The Changing Face of European Entrepreneurship

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YTILI group picture in the garden at Meridian International Center

As a fresh new intern at Meridian International Center, I was privileged to be assigned work on the 2016 Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative (YTILI) sponsored by the US State Department. The most rewarding part of the hectic planning and preparations for the YTILI program was having the chance to interact face to face with 45 accomplished, driven and diverse entrepreneurs from 41 European countries. These participants came from all nations across Europe, with places ranging from Turkey to Iceland. Seeing the foreign sounding names on an Excel spreadsheet transform into 45 live individuals with diverse stories, backgrounds, and...

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YLAI Pilot Alumni Continue to Make Progress

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YLAI Pilot Fellows at Meridian House

In February and March 2016, Meridian was proud to welcome 24 entrepreneurs from 20 countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean as part of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Pilot Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.

Meridian is always happy to hear from its alumni, and is particularly proud to share what Luis Loaiza, Alejandro Carbonell, and Triston Thompson have been up to since the conclusion of the program. Continue  

Blagica Petreski: Entrepreneurial Passion Could Change The World

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Blagica Petreski & her YTILI mentor, CTBA Executive director Ralph Martire, at the “Illinois: Vision for the future” event.

This blog post was written by the YTILI fellow: Blagica Petreski, Macedonia CEO of Finance Think- Economic Research and Policy Institute, Skopje- Macedonia   To be selected as a Young Transatlantic Innovative Leaders Initiative (YTILI) fellow is an honor; to participate is a challenge. I had a dream to be a part of the US fellowship programs; I have a dream to improve my society. When I was nominated by the US Embassy in Macedonia as an YTILI fellow, dozens of butterflies appeared in my stomach. At the same time, I was a bit scared. Why me? Could I leave work for...

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Discovering Cuba Through Its Culture

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Art by Michel Mirabal.

Despite Cuba’s geographic proximity to the United States, historical circumstances have served to widen the distance between our two countries. As both nations begin to turn the page towards a future of greater closeness and cooperation, leaders from both sides of the straits are seeking ways to increase understanding and develop relationships between our countries. In April of 2016, led by Ambassador Stuart Holliday, a distinguished group of members of Meridian International Center’s Board of Trustees and other supporters, undertook a trip to Cuba. Consistent with Meridian’s mission to “understand global issues and cultures, exchange ideas, collaborate on solutions,...

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Tragedy and opportunity | Reflections from a YLAI fellow

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YLAI group in DC

Kheston Walkins is a young entrepreneur from Trinidad and Tobago who was selected to attend the 2016 Young Leaders of the America’s Initiative (YLAI) pilot program by the U.S. Department of State. This presidential initiative supports social and business entrepreneurs from across Latin America and the Caribbean. Here are some of his reflections on his experience attending this prestigious U.S.-based exchange. Tragedy and Opportunity: it is a strange courtship that is as clumsy as a duck’s waddle, yet the two travel abreast almost inseparably. My name is Kheston Walkins, and I am from Trinidad and Tobago. Let me tell...

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