Grasping at the opportunity to become better entrepreneurs and enhance their capacity to contribute to the Jamaican economy, eight Jamaicans trekked to the United States of America to participate in the six-week Young Leaders of America Initiative (YLAI) programme.

Since the initiative’s launch in 2015, more than 1,000 YLAI fellows from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada have expanded their leadership and entrepreneurial experience through fellowships at businesses and organisations across the United States. Through the YLAI Entrepreneurial Leadership Curriculum and individualised professional placements, YLAI fellows have accelerated their commercial and social ventures’ success and developed specific action plans to implement upon return to their home countries. YLAI fellows built networks, linkages, and lasting partnerships to attract investments and support for their entrepreneurial ventures.

To date, approximately 40 young Jamaicans have participated in this transformative programme, gaining much insight in how to further develop their respective businesses and networks.

The Jamaica Observer has interviewed five of the fellows from this year’s YLAI cohort with a view to gaining insights into their expectations, challenges, and key takeaways.

Of the five participants, three were women and two men. The gender divide was even more pronounced as the women operate social enterprises focused on youth, women empowerment, and training of persons with special needs, while men run enterprises in the creative space.

Sunday Finance introduces five of eight Jamaican fellows who successfully completed the 2022 installment of the YLAI programme:

Jannel Alexander-Reid is an educator and entrepreneur. The founder and director of the Institute of JAR aims to empower women to become financially and socially independent through skills training in events planning and décor, floral arrangement, make-up artistry, entrepreneurship, and cake baking. For the 2022 Young Leaders of America fellowship Reid was placed at Penez, an education-based company located in Kanas City, Missouri, where she wrote curriculum content for her host organisation.

Carlyle Grant works in the digital marketing sector as proprietor of Midas Creative Agency Limited (trading as Digital Danes). The company’s services include social media management, graphic design, digital video production, and photography. Grant was assigned to the Chicago Council on Science and Technology during the fellowship.

Working in youth empowerment is Kenene Senior, the leader of God’s Investment for Today (G.I.F.T.). The business targets children and adolescents, particularly those aged seven to 17 years, providing them with individualised mentorship, honing sessions, monthly empowerment sessions, engagement in volunteer activities, and assistance with homework. Senior, a trained educator and psychologist, was placed in Business for a Better World Centre at George Mason University, Washington, DC.

[insert photo]Dennis Fyffe is a cinematographer and photographer who heads Denni Visuals. The company offers services such as portraits and headshots and develops and executes concepts for advertisements, music videos, and film productions. Denni Visuals’ clientele includes small businesses, non-profit organisations, musicians’ and artists’ management companies, and large corporations. Fyffe was matched with Story Quest Studios in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Janielle Todd founded The A+ Generation with the vision that children with special needs will receive the support and opportunities to excel academically and to further build and excel in their desired careers. The company currently offers homeschooling, private tutoring, counselling, and parent/caregiver training services, all geared towards helping people with special needs. For her professional placement, Todd worked with Northwest Center in Seattle, Washington.