The Young Americas Business Trust – YABT will celebrate the 6th Young Americas Forum on June 8 and 9, under the topic “Youth Partners for Prosperity: for the participation of Young People in the IX Summit of the Americas addressing the Five C’s of Youth Development: Climate Change, COVID-19, Connectivity and Digital Transformation, Combating Corruption and Collaborating with Youth”

To engage the hemisphere’s youth, including young entrepreneurs and business leaders in the IX Summit of the Americas, the Young Americas Business Trust (YABT) will organize the Sixth Young Americas Forum with youth leaders focused on creating a more equitable and sustainable future. The Young Americas Forum will foster and elevate a community of young leaders building entrepreneurial and innovative solutions to our most pressing challenges.

About the Young Americas Forum

The Young Americas Forum is the participation platform for young people in the Americas to be actively involved, as social actors, in the Summits of the Americas, the OAS General Assemblies and other high-level meetings.

The Forum is a permanent, open, and inclusive channel for youth to help define priorities and coordinate action in the region. Youth at each Summit prepare concrete recommendations to governments and adopt a hemispheric agenda for follow-up activities.

The Young Americas Business Trust has organized the Young Americas Forum on the margins of five regular Summits, as both a process and an event; the sixth edition, to take place June 8 and 9, 2022 will take place in Los Angeles, in coordination with the IX Summit of the Americas Chairmanship, the Summits of the Americas Secretariat, the Organization of American States (OAS) and the City of Los Angeles.

Components:

• Youth Participation – Partners for Prosperity

Young people contribute to the debate and theme of the Ninth Summit: “Building a Sustainable, Resilient, and Equitable Future” via the following channels

National, Hemispheric and Thematic Dialogues: in person, hybrid or virtual, these activities, co-organized with hundreds of youth networks throughout the region, present an opportunity for young people to engage and express their priorities, actions and formulate specific recommendations to our region’s Leaders.

Virtual tools: Hemispheric and national online consultations, a virtual community and #YouthInTheSummit online campaigns are some of the tools that will allow young people to continue contributing to the process leading up to the VI Forum.

Each voice and recommendation are considered as inputs towards the preparation of a draft Youth Declaration of Commitment, which will be presented to Heads of State and Government at the VI Young Americas Forum, along with a youth-oriented plan of action and follow up strategy to the political commitments of the IX Summit of the Americas .

• Entrepreneurship in Action – TIC Americas

An implementation component for young entrepreneurs to contribute with innovative solutions to the IX Summit. YABT organizes the Talent and Innovation Competitions of the Americas, TIC Americas, an international entrepreneurship and accelerator program that transforms ideas and early stage initiatives into viable businesses and startups. An Expo of 50 remarkable entrepreneurs with initiatives addressing one or more of the five Cs of Youth Development, winners or finalists of TIC Americas will take place during the two days of the Forum on the 2nd Floor Event Space of the venue. The Expo will also include components of engagement, networking, and showcase, featuring:

• Special, private tours of High-Level Officials, CEOs, Diplomatic Corps, etc. attending the IX Summit
• A Media Studio: to engage, generate content and cover the vibrancy of youth entrepreneurship and leadership taking place at the Expo
• An Interactive Map of the power of technology to facilitate e-commerce tools and the digitalization of businesses for entrepreneurs in partnership with Shopify
• A documentary screening area on the power of youth to mobilize Action on Climate Change, in partnership with YouTube, Nat Geo-PepsiCo, OAS
• The Presentation of the Vince Lombardi Trophy by the L.A. Rams – Super Bowl LVI Winners

The Forum will host 500 youth delegates from all over the region, to attend and participate in plenaries, conferences and high-level events; they connect in hemispheric collaboration networks and Adopt the Youth Declaration Commitment. Along with the youth delegates, the Forum is attended by:

• Government Officials
• The Diplomatic Corps
• Multilateral Organizations
• Youth-serving organizations
• Development practitioners
• Private Sector Representatives
• Philanthropic Organizations
• High-level speakers
• Visionaries, entrepreneurs, and innovators
• Community leaders, activists, change makers

YABT develops programs and permanent consultations to address the topics and priorities close to youth. In planning the next process for the participation of young people in the IX Summit of the Americas and the VI Young Americas Forum, their main concerns can be grouped in:

The Five Big C’s of Youth Development:

Climate Change

The youth of the Americas are rightly expressing their deep concern about climate change, frequently demanding policy changes to deal with its effects and consequences; but not only that, they are also acting to create change themselves, mobilizing their peers and communities, creating networks and developing business initiatives focused on resilience, mitigation and adaptation to climate change.

COVID-19

A socio-economic recovery from the pandemic: multilateral organizations, think tanks and study groups report alarming numbers and prospects for youth. Youth livelihoods were disproportionately affected during COVID-19 pandemic; the economic recession caused by closures, job losses and distance learning, when available, has exposed young people to unprecedented risks of vulnerability, depressed job markets when they graduate, a reality that will affect their potential to earn fair wages for decades to come.

Collaborating with Youth

Collaborate in the ideation and search for solutions: apply a positive youth development approach by working together, recognizing their potential as innovators, agents of change and entrepreneurs through the challenges of innovation, business labs, hackathons, innovation, youth dialogues and other similar forums.

Combating Corruption

Recognizing that youth are under-represented in political matters, they continue to work to create a capable and transparent political environment. The contributions and commitment of young people have constantly joined forces in the search for instruments that reduce inequality gaps, promote well-being and improve the quality of life of citizens.

Connectivity and Digital Transformation

A vision of growth and prosperity with equity, makes it necessary to improve and expand the digital connectivity, in order to take advantage of resources and opportunities that will allow youth to develop skills for the present and future of work and create positive change in their community.

Press can attend and cover the Forum by presenting their IX Summit of the Americas Press Credentials.

The Forum will be broadcasted live via: foro.yabt.net

Press contact: Edgar Maestre, edgar.maestre@yabt.net and Karina Bonilla, karina.bonilla@yabt.net

What: VI Young Americas Forum

When: June 8 and 9, 2022

Where: Magic Box L.A. 1933 S Broadway, Los Angeles, California, 90007

Preliminary Program: https://www.yabt.net/foro/download/forum_agenda_eng_JUN2022.pdf

About YABT

The Young Americas Business Trust (YABT) is a nonprofit corporation incorporated in the District of Columbia and recognized by the IRS as a 501 (c) 3.

YABT promotes the social and economic development of young people in the Western Hemisphere and worldwide by developing programs that aim to improve the quality of life of youth and young adults, especially those living in poverty.

YABT works in cooperation with the Organization of American States (OAS) supporting the Summit of the Americas and the OAS General Assembly’s mandates, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, by empowering young people through entrepreneurship, innovation, leadership, and knowledge.