Country: El Salvador

Youth Discuss the Future of Education and Employment in El Salvador

A group of young people sit around a U-shaped table in a conference room.
Youth take part in a focus group in El Salvador hosted by ITCA-FEPADE and World Learning.

Youth in El Salvador face a multitude of challenges in accessing education and training opportunities and entering the workforce. In June 2021, World Learning and partner ITCA-FEPADE, a Salvadoran educational institution, held a series of focus groups with more than 90 youth from across the country to learn more about their experiences in education and employment. Titled “New opportunities in the face of current reality,” (report in Spanish) the events offered an opportunity for young people to contribute their perspectives on the challenges facing youth as well as potential solutions.

“This effort at youth outreach is the first step in developing a plan to help young people achieve their academic and professional goals,” says Catherine Honeyman, World Learning’s senior youth workforce specialist. “To do that, we need to know what obstacles they are facing and the solutions they propose to overcome them.”

The consultations included in-person discussions with 64 youth in three of El Salvador’s departments, Santa Ana, San Miguel, and San Salvador. World Learning and ITCA-FEPADE also gathered the perspectives of 34 additional youth via a survey on ITCA’s Facebook platforms. In addition, youth also had the opportunity to interact directly with representatives from the El Salvador Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, the Salvadoran Industry Association, and two other private sector companies.

Most participants were between the ages of 18–30 and came from a variety of educational backgrounds. The focus groups aimed to identify participants’ experiences with the education system; obstacles they have faced in education or the job market; future support that would help them continue their studies, find a job, or start their own business; and their experience with migration.

Catherine Honeyman speaks to a panel via video conference.
World Learning Senior Youth Workforce Specialist speaks to a focus group via video conference.

Among the main challenges identified by participants were high crime rates, economic difficulties, distance to training or educational centers, limited academic opportunities in residential areas, lack of professional guidance, and scarce job opportunities.

One youth, Yuvini, remarked, “Education needs to reach the more distant and excluded parts of our country.” Other young people agreed, noting that simply traveling to get to school has been a major obstacle for them.

Respondents outside of major cities said there are few options for either work or study near them, so they would need to move or travel to pursue these opportunities.

“I am from a rural area, and that makes it difficult for me to work,” Juan explained.

Respondents noted that in addition to a shortage of jobs, many openings also require specific technical skills and work experience. This means that even young people who have completed degree or training programs may still have trouble finding jobs. Youth, like Daniel, mentioned the need for more practical and affordable training options.

Betsy de Cosme speaks at a podium.
World Learning representative Betsy de Cosme speaks to the focus group.

“The improvements our education system needs are [reducing] the costs of higher education and having time to do practical exercises like learning-by-doing,” he said.

In addition, youth remarked that studying is costly and part-time or flexible work schedules are rare. This presents significant challenges for young people who need to continue working while enrolled in an academic or training program.

“I would like to work so that I can continue studying,” said Vanesa.

Those interested in starting a business said they face a lack of access to financing opportunities, such as lines of credit, to cover startup costs.

Because of these challenges, many respondents indicated that they had considered moving elsewhere within the last six months to find better opportunities. Eighty percent of respondents from Santa Ana and Santa Tecla said they have thought about relocating. In comparison, 70 percent of respondents from San Miguel said they have already migrated and returned to El Salvador, where they found it difficult to prove the learning and experience they acquired while out of the country.

“I have thought about migrating to be able to improve my life,” said Cesar, adding, “Being able to give our family a better future is impeded by the economy.”

The youth also offered suggestions for improving and expanding academic and professional training, including online options, help youth find jobs, and encourage entrepreneurship. The most common request was for increased financial support to help cover schooling costs, which was mentioned as the top priority by 25 percent of respondents. Another 19 percent recommended improving the safety of schools, 17 percent would like technical training offered through online programs, 16 percent want to see afternoon and weekend training options, and 16 percent also advise increasing psychosocial support for young people.

Elsy Escolar Santo Domingo speaks at a podium
ITCA-FEPADE Rector Elsy Escolar Santo Domingo, MEd, speaks to one of the focus groups.

In addition, most of those consulted agreed that the educational system needs to be modernized and improve communication and accessibility. Their recommendations included updating curricula, investing in new equipment and laboratories, and applying experiential, hands-on methodologies so that students will be better prepared to enter the job market.

