Youth Ambassadors is a cultural exchange program designed to strengthen the leadership skills of young people from the Caribbean, Latin America, and the United States. It builds bonds of friendship and understanding between people of the Americas and is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
The program aims to develop a cadre of young adults who have a strong sense of civic responsibility, a commitment to community development, an awareness of current & global issues, and strong interpersonal leadership skills. Activities foster relationships among youth from different ethnic, religious, and national groups; with the goal of promoting mutual understanding, respect, and collaboration between the United States and our Western Hemisphere counterparts.
In December of 2017, CIED/Georgetown University joined a consortia led by World Learning and including Amigos de las Americas to implement the Youth Ambassadors program across the Americas. CIED/GU manages the inbound exchanges for students from 21 nations in Central America and the Caribbean. In addition, CIED/GU conducts outbound exchanges for U.S. students to Central America.
During the three-week exchanges, youth and adult mentor participants engage in workshops, meetings with community leaders, community service activities, interactive trainings, cultural presentations, visits to high schools, local cultural activities, homestays with host families, civic education programming, and more. Program themes of social entrepreneurship and civic enhance skills and knowledge and prepare participants for a lifetime of leadership and community service. The exchange agendas include ample time for face-to-face interaction and dialogue which build strong people-to-people connections.
This program strengthens the leadership skills of young people from the Caribbean, Latin America and the United States, and builds bonds of friendship and understanding between people of the Americas.
Youth Ambassadors Caribbean 2025: Building Leadership and Friendship Across the Americas
September 5th, 2025
In August 2025, 30 young leaders from across the Caribbean traveled to the United States to participate in the Youth Ambassadors (YA) Caribbean exchange, a 14-day program designed to strengthen…
Chidindu Ohaegbulam
Chidindu returned to Charlottesville to join the current YA Caribbean cohort and local high school students in a workshop…
Damien Kerseborn
Last year, Damien attended The Miller School of Albemarle in Charlottesville, Virginia, and will begin his studies at Hampden-Sydney College in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia…
Edwin Morataya
Youth Ambassador Alum receives prestigious Walton International Scholarship award to attend Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas to study computer science.…
“Tolerance, inter-cultural dialogue and respect for diversity are more essential than ever in a world where peoples are becoming more and more closely interconnected.”
Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations
Youth Ambassadors Caribbean 2025: Building Leadership and Friendship Across the Americas
September 5th, 2025
In August 2025, 30 young leaders from across the Caribbean traveled to the United States to participate in the Youth Ambassadors (YA) Caribbean exchange, a 14-day program designed to strengthen…
Youth Ambassadors Caribbean Exchange 2024: Empowering Future Leaders Through Civic Engagement and Cultural Immersion
August 23rd, 2024
The 2024 Youth Ambassadors Caribbean Exchange program, in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, successfully brought together 29 dynamic participants, including 23 young individuals and six…
Youth Ambassadors in Costa Rica
June 14th, 2024
The YA’s pose in front of a church in downtown San Jose, Costa…
Our Youth Ambassadors working in a United Nations Simulation, March 2024
March 27th, 2024
Participants from the Youth Ambassadors March-April Group in Utah. They are participating in a United Nations diplomacy simulation…
Youth Ambassadors 2023 Caribbean Exchange Program Kicks off with a Tour of DC
August 22nd, 2023
Today really allowed me to appreciate the human connection, both in the museum and at the White House. Overall, the program has really helped me come out of my shell and be open to new experiences…
Youth Ambassadors Travel to Belize for the First Time!
August 2nd, 2023
Fourteen Youth Ambassadors from the United States traveled to Belize for a two-week cultural exchange program. This was the first time the Youth Ambassadors program at Georgetown University…
Youth Ambassadors Returns to In-Person Exchanges
March 9th, 2023
After two years of successful virtual exchanges, CIED conducted its first international inbound Youth Ambassadors program with 41 participants representing six different delegations: Bahamas, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and various islands in the Eastern Caribbean.…
Costa Rican Youth Ambassador Alumni Take Action During Pandemic
January 29th, 2021
Youth Ambassador alumni Deily Alpizar, Melanie Morales, and Brian Paz carry out a COVID rapid response initiative in San Carlos, Costa Rica.…
