About YABT

The Young Americas Business Trust (YABT) is a nonprofit international organization that works in cooperation with the Organization of American States (OAS) to promote social and economic development of young people around the world. While building entrepreneurial capacity and creating opportunities for future business leaders, the YABT community advances the global goals and strengthens youth-led initiatives for sustainable development.

YABT has four focus areas to support youth ventures, especially those working on poverty reduction, employment, climate change, peace and democracy.

Leadership: Connecting young entrepreneurs and national organizations in a vibrant community of global actors supporting youth development, the citizen participation and the learning and exchanges opportunities, to form a new generation of responsible business leaders.

Business skills and Training: Emphasizing practical experience to generate an entrepreneurial spirit and foster innovation in young people, while motivating and leading them through a “real life” business experience.

Competitions: YABT Competitions operate as business accelerator platforms in which young entrepreneurs develop their business ideas and startups. These hemispheric programs connect private sector, investors and governments seeking to support business proposals with scalable innovations in different sectors.

Resources and Alliances: Working through international and national alliances that provide technical and financial support to young entrepreneurs programs and initiatives.

+31,950

Young people Involved in the Summits of the Americas process and other policy-making forums

+3,000

Attendees in BootCamp training and mentoring sessions

+51,433

Young entrepreneurs registered in Innovation Competitions

21,000

Participants in Capacity Building Programs

+250

Interns and professional trainees involved in global youth scenarios

YABT programs have a positive impact on all aspects of young people’s lives. Since its creation, it has bolstered more than 100,000 young people in 75 countries through programs and activities that permit young people to be productive members of their communities. YABT creates participation programs for young people to become partners in the development of programs and policies at national, hemispheric and global levels.