The U.S. Embassy has announced the Guyana cohort of the 2017 Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative [YLAI] Professional Fellows Programme. The five-week programme, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, will bring 250 young leaders from 36 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America to the United States to augment their business or social venture plans, learn from U.S. counterparts, and share best practices.
Suzanne Hamilton
The YLAI programme supports the United States’ commitment to increase trade and investment in the region and, in the words of Vice President Mike Pence, “bring even more of our business culture of entrepreneurship and innovation all across [the Caribbean] so that your prosperity and our prosperity will continue to expand together.”
Charles Hutson
Out of well over 3,000 applications submitted from the region, three young Guyanese leaders have been accepted to the Programme.
They are: Suzanne Hamilton, Founder of Sosh Solutions in Linden, which offers globally recognized professional qualification courses for local entrepreneurs and addresses the unavailability of professional and youth development opportunities in the fields of accounting, business, and finance; Charles Hutson founder of Ecab, a mobile app for calling taxis that allows cab-seekers to electronically hail the closest available cab while allowing drivers to earn more by saving on gasoline and time and Christine Profitt, founder of
Christine Profitt,
The Scrubs Hub, an organization that provides quality medical garments and personal protective gear for medical professionals across Guyana at an affordable cost.
As part of her social responsibility commitment, Christine has committed a percentage of the organization’s income towards the “I CAN” project for disadvantaged youth, single parents, and other young adults in Agricola.
The YLAI Professional Fellows Programme kicks off in Atlanta, Georgia. The young leaders then participate in four-week fellowships in cities throughout the United States, where host-businesses mentor and guide the fellows through an entrepreneurship curriculum. The programme concludes with a closing summit in Washington, D.C., focused on leadership and skills development training. Fellows return to their ventures with new skills, resources, on-going support from U.S. counterparts, and an improved network, strengthening business ties between the United States and Guyana.