United States Vice President Kamala Harris in June 2022 at the Summit of the Americas, in Los Angeles. Photo credit: AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez.
A reminder that applications for the Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) close on January 15, 2025. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity. Download the application here and email your completed application to learning4life@guamcc.edu.
Supporting young Pacific women to realize their entrepreneurial dreams Applications for the Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) are now open, with aims of empowering and elevating the next generation of Pacific business leaders throughout the region.
Facilitated by Guam Community College, the AWE is a 12-month business development and leadership virtual training program, catering to Pacific women from the 24 island nations YPL works with in the region.
As part of the program, participants will gather in Mangilao, Guam from April 21-25, 2025, for the Where Dreams Become Reality Conference, featuring presentations from expert speakers, workshops, networking sessions, and multi-cultural excursions to build participants’ entrepreneurial and leadership capacity.
“Guam Community College is excited to host the Where Dreams Become Reality Conference, for women entrepreneurs throughout the Pacific. Opportunities to connect with successful women in business gives the advantage of wisdom and experience in building a sustainable and thriving organization,” according to Dr Mary Okada, President and Chief Executive Officer of Guam Community College.
“We are eager to take our decades of knowledge and success in helping to train leaders in all corners of our society and impart that knowledge to these amazing and ambitious women in business.”
Implemented in nearly 100 countries since 2019, AWE has empowered an estimated 25,000 women entrepreneurs around the world with the professional business skills they need to reach their full economic potential.
Speaking at the Summit of the Americas in June 2022, United States Vice President Kamala Harris comments “that when you lift up the economic status of women, you lift up the economic status of families, of her community, and of our entire hemisphere.
“When women succeed, all of society benefits…we know empowering women economically is not only about giving them a job; it’s about improving their quality of life.”
In the Pacific, the AWE program has run in Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa, Aotearoa New Zealand, French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, and Niue.
United States Public Diplomacy Officer Alexia Branch says this year’s conference and year-long initiative aims to foster the next generation of Pacific women business leaders and connecting them from around the region.
“Following the conference, the participants – some who will have established businesses already while others will just be getting started – will continue to meet weekly online to complete the Dream Builder Course business plans,” Alexia explains.
“This will provide the participants with the skills and capacity necessary to create innovative and sustainable entrepreneurial solutions which address social and economic challenges in their home and island communities in the Pacific region.
“YPL sees the AWE initiative as a unique opportunity for young women in the region, to truly thrive in business and in return, contribute to the economy and provide for their communities.”
Launched in 2013, the YPL initiative is the US Government’s signature program to strengthen leadership development and networking in the Pacific.
Through educational, cultural and regional exchanges, and seed funding, YPL seeks to build the leadership capabilities of youth in the region and strengthen ties between the US and the Pacific.
The YPL initiative focuses on critical topics identified by youth in the region: education, environment and resource management, civic leadership, economic and social development.
Applications for the AWE will be accepted until January 15, 2025.
Interested applicants should email: learning4life@guamcc.edu or phone: +671-735-5640 Ext. 5410.
Visit the Young Pacific Leaders website for more information.