“And for good education, we need good instructors who are also honest, and we need access to technology like better internet connections,” José said.

Other suggestions involved developing high school and technical training options for youth in underserved areas, increasing the emphasis on learning to use technology in high school, promoting personal growth in areas like financial literacy and critical thinking, and improving internet access and connectivity. Another important recommendation was to develop partnerships between educational institutions and businesses to help students engage with employers and improve their access to job opportunities.

“The young people who took part in these focus groups provided essential insight into the lived experiences of youth in El Salvador,” says Honeyman. “They have valuable ideas to offer on how to improve education and employment prospects for themselves and their peers.”

Using the information gathered from these discussions and surveys, ITCA-FEPADE and World Learning designed a project concept to improve psychosocial support and career guidance for youth while connecting them directly with a network of companies in an effort to increase the hiring of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The project would leverage new opportunities arising as the world begins to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic to expand academic and employment prospects for El Salvador’s youth.

Connecting Students to Work in El Salvador

Searching for work was once a challenge for students at the Universidad Centro Americana José Simeón Canas (UCA).

Though the university had relationships with local employers, it didn’t always understand the difficulties students were having in finding jobs — or what employers were looking for in new hires.

That changed in 2017.

World Learning worked with five Salvadoran universities to establish career development centers (CDCs) as part of the USAID-funded Higher Education for Economic Growth Project. These centers provide connections to the local job market and prepare students for careers through skills trainings.

“World Learning had a way of customizing their global experience to fit the reality of El Salvador,” says Mario Dimas, director of the university’s CDC.

Since late 2018, World Learning’s university partners have created a total of 312 connections with local employers.

UCA, in particular, has doubled the number of internship and job opportunities for students and increased its employer partnerships by 127 percent. Major companies like Unilever now send staff to lecture at the university, conduct recruiting activities on campus, and bring students on tours of their technical sites. Students return with a newfound understanding of the technical skills employers desire, which helps the university improve its curricula.

World Learning also worked with the university to establish new practices to develop students’ soft skills. Now, counselors at the career center employ role-playing techniques to help students practice for job interviews and offer personal attention to students developing their resumes.

“Students must go beyond what they learn in their technical abilities,” Dimas says, explaining that companies are looking for recruits who can express their ideas, engage in teamwork, and prepare for leadership roles.

Ultimately, everyone benefits, he adds. “These companies receive students who understand how to work in real life.”

How Career Centers Have Created New Possibilities in El Salvador

Twenty-three-year-old Blanca María Dinarte Romero knew from a young age that she was meant to become an educator. But she has faced obstacles on every step of her professional journey.

First, Dinarte-Romero worried her family’s economic struggles would keep her from attending college. But by working hard, she earned a scholarship to Universidad Centroamericana in El Salvador, where she specialized in preschool education and eventually graduated magna cum laude.

Blanca María Dinarte-Romero

Then, though she was top of her class, Dinarte-Romero met with much disappointment as sought employment after graduation. “I was desperate,” she says. “I even began thinking about looking for jobs outside of my field, whether it be sales or anything else.”

Like Dinarte-Romero, young people around the world are facing more challenges than ever while seeking employment in a modern workforce — even if they have a college degree. Communities everywhere face staggering unemployment rates as educational systems fail to prepare both young people and adults for the changing nature of work.

Career development centers can make a difference.

Through our signature WorkLinks approach, World Learning works in communities around the world to help educational institutions build these centers and connect students with potential opportunities. We’ve seen firsthand how career centers help young people come to see higher education as a way to achieve their goals. Altogether, we have reached 52,989 youth through 24 career center in three regions of the world. In El Salvador, through the USAID-funded Higher Education for Economic Growth Project, implemented by RTI International in partnership with World Learning and Rutgers University, we established five career development centers at five universities in the country: Universidad Francisco Gavidia, Universidad Don Bosco, Universidad de Oriente, Universidad Centroamericana, Universidad Catolica de El Salvador.

These career centers have been a game-changer for many Salvadoran students, including Dinarte-Romero.

