Latin America & the Caribbean
We’ve worked with more than 70 local organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean to help them harness their passion for sustainable youth development projects that measurably change the lives of underserved youth. The first member of IYF’s global partner network joined from Ecuador in 1991, just a year after our founding. Flagship initiatives New Employment Opportunities (NEO) and entra21 have connected more than 100,000 young people with employability training and jobs and created critical alliances among government ministries, businesses, and youth organizations. A great example of how IYF builds local capacity to meet global standards of excellence, our innovative new assessment tool for NEO is helping us evaluate more than 200 service providers, who receive tailored coaching and improvement plans from our regional experts. Together, we’re reshaping how young people in Latin America and the Caribbean envision and can access a brighter future.Learn more about IYF’s work in Latin America and the Caribbean by downloading the fact sheet, available in English, Portuguese and Spanish, or explore our 2024 Impact Report, available in English and Spanish.
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Read more: Passport to Success® (2007–Present)
Passport to Success® (2007–Present)
Passport to Success® equips young people ages 14 to 24 with a range of skills that will help them stay in school and acquire the education, professional skills, employment readiness…
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Read more: YouthActionNet® Global Network (2006–2020)
YouthActionNet® Global Network (2006–2020)
YouthActionNet® established a global network of national and regional youth leadership institutes, spanning more than 20 youth-serving institutions. While a majority of local institutes were housed in university settings, others…
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Read more: Obra (2009–2011)
Obra (2009–2011)
From 2009 to 2011, Obra, Spanish for “work,” ensured youth at risk in Latin America and the Caribbean gained increased access to services and programs to learn, work, and lead.…
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Read more: Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ Youth Action Grants
Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ Youth Action Grants
This initiative provided grants to young social entrepreneurs who participated in our YouthActionNet® program. From 2008 to 2013, 90 youth-led social innovations in 32 countries received this financial support, which…
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Read more: Merrill Lynch Employability Initiative (2007-2010)
Merrill Lynch Employability Initiative (2007-2010)
From 2007 to 2010, the Merrill Lynch Foundation provided thousands of disadvantaged youth ages 16 to 29 with financial literacy training and the opportunity to develop their own businesses. In Colombia, vulnerable…
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Read more: Caribbean Youth Empowerment Program (CYEP) (2008–2013)
Caribbean Youth Empowerment Program (CYEP) (2008–2013)
In 2008, in partnership with USAID, IYF launched the Caribbean Youth Empowerment Program (CYEP) to provide young people with positive youth development opportunities across the region. Initially a two-year, US$1.5…
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Read more: Youth:Work
Youth:Work
Launched in 2008, Youth:Work brings comprehensive employment and entrepreneurship programs to young people ages 15 to 29 around the world. Funded by USAID, the initiative enables their bureaus and missions to easily…
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Read more: Nokia-IYF Global Youth Development Initiative (2000–2011)
Nokia-IYF Global Youth Development Initiative (2000–2011)
For more than a decade, we teamed with Nokia to connect youth in 68 countries to their community and country, a better education, and improved job prospects. With the company’s…
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Read more: entra21 (2001-2011)
entra21 (2001-2011)
A model for IYF’s employability initiatives, entra21 provided disadvantaged youth ages 16 to 29 in 22 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean with job training and placement services over…