The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) announced the names of 10 young agents of change from the Americas who have been selected to participate in the youth conference and other activities during the Annual Meeting of the IDB-IIC Boards of Governors, to be held on March 24th in Calgary, Canada.
Approximately 1,800 young people (aged 18 to 28) from Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States, submitted their applications in hopes of being selected to represent youth from their region at the youth conference, which serves as the kick-off event for the Annual Meeting. The selection process was highly competitive and based on a set of criteria designed to identify a diverse group, representative of youth leadership in the region.
The evaluation was based on the applicants’experience as agents of change in their communities and the relationship between their work activities and the conference topics: employment-entrepreneurship, housing, environment-climate change, road safety, sports, and culture for development. The selection process also focused on the applicants’main achievements or awards received, the reasons they gave on why they should be selected to go to Calgary, and how they would share the experience with their peers back home.
The 10 young agents of change selected come from different backgrounds and have different career ambitions, but they all share the same dedication and commitment to development in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The 10 young winners are:
Franz Beltrán Gutiérrez, Cochabamba, Bolivia
Eduardo Cader, San Salvador, El Salvador
Tamaisha Eytle, Guyana
Maximiliano Gómez, Entre Rios, Argentina
Gerson Abel Morales, Chimaltenango, Guatemala
Aderlúcia Nascimento da Silva, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
José Miguel Palechor, Cauca, Colombia
Sara Potler, United States
Delfina Zagarzazú, Carmelo, Uruguay
Marisela Ponce de León Valdés, Mexico
These young agents of change represent thousands of young leaders who contribute every day towards improving their communities and countries. Their achievements will be recognized by IDB President, Luis Alberto Moreno; Calgary Mayor, Naheed Nenshi; University of Calgary President, Dr. Elizabeth Cannon; and Microsoft Senior Director for Global Community Affairs, Akhtar Badsha, in the Youth for Development – Development for Youth Conference.
The conference will also showcase innovative youth programs and advocate for policies that will enable children and youth to gain greater access to social services, as well as opportunities to contribute in their communities. It is anticipated that about 500 participants, including Calgary students, will attend.
The event will close with a concert with two emerging pop rock MTV artists: Marre, from Colombia, a road safety spokesperson for the IDB and MTV; and Gustavo Galindo, a pop/rock singer-songwriter of Mexican-American heritage, who promotes cultural ties between Hispanic and Mexican youth.
The Inter-American Development Bank, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the University of Calgary, Microsoft and MTV Latin America are sponsoring the youth conference and the 10 youth leaders. The conference, the awards ceremony, seminars and closing event will be broadcast live by Webcast via www.livestream.com on March 24, starting at 9:00 a.m.