In early 2018, Dinarte-Romero reached out to her university’s career center. “From my first experience with the career center, the staff was very kind and willing to help,” she says. Career center staff provided feedback on her résumé and sent her daily emails filled with job-hunting tips and information regarding available job opportunities. It wasn’t long before Dinarte-Romero landed a job interview and, by July, she was employed as a technical assistant in the Child Care Module at Ciudad Mujer, a government program dedicated to improving the lives of Salvadoran woman.

Career center participants at the Universidad Catolica de El Salvador.

Carolina Melara also credits her university’s career center with linking her to the working world. Melara knew that job opportunities were slim in her field when she enrolled at the Universidad Catolica de El Salvador (UNICAES) to study journalism and communications. She took advantage of the university’s career center not only to help her land an internship through its job placement services, but also to prepare her for that internship so that she might leave a good impression on her employers.

“The career center provided us with a variety of techniques to be able to arrive to a place and say: this is who I am, this is who I represent, and this is what I came to do,” she says.

Those consultations paid off. With the help of the career center, Melara landed an internship with a business that later hired her before she even graduated. She is now in charge of the company’s brand new institutional communications department.

El Salvador’s new fleet of career centers have also proven helpful to students who prefer to create their own employment opportunities—and helpful to the country itself given entrepreneurship’s critical role in creating new jobs and new lines of production.

Melissa Ruíz, a fifth-year chemical engineering student at the Central American University (UCA), is one of those young entrepreneurs. Since 2017, Ruíz has launched two small agricultural businesses — and she says her university’s career center was a key part of her success.

Melissa Ruíz.

From the beginning, 23-year-old Ruíz saw a great opportunity to develop her skills at the career center. Curious about the campus newcomer, she applied to participate in an entrepreneurship workshop and then discovered that the career center also offered social skills workshops to help students improve their communication. “I quickly connected with my colleagues, which strengthened my empathy, something essential to my work,” she says.

In 2018, the career center helped Ruíz obtain a paid internship with Ingenio La Cabaña, a sugar production company that emphasizes community engagement. The internship was a tremendous help to Ruíz, who was in the initial stages of launching Yec Tunal, her small business that sells wines made from fruit grown by small, country farmers.

These experiences proved so enriching that Ruíz went on to participate in an entrepreneurship workshop with the Department of Business Administration at UCA, followed by an academic internship at EARTH University in Costa Rica, a private nonprofit university that focuses on sustainability. During her six-week exchange to Costa Rica, Ruíz learned what she needed to know to develop a second project producing concentrate for pigs from the pulp of coffee beans. She has since entered that project to compete in INNOVA EMPRENDE, a government initiative that supports entrepreneurs.

Once again, the career center was there to help her as she developed her application for the competition. In consultation with career center staff, Ruíz created a business profile, determined her projected sales, and distributed capital. Now she’s just waiting to find out if hers is among the winning projects. “In moments of need, the career center has always been on our team’s side,” Ruíz says.

Overall, World Learning’s career centers have made a difference for young Salvadorans. From 2016 to 2018, there was a 25 percent increase in internship placements for students at these five universities — and 26 percent of those students were eventually hired by the company where they interned thanks to the skills they learned on the job, in school, and at the career development center. As Lic. Mario Dimas, director of the career center at UCA, explains: “These companies receive students who understand how to work in real life.”

In El Salvador, This Educator is Transforming How Students Learn English

Two years ago, the Universidad Autonoma de Santa Ana had a problem: Students were getting bored with their English classes. The curriculum simply didn’t seem relevant. Though the Salvadoran university offers studies in various disciplines like medicine, dentistry, communications, and physical education, its English classes were generic — and sometimes even backwards, forcing medical students to write newspaper articles and communications students to role-play scenes in a hospital.

“I believe students deserve a different way of learning,” says Mike Hernandez, coordinator of the university’s language department. But he wasn’t sure what that new way might be until a colleague encouraged him to enroll in a 10-day workshop organized by World Learning’s Higher Education for Economic Growth Project, a USAID-funded initiative that aims to transform El Salvador’s system of higher education. There, Hernandez learned about an innovative teaching methodology that perfectly addressed the disconnect his students were facing.

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is a teaching system in which both content and method are hyper-focused to meet the needs of English language learners from business and science to tourism and the arts. Though it has been around since the 1960s, experts say ESP is still gaining traction in educational circles. Hernandez had never heard of it until the workshop. “It opened my mind and eyes,” he says. “I thought, this is what my university needs.”

