GlobalPittsburgh welcoming ten YLAI Professional Fellows to Pittsburgh

GlobalPittsburgh is pleased to announce that it will host participants from the U.S. Department of State’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Professional Fellows Program in October and early November 2017. As part of the Fellowship, ten young business and social entrepreneurs from Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Sint Maarten, and Venezuela will travel to Pittsburgh on October 7 and build lasting partnerships with local entrepreneurial organizations and companies.   

The five-week YLAI Professional Fellows Program will place business and social entrepreneurs in relevant businesses and startups, non-governmental organizations, and similar entities in Pittsburgh.  The participants will arrive in the U.S. on October 3 and will further develop their business or social venture plans by engaging in skills-building workshops.  They will also have the opportunity to learn from U.S. counterparts by participating in day-to-day operations at their U.S. host organizations or collaborating on a joint project.  YLAI Professional Fellows will develop stronger ties with other participants from Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as with their U.S. Fellowship Hosts.  They will use the knowledge gained to effectively contribute to social and economic development in their communities.  

To complement the U.S.-based program, up to 45 Fellowship Hosts from across the United States will travel to the region in spring 2018 to learn from the Fellows’ businesses, share best practices, and participate in a project benefitting the local community. 

GlobalPittsburgh has placed its YLAI Fellows at the following companies and organizations: Idea Foundry, Inc.; Treasure House Fashions; Shift Collaborative; Pittsburgh Trophy Company; Bike the Burgh Tours; the Andy Warhol Museum; Homewood Children’s Village; Regency Global Transportation Group; and the Better Business Bureau.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State funded this program.  GlobalPittsburgh is proud to work with grantee Meridian International Center, a premier nonprofit, global leadership organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. Meridian is also proud to partner with Atlas Corps and Entrepreneurs’ Organization for this program.  The ylai.state.gov website includes information about the YLAI Professional Fellows Program.

For further information, please contact Gail Shrott, Director, International Leaders Program at GlobalPittsburgh  at gshrott@globalpittsburgh.org/412-392-4513.

About U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) builds relations between the people of the United States and the people of other countries through academic, cultural, sports, and professional exchanges, as well as public -private partnerships and mentoring programs. These exchange programs improve foreign relations and strengthen the national security of the United States, support U.S. international leadership, and provide a broad range of domestic benefits by helping break down barriers that often divide us. Visit https://eca.state.gov  for more information.

For information on the YLAI Professional Fellows Exchange Program, please visit https://ylai.state.gov/

For press inquiries, please contact ECA-Press@state.gov.  

About the Pittsburgh Council for International Visitors dba GlobalPittsburgh

Since 1959, GlobalPittsburgh (founded as the Pittsburgh Council for International Visitors) has been developing a local network of resources and creating for the region a pool of valuable contacts worldwide through its work with federally-funded international professional exchanges. GlobalPittsburgh has a network of over 500 members, volunteers, and citizen diplomats who ensure that visiting leaders’ and students’ feel welcome in the Greater Pittsburgh community. For more information about GlobalPittsburgh programs, please visit www.globalpittsburgh.org,