurs from the Western Hemisphere to enable the full economic potential of the region’s citizens. The 2022 program will begin in January and close in July, bringing together 280 young leaders from 37 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada for a fellowship. This year we are pleased to announce that 11 young leaders from Argentina have been accepted out of over 2,000 applicants.
The 2022 YLAI Fellowship Program, sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, includes a hybrid fellowship between January and July 2022. During this time, Fellows will complete the YLAI Entrepreneurial Leadership Curriculum and then will travel to the United States to work alongside a U.S. business. Fellows will form small cohorts across twenty U.S. cities and will collaborate with their peers to address shared business challenges throughout the exchange. Additionally, they will engage in virtual and in-person events and cross-cultural activities. The program is a collaborative, enriching experience that combines technical entrepreneurship training with leadership development and networking opportunities. Since 2015, more than 1,000 YLAI Fellows have built connections with 873 U.S. host businesses and organizations. 84 percent of these Fellows attracted new resources within one year of completing the program.
The selected Argentine entrepreneurs are: Mariana Aguilar Quiroga, Alfonso Aguilera, Nicolás Alesso, Nicolás Amiano, Danila Blanco Travnieck, Marcos Bruno, Facundo Cajén, Leandro Ciappina, Candelaria López Larrosa, Inés Mengido, and Ana Sayago. They are entrepreneurs from emerging companies and organizations, working in areas such as energy and environment, human rights, education, data analysis, technology, community development, tourism, and beekeeping development.
The YLAI Program will begin on January 28 with virtual engagement with the Fellowship Curriculum and participation in the virtual Opening Orientation before departing to the United States for a four-week professional placement with their host organizations. The program concludes with a Closing Forum in Washington, D.C. in July. 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.
You can find more information about the YLAI Fellowship Program and the YLAI Network at https://ylai.state.gov/, and you can follow the fellowship on social media using #YLAI2022.