US committed to guiding youth leaders.

YOUNG JAMAICAN entrepreneurs chosen under the Youth Leadership of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) will continue to receive guidance even after their United States (US) internship programme comes to an end, noted Jeremiah Knight, public affairs officer at the United States Embassy in Kingston.

Knight, who accompanied several of the young business leaders selected for the initiative to a Gleaner Editors’ Forum last week, said they will become part of the alumni of all US exchange programmes.

“The truth is, there were a lot of really good applicants, and that is a reflection of the talents we have here in Jamaica. And the decision process was really very difficult,” he shared with the forum, hosted at the media house’s North Street, Kingston, office.

“We had to liaise with a number of different agencies. And the key thing is to pick people, not only who would learn a lot and would help their businesses, but also would invest in their country and their future.”

He said while it was great to bring architects, for example, from the US to Jamaica, he believed it was better to train locals in the US who would return to Jamaica and build an industry to train others.

“This is not the end. They did this programme, but then they are also incorporated into our alumni association, which is a broader umbrella organisation with all of the exchange programmes that the US Embassy does here in Jamaica. They then go back to the communities and they have access to US Embassy grads to help them improve their projects,” Knight explained.

He said the continued guidance is to provide them with opportunities for leadership through association.

André Robb, co-founder and chief executive officer of Braata Box & Co, said there are provisions to allow other nationalities with whom they were paired to come to Jamaica for collaborations.

YLAI was launched by former US President Barack Obama in 2016. It seeks to expand opportunities for emerging entrepreneurs and civilsociety innovators in Latin America and the Caribbean.

PHOTOS BY RICARDO MAKYN/MULTIMEDIA PHOTO EDITOR Jeremiah Knight, public affairs officer at the United States Embassy in Kingston.

Beneficiaries of this year’s Youth Leaders of the Americas Initiative (from left), André Robb, Nicholene Witter, Rory-Craig Walker, Shawneil Miller and Gavin Lindsay, at a Gleaner Editors’ Forum last Friday.