Interview with Cleveland Council on World Affairs
The YLAI Program would not be possible without the support of 24 City Hubs throughout the U.S. These City Hubs arrange individualized placements and additional programming for the participants. The YLAI Team interviewed Katie Ferman, Program Officer at the Cleveland Council on World Affairs (CCWA), to find out more information about Cleveland, Ohio and the impact that YLAI has on U.S. communities. CCWA is a new City Hub partner for YLAI 2017, and we are excited to have them on board.
1. What are you looking forward to during YLAI 2017?
Most of the projects we manage are short-term in nature, meaning we often don’t get to see the impact of our work on the people who visit Cleveland. With YLAI, we are looking forward to seeing how the program shapes their ideas and thoughts about their business, illuminates new avenues for growth and development, and forges cross-border connections between bright minds in Cleveland, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
2. What does your community have to offer the Fellows?
Cleveland has thrived from a history of adversity. Once the site of the Standard Oil headquarters and other major manufacturing companies, the city suffered the fate of many other Rust Belt hubs and has since fought to recover through more sustainable business models and public-private partnerships. Organizations such as Team NEO, which spurs regional business attraction, and the Greater Cleveland Partnership, the largest metropolitan chamber of commerce in the country, are creating a favorable climate for businesses and start-ups to grow and thrive. The low cost of living in the city is also attracting young millennials, many of whom are entering the world of business as innovative entrepreneurs in the fields of engineering and healthcare. As a city still on the rise, we boast an unwavering spirit of entrepreneurship and business leaders eager to serve as mentors to the next generation.
3. What kind of support do you have from the local government or community members?
The Cleveland Council on World Affairs has a strong relationship with both the Mayor’s Office and City Councilman Brian Cummins, both of whom were honored at CCWA’s 2017 annual meeting. We frequently reach out to both of them to schedule sessions for International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) participants and to place long-term Fellows. In addition, we have received support for YLAI from the Economic and Community Development Institute, Hyland Software, and most recently Case Western Reserve University. In fact, we have engaged in conversations with Case Western’s Michael Goldberg, creator of the MOOC “Beyond Silicon Valley: Growing Entrepreneurship in Transitioning Economies,” about employing parts of his course and inviting him as a speaker.
4. How do you think the Fellows will impact the community?
One thing is constant across all fellowship-based exchange programs we have worked on: Fellowship Hosts and community resources tend to find that hosting a Fellow and learning about their country’s business culture back home helps to “hold up a mirror” to their own practices within the Cleveland community. This proves to be immensely valuable, not only to highlight strengths in the American business sphere and their organization/business in particular, but also to glean best practices that can guide improvements. This self-exploration has proven to be a universal theme among community members who engage in our programs, and I am excited to provide that opportunity to our local YLAI partners.
Learn more about the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) Professional Fellows Program at ylai.state.gov
