Partners brings tested methodologies, experienced staff, lessons learned and creative, proactive strategies to the areas of youth development, youth leadership, and children’s rights. For the past 48 years, Partners has engaged nearly 5,000 youth leaders from over 20 Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) countries in various youth leadership and engagement programs which equip them to become responsible citizens in their communities. These programs help youth build leadership skills, mutual understanding between cultures, and a commitment to service, and ensure long-term engagement throughout their lives. Partners also believes that by addressing poverty and lack of education you can decrease child labor. Partners has combated this escalating crisis and improved social and psychological services to victims of child labor so they can begin healthy and productive lives.

•  American Youth Leadership Program: Partners of the Americas is pleased to announce it will be selecting 21 U.S. participants to travel to Paraguay during July of 2013.

• Youth Ambassadors Program (YA): Since 2003, Partners has recruited and trained over 800 youth leaders from 15 LAC countries in the U.S. Department of State (DOS) funded YA Program. The program brings together youth, ages 15-18, from diverse communities to build understanding among countries, increase leadership skills and develop a commitment to service.

• International Youth Ambassadors Network (IYAN): In recognition of a growing youth network, Partners convened over 50 youth from 19 countries in LAC for the first Youth Ambassadors Summit in Panama, where the International Youth Ambassadors Network (IYAN) was formed.

• Red2021: Created at the 2^nd World Summit on Youth Volunteering in 2011, Red2021 is a forward-looking network that creates connections between youth volunteers and then maps the personal and organizational commitments. RED2021 will serve as the global platform for youth volunteers during the next 10 years, seeking to create the international alliances that they need to achieve their goals. The network is a collective commitment by corporations and youth to build a more informed, connected, and accountable global youth volunteer community.

• Eliminating the Worst Forms of Child Labor through Education in Colombia (Educame Primero Colombia): The program enabled Partners to help remove 10,200 Colombian children and youth from exploitative labor situations and provide them with a safe place (called Espacios Para Crecer) to learn and to receive academic support.

• Reducing and Eliminating Child Labor in Guyana (EDUCARE Guyana): The program, implemented from 2005- 2009 aimed at withdrawing and preventing children from exploitive child labor by expanding access to and improving the quality of basic education benefitting over 3,000 children.

• Reducing and Eliminating Child Labor in Brazil (EDUCAR Brazil): Although primarily focused on helping to reduce other forms of child labor in Brazil, the program also aided in the fight against commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking reaching over 10,700 beneficiaries from 2003 – 2007.