We are proud to announce our partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank’s Young Connection (YC). YC is a community of young professionals who work at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington, DC. Members come together to connect, network and share experiences and ideas. Like us, YC believes in the power of people to people cooperation. As Sofia Sunaga, one of the two General Coordinators of YC notes, “YC works to expand the skills, knowledge and experience of our members by stimulating opportunities for collaboration through events, activities and projects.  By doing this, we hope to have a positive development impact both as an institution within the IDB and, by extension, for the Latin American and Caribbean region as a whole.”

Sunaga notes that in partnering with UBELONG, YC now offers its members “the perfect opportunity to acquire experience on the ground.” Doing so is not only personally fulfilling but also important to the professional development of YC members. As UBELONG co-founder Raul Roman explains, “International development professionals need to get out of the office and get their boots dirty in the field. This is the best way for them to personally connect to issues and fully understand the context in which social and environmental challenges exist.”

As part of our partnership we have established The Young Connection and UBELONG Field Talk Contest. The contest will offer YC members who have participated in one of our programs the opportunity to write essays reflecting on their UBELONG experience. Twice a year winners will be selected and featured in panel discussions open to the public at the IDB headquarters. This opportunity will allow them to share their ideas and thoughts about the challenges they experienced in the field and empower them to assume leadership roles in the international development community.

Additionally, considering our social mission and the international development background of our team, our partnership with YC is a natural one that will surely lead to further collaboration. As Alexander Yec, the other General Coordinator of YC, envisions, “The UBELONG and YC partnership is one that is mutually beneficial and that will lead to opportunities for further growth. The values that YC strives for are aligned with the ones UBELONG has already established through its volunteering programs.”

Finally, we look forward to having YC members contribute to the communities we support. YC members are experienced international development professionals. And, as Sunaga explains, “Our members possess a strong drive to pursue positive change. They are strongly committed to contributing to tangible outcomes. And, with such a diverse cultural background, our members are constantly engaged in teamwork and collaboration across different development issues.”

To learn more about the Inter-American Development Bank and Young  Connection, please visit their websites.

Click on the picture above to enlarge it. Photo courtesy of Manoel Silva.