Young Entrepreneurs of the Americas: Forum for the Participation of Civil Society

IDB YOUTH TO HOLD VIRTUAL FORUM ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP DURING MAY IN PREPARATION FOR FOURTH SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS

The Inter-American Development Bank will hold a series of virtual forums May 2-27 to promote a wide dialogue on the concerns of young entrepreneurs and business people have related to employment in Latin America and the Caribbean.All young people who would like to discuss and make recommendations on employment, competitiveness, business environments, education, technology, leadership, good citizenship, and democracy are welcome to participate.

Members of the IDB Youth Network can enter directly into the section of Virtual Communication with their username and password. Those who are interested in contributing but are not yet members of the Network, may register to the Network by completing the membership form, which may be found by clicking Join the Network. Membership is free and open to all.

The Forum offers youth in the region a tremendous opportunity to express themselves to authorities in their countries on various topics that will affect youth today and far into the future. Their opinions and recommendations will form the base for material that will be addressed at workshops during, "Youth Entrepreneurs of the Americas: Forum for the Participation of Civil Society in the Process of the Summit of the Americas." The Organization of American States is sponsoring this conference, which will be part of the process leading to the Summit of the Americas. It will take place August 10th - 12th in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The results of the discussions will be summarized and presented by youth moderators and these opinions and recommendations will set the foundations for the workshops of the Young Entrepreneurs of the Americas Forum. The results of these workshops will be presented at the Fourth Summit of the Americas that will take place in Mar del Plata, Argentina on November. The purpose of this process and dialogue is to facilitate youth participation and their direct contribution on the summit topic: "Creating Employment to Confront Poverty and Strengthen Democratic Governance.".

To enter the virtual forums and participate in the discussion, please visit: Virtual Communication For more information about the process and August event in Argentina, please go to : Young Americas Business Trust (YABT)

Virtual Forums to Discuss Concerns of Young People in Americas
Findings to be presented at Summit of the Americas in November

By Eric Green
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is holding a series of virtual forums May 2-27 to discuss the concerns of young adult entrepreneurs and to promote more jobs for young people in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The forums are designed to attract strong participation from the region's young adults in a meeting for civil society taking place August 10-12 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Results from the August meeting will be presented at the fourth Summit of the Americas in November in the Argentine city of Mar del Plata, the IDB said. A major theme for the summit is "Creating Employment to Confront Poverty and Strengthen Democratic Governance."

Topics for the IDB forums include volunteerism and community service, the digital divide and information technology, rural youth, HIV/AIDS, social inclusion, the environment and education.

The IDB said in an April 29 statement that young adults who want to discuss and make recommendations on these issues are welcome to participate in the virtual forums.

The forums -- to be held in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French -- will be hosted by the IDB's Youth Adult and Outreach Program. That program has been working since 1995 to meet the economic and social needs of young people in Latin America and the Caribbean and to promote their active engagement and leadership in the region.

The activities of the Youth Program include promoting the importance of establishing alliances with the public, private and nonprofit sectors to respond better to the needs of youth. The program also represents the IDB in what is called the Inter-American Working Group on Youth Development, a consortium of international donor agencies that includes the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Peace Corps.

The IDB said its forums will be held in connection with the Young Americas Business Trust of the Organization of American States. Activities under the trust promote social and economic development in the Western Hemisphere focused on helping to improve the quality of life for the region's young people.

According to the IDB, three out of five people among the 500 million living in Latin America and the Caribbean are younger than age 30, and the vast majority will live during times of social, economic, technological and political changes that will affect them profoundly.

Such changes, and the growth in the number of young people in the Americas, will have far-reaching implications for governments, economies, communities and the environment, said the IDB.

"The region's future has never before depended so much" on the younger generation, the IDB said.

More information about the IDB forums is available here.

http://usinfo.state.gov/wh/Archive/2005/May/03-70524.html?chanlid=wha

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