Immediately upon his return to Santa Ana, Hernandez created the Universidad Autonoma de Santa Ana’s first ESP program. English language classes for medical students would include units like Hospital Staff, The Body, and Body Systems like the circulatory or respiratory systems. Communications students would learn the vocabulary and grammar they needed for careers in web design, podcasting, video, and more. “We changed everything,” he says.

Of course, rapid change brings its own challenges. Hernandez says that teachers and students alike were wary of the new program when he introduced it. Teachers worried it would take them too long to redesign their curriculum around the principles of ESP, and they also feared they wouldn’t know how to teach medical or other technical vocabulary. Meanwhile, students lamented the shift in focus from writing to speaking English.

But those growing pains faded quickly. “At the end, teachers loved it and now they’re using it every time in class,” Hernandez says. Students, too, warmed to the new class structure to the point where he had to double the university’s offering of English language courses. “So it works,” he says. “It was awesome.”

Hernandez has continued to build on that success both in El Salvador and abroad. Earlier this year, he traveled to Bulgaria with the U.S. Department of State to teach ESP to teachers there. “They were like, wow this is amazing, where did you learn that?” he says. “I said, I learned it in El Salvador.” He has also been talking with fellow educators in El Salvador about training budding teachers in ESP throughout their own studies. “I think that’s the future,” he says.

He has bigger plans for developing higher education in El Salvador as well. Hernandez has recently applied for a $20,000 grant from the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador to launch a project that would train Salvadoran teachers in inclusive education for people with learning disabilities. The project would also host workshops for parents, administrators, and students.

As Hernandez waits to find out whether the project will win its funding, he hopes to see even more opportunities for educators in El Salvador and Central America. He’s particularly interested in expanded Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) programming, for example, or initiatives like World Learning Algeria’s STEAM Center, which promotes science, tech, engineering, arts, and mathematics among the country’s youth. “World Learning is about empowering people, communities, institutions, and teachers,” he says. “We have some ideas too.”

Alumni Thematic International Exchange Seminars

Participant Profile

Participants are alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs and vary in age and level of expertise, but all will be engaged in the seminar topic and highly motivated to create change in their communities.

Please consult the list of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs below.

Participant Selection

Alumni TIES participants who are not U.S. citizens are nominated by the U.S. Embassies or Consulates in their countries. Please contact the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in your country to learn how you can participate in Alumni TIES. Potential Alumni TIES participants who are living in the United States can apply for specific seminars managed by World Learning. The web link to the online application will be distributed widely by the Office of Alumni Affairs of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

All participants for Alumni TIES seminars are selected by the U.S. Department of State.

Program Design

Alumni TIES seminars take place in six world regions and the U.S.; each seminar is three to four days for small groups of alumni. The seminars include speakers, capacity development trainings, and alumni networking activities. Through the small grants initiative, alumni have the opportunity to take action and make a positive difference in their communities.

Learn More

Watch more videos about the Alumni TIES program.

Read stories from past participants about their experiences at the seminars or with their small grant projects on the Alumni TIES blog.

For information on programs for U.S. government-sponsored exchange program alumni visit the International Exchange Alumni website.

Alumni TIES is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by World Learning, in partnership with the Office of Alumni Affairs of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).  

Digital Communication Network

Examples of Past Digital Communication Network Projects

  • Internet vs. Democracy Forum
  • Roaring 20s #Digital Forum
  • Combatting Disinformation Training Program
  • Digital and Media Literacy for NGOs Training Program
  • Tolerance and Coexistence 2.0 Forum
  • Montenegro Digital Influencers Hub
  • Humor and Games for Social Good Forum

Fulbright Specialist Program

What?

Link U.S. Experts and International Institutions

A program of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Fulbright Specialist Program is a unique opportunity for U.S. academics and established professionals to engage in two- to six-week consultancies at host institutions across the globe. Host institutions, including universities, non-profits, and other organizations, develop and submit projects for approval by the U.S. Embassy or Fulbright Commission in their country in wide-ranging academic and professional fields that build capacity and promote long-lasting linkages between individuals and institutions in the U.S. and abroad.

