In celebration of Exchange Day (August 7) and International Youth Day (August 12), Partners of the Americas wants to honor the youth who have changed lives with us. Most recently, Partners facilitated the hybrid Buenos Aires Youth Leaders Program (BAYL) for youth from the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It lasted 12 virtual weeks, culminating in an in-person camp in Tandil, Argentina.
Goals of the program include:
- Promote mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and the people of Argentina;
- Prepare youth leaders to become successful professionals and responsible citizens contributing to their communities;
- Equip participants with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to lead change by influencing peers and to be actively engaged in addressing issues of concern in their schools and communities upon their return home; and
- Foster relationships among youth from different ethnic, racial, religious, and national groups and create hemispheric networks of youth leaders, both within Argentina and internationally.
Here are some highlights of what BAYL youth leaders have accomplished since completing the program in November 2022:
Joyce Morales
Above: Joyce presents her vision for her project, “Drops of Joy” during her trip to the U.S. on the Youth Ambassadors program.
Joyce Morales completed her community project, baking delicious food for and celebrating Christmas with children from a local shelter. She will continue to engage with the kids at the shelter so they can enjoy life together!
“For me, Buenos Aires Youth Leaders was my first exchange experience and one I will never forget. I learned a lot from lovely people and [it] certainly opened my mind! I will always be thankful to Partners of the Americas and the U.S. Embassy in Argentina for this experience. Since BAYL, my most important achievement was participating in the Youth Ambassadors program, another amazing experience that taught me a lot about the U.S. culture!”
Gabi Ramallo
Above: Image of some of the supplies collected by Gabi and his community.
Gabi Ramallo worked on a project to collect donations of clothes, food, and cleaning products for local boys at a local organization in his Argentina town. He was proud to gather his community to get the needed resources so that all community members could flourish.
Gaspar Capurro
Photo: Gaspar Capurro (second to the right), director of the high school, Silvina Finamor, and two representatives of Prosemillas.
Gaspar Capurro completed his project that he organized during BAYL 2022. His community project was about getting tools for his technical school, EEST N°1 “Lucas Kraglievich”. It consisted of making an inventory of tools and writing the missing ones. Then, he communicated with companies in Argentina to donate, which was the hardest part. He persevered in his search, finally receiving donations from Prosemillas and KWS. Through his networking, public speaking, and budget development skills, Gaspar was able to receive the tools he needed, s well as an internship with KWS. Gaspar even has built a potential relationship between his school and Ferrari, the international automobile company, which is headquartered in his hometown.
“Thank you for the opportunities given to us (youth participants). I learned that it is really important to have good contacts if you want to have good results. I learned how to make a budget, and many more things that are important to my future.”
Tomi Helman
Above: Tomi explores the streets of New York City through photojournalism with The New York Times Summer Academy.
“Since my experience in the Buenos Aires Youth Leaders program, I’ve been part of The School of The New York Times Summer Academy, where I learned about reporting, writing, and journalism. Above all, the whole experience enabled me to internalize international exchange to become a better global citizen.”
Above: BAYL participants Camila and Tomi continue their youth leadership through their local Rotary clubs.
Malena D’adonna
After participating in BAYL, Malena D’adonna participated in two other incredible opportunities to advance her professional and personal skills. First, she engaged in Meta’s Engineer for the Week program, facilitated by BAYL mentor Franco Ricci, during which she leveraged her STEM skills to build a chatbox for change. Most recently, she was accepted as one of three Argentineans for TechGirls, which empowers young women from around the world to pursue careers in science and technology.
Emir Asam and Joyce Morales
Above: BAYL participants Joyce and Emir take a photo with U.S. Embassy in Argentina representative, Laura Demoy, as they begin their adventures on the Youth Ambassador program.
After participating in BAYL, Emir and Joyce applied for the Youth Ambassadors program to continue their growth as youth leaders and global citizens.
Cami
Above: Cami presents her project.
“Having been part of the program has enriched me a lot, today the great opportunities that BAYL has helped me build are visible. Today, I can see how I have increased my civic engagement, my volunteerism, my ability to give talks to a large audience, my desire to learn, and my perseverance in the project that I propose. In addition to all these wonderful things that this program gave me, from it I take the best experiences, the best people, and the biggest, most sincere hearts I’ve ever met. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity, it will be a moment that will always remain in my memory. Thank you very much.”
Ambar
Above: Ambar leads a discussion with her peers to bring awareness about bullying in school and the impact it has on victims.
“I founded the United Against Bullying association with the aim of giving awareness talks on this issue in schools in Berazategui, teaching students the types of bullying, its effects on the victims and the importance of witnesses. In addition, we encouraged the creation of mediation workshops in schools, for the peaceful and cooperative resolution of conflicts between students.”
Overall, BAYL youth continue to remain a network of diverse young leaders and responsible global citizens. They seek international and local opportunities for personal and professional growth as well as opportunities to help their communities flourish.
Sofia Metzler
Sofia smiles with her project poster.
Sofia had to change her project a lot since developing it in BAYL, but she learned that adaptability is a key part of program development. In October, she will be going to Monte Caseros, Corrientes in Argentina to help a school in need there. She is collecting donations for travel and items for donation, which they will bring to the school. Though it wasn’t what was planned originally, she is so proud to share her work.
“Since the BAYL program last year, the project I planned suffered many changes. It started with myself helping the school library, and it ended with a group project with my classmates to help a school in an impoverished zone of my country. We still have a lot to do, but we are determined to reach it and go through every obstacle.”
We are proud of these youth and their dedication to connecting together and changing lives. Learn more about the BAYL program here.