Why?

Address Priorities and Build Institutional Capacity at Institutions Around the World

An important companion to the traditional Fulbright Scholar Program, the Fulbright Specialist Program differs by providing short-term exchange experiences that tackle discrete, sometimes rapid response, projects. The Fulbright Specialist Program encourages participation of both university faculty and highly experienced non-academics, including legal experts, business professionals, public health practitioners, scientists, IT professionals, artists, and journalists. The program is a mutually beneficial opportunity for the Specialist who may not be available to leave their position for an extended period of time and the host institution which needs an experienced partner to jointly tackle a problem or examine an issue on a short-term basis.

How?

Become a Fulbright Specialist: Apply to Join the Roster

Fulbright Specialists are a diverse group of highly experienced, well-established faculty members and professionals who represent a wide variety of academic disciplines and professions.  In order to be eligible to serve as a Fulbright Specialist, candidates must have significant experience in their respective professional field and be a U.S. citizen at time of application. Eligible disciplines and professional fields supported by the Fulbright Specialist Program are listed below.

  • Agriculture
  • American Studies
  • Anthropology
  • Archeology
  • Biology Education
  • Business Administration
  • Chemistry Education
  • Communications and Journalism
  • Computer Science and Information Technology
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Engineering Education
  • Environmental Science
  • Law
  • Library Science
  • Math Education
  • Peace and Conflict Resolution Studies
  • Physics Education
  • Political Science
  • Public Administration
  • Public/Global Health
  • Social Work
  • Sociology
  • Urban Planning

Interested candidates can find more information about the Fulbright Specialist Program and apply to serve as a Specialist at fulbrightspecialist.worldlearning.org. Candidates who meet all eligibility requirements will have their full applications reviewed by a panel of their professional peers. Candidates who are approved by the peer review panels will then join the Fulbright Specialist Roster. Individuals remain on the Specialist Roster for a three-year term and are eligible to be matched with a host institution’s project abroad during that tenure.

The following costs are covered for those Fulbright Specialists who are matched to a project: international and domestic airfare, ground transportation, visa fees, lodging, meals, and incidentals. A daily honorarium is also provided.

Become a Host: Bring a Fulbright Specialist to Your Institution

The Fulbright Specialist Program allows universities, cultural centers, non-governmental organizations, and other institutions abroad to host a leading U.S. academic or professional to work on diverse, short-term collaborative projects where the Specialist conducts activities which may include, but are not limited to:

  • Delivering a seminar or workshop
  • Consulting on faculty or workforce development
  • Developing academic or training curricula and materials
  • Lecturing at the graduate or undergraduate level
  • Conducting needs assessments or evaluations for a program or institution

Institutions interested in hosting a Fulbright Specialist should contact their local Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy for country-specific requirements and deadlines.

Contact information for all participating countries is available on the fulbrightspecialist.worldlearning.org website.

For more information or questions about the Fulbright Specialist Program, please email [email protected].

The Fulbright Specialist Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. government and administered by World Learning.

International Visitor Leadership Program

End of Year Report

Chosen by U.S. embassies worldwide to participate, distinguished professionals include:

  • parliamentarians
  • government officials
  • entrepreneurs
  • NGO leaders
  • journalists
  • academics
  • arts administrators
  • mid-career professionals

Programs focus on policy issues in areas such as:

  • government
  • international security
  • foreign policy
  • entrepreneurship
  • economics and trade
  • media
  • women’s leadership
  • education
  • public health
  • arts
  • agriculture
  • disability rights and inclusion

World Learning staff members design national itineraries, arrange logistics, set up meetings in Washington, DC, and coordinate the collaboration of U.S. Department of State program officers, interpreters and International Visitor Liaisons, and more than 85 community-based member organizations from the Global Ties U.S. Network who arrange local programs nationwide.

Participants

Most participants are mid-career professionals and emerging leaders, and for many, this is their first visit to the U.S. Groups are of varying sizes, from single visitors to groups of 25 or more. World Learning program staff work closely with their State Department counterparts to design a program customized to the project objectives and the visitors’ interests.

 

Participant Selection

IVLP candidates are selected solely by U.S. embassy personnel in each country. There is no application form. World Learning is a private sector partner of the U.S. Department of State; our role is limited to designing programs for participants once they arrive in the U.S. For further information regarding the program, please consult the U.S. Department of State’s website.

Program Design

A typical project includes up to a week of meetings in Washington, DC, to provide an orientation and overview of the theme and to introduce visitors to federal officials and agencies, national organizations, academics and think tanks, nonprofits and NGOs, and professionals in their specific field of interest. All projects include a briefing on the US federal system of government. Meetings may include panel discussions, site visits, workshops, individual interlocutors, job shadowing, or service opportunities. Visitors typically travel to an additional three or four cities in geographically diverse regions of the country; the itinerary may include a state capital and a small town to provide first-hand exposure to the great diversity that exists in the U.S. Also included in the program design are hospitality dinners, school visits, community service activities, and cultural events such as rodeos, state fairs, festivals, visits to national parks, or events that highlight some unique aspect of the region visited.

Participant Experience

“My recent experience in the IVLP program is so far the deepest ever for me to see and understand the full picture of what America as a country is like. I strongly believe this program will have a very long-term impact on my views about America and the world and to some extent it has already helped me to understand many long-time questions.” – Journalist from China

The International Visitor Leadership Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by World Learning.

Leaders Lead On-Demand Program

Examples of past leaders Lead On-Demand Projects:

  • Vietnam Legal Aid
  • Refugee Integration and Resettlement in Central and Eastern Europe
  • Sports Leadership Program for Colombia
  • Mongolia Disability Rights Legislation and Implementation
  • Promoting Open Educational Resources: Middle East and North Africa
  • Tourism and Development in Serbia and Kosovo
  • Religious Freedom and Interfaith Dialogue for Myanmar, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand
  • Emerging Leaders Exchange for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland
  • Environmental Advocacy for Mongolia
  • Getting Connected Program for the South Pacific
  • Civic Engagement Program for Moldova
  • Disinformation and Fact Checking in Kenya

The Leaders Lead On-Demand is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by World Learning.

Youth Ambassadors Program

In-Person Youth Ambassadors Programs:

Three-week, Youth Ambassadors programs commence in various locations across the United States, including San Francisco, CA; Washington, DC; or in Brattleboro, VT. Participants then travel in smaller cohorts to host communities across the country. All inbound programs include a segment in Washington, DC.

The U.S. Youth Ambassadors exchanges follow a similar program cycle, beginning with a U.S.-based pre-departure orientation, followed by international travel to the exchange country. Three-week, single, and multi-country exchanges take place between June – August; exact dates will vary by exchange country.

The Adult Mentor Role:

The Adult Mentor, or Adult Educator, role is an important part of the Youth Ambassadors Program. These adult program participants support the development of group cohesion and community among program participants; assist youth participants in cultural exploration; engage youth participants in learning and help connect their experiences to their Community-Based Service Initiatives; and continue mentorship development following the virtual or in-person exchange by supporting youth participant project implementation. Youth Ambassadors Adult Educators will:

  • Facilitate participants’ progress on program activities. This may include supporting Youth Ambassadors Program staff with check-ins on individual participants’ progress; and providing insights, guidance, and encouragement on participants’ assignments and discussions.
  • Build the capacity of participants. A key role of the adult educators is to build the capacity of youth participants by enabling them to solve issues or problems as they arise. Youth Ambassadors Program staff do not expect adult educators to solve problems, but rather to empower students to solve their issues/problems themselves.
  • Serve as a resource. Adult Educators will serve as a resource for the student teams by sharing their technical expertise, organizational experience, professional networks, and life experience. In other words, if youth participants have questions and are in need of resources to get to the next level, adult educators should point them in the right direction, based on their experience and connections. Following the program, Adult Educators will support youth participants as they implement their community projects. Adult Educators will be available for questions and guidance as participants need.
  • Act as a cultural bridge. Adult Educators serve as a “cultural bridge” if youth participants have difficulty understanding each other or any part of the program.

Connect with Youth Ambassadors

Contact Us

Questions? Contact our Admissions Office at [email protected] or at 1-877-591-9626 inside the U.S. or at 1-802-258-3485 outside the U.S.

Youth Ambassadors is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government. The program is administered by World Learning in partnership with Amigos de las Américas and Georgetown University CIED.