About
YTILI

The YTILI Fellowship Program will engage a cohort of young European entrepreneurs in program activities to enhance the transatlantic dialogue between business leaders from Europe and the United States and create sustained cross-cultural collaboration.

Please note that if safe travel is not possible at the time of the YTILI Fellowship, this program will be conducted virtually.

YTILI Program Goals

Mutual Understanding

YTILI deepens participants’ understanding of the U.S. entrepreneurship culture and promotes cross-cultural understanding through fellowship placements, dinner hospitality, community service, cultural activities, and reciprocal exchanges.
Transatlantic Partnership Building

YTILI creates a dynamic network of leaders that supports entrepreneurial partnerships between the people of Europe and the United States through networking events, international conferences, and alumni engagement.
Leadership & Entrepreneurial Skill Development

YTILI commits to providing quality fellowship placements and expert-led curricula to inspire Fellows to grow their businesses in size and impact and drive positive change in the economic ecosystems in their home communities.
Sustainable Professional Exchange & Collaboration

YTILI provides Fellows with opportunities to engage before, during, and after the U.S. Fellowship to collaborate and share ideas, approaches, and strategies to continue to improve their business or social ventures.

YTILI Program Activities

U.S. Fellowship

Early Spring 2024
YTILI Fellows will spend five weeks in the United States and experience entrepreneurship in action in one of nine U.S. cities through a fellowship placement. Each Fellow will participate in and observe the operations of a host U.S. organization from his or her business sector. Through collaboration with their fellowship host organizations, Fellows will accelerate their commercial and social ventures’ success by developing action plans to carry out upon their return to their home communities.
Entrepreneurship Curriculum

Winter 2024
The virtual entrepreneurship curriculum will provide YTILI Fellows the opportunity to connect their entrepreneurial knowledge and their leadership mindset through both virtual and in-person components. Designed by WorldChicago, DePaul University (Chicago, IL), and GEA College (Ljubljana, Slovenia), the curriculum will include a series of synchronous and asynchronous seminars and workshops before, during, and after the U.S. Fellowship to give practical insights into growing a business or organization.
U.S. Based Conferences

Early Spring 2024
The U.S. Fellowship will launch with an Opening Conference in Chicago, Illinois. YTILI Fellows will participate in an orientation, workshops, seminars, and one-on-one dialogues. From these critical conversations, Fellows will discover how the resilient tools of entrepreneurship and innovation have launched an economic rebirth as they prepare for their U.S. fellowship placement. Following their fellowship placement, Fellows will reassemble in Washington, D.C. for a Closing Conference to collaborate, share their experiences, regional winners to participate in a pitch completion, and network with business and social entrepreneurial leaders and U.S. government representatives.
Alumni Engagement Opportunities

Summer 2024
Fellows and fellowship hosts will have the opportunity to engage in professional development, mentorships, networking, and alumni activity. Fellows will design follow-on Action Plans to address challenges encountered in their home community. Select U.S. fellowship hosts will be invited to implement Reciprocal Exchange Projects in their Fellows' home communities. YTILI alumni will have the opportunity to apply for small grants to continue to foster the program goals of promoting transatlantic partnerships, enhancing entrepreneurial skill development, and sustaining professional exchange and collaboration beyond their fellowship experience.

U.S. Fellowship Placement Outline

Housing

Fellows will be housed in hotels, corporate apartments, extended stay hotels, or a combination. Fellows will commute to and from their fellowship host organizations by public transportation.
Cultural Activities & Community Service

YTILI Fellows will participate in various cultural activities and acts of community service to supplement their U.S. fellowship placements and expand their understanding of their host communities. Through these activities, Fellows will connect with community leaders and cultural representatives from the U.S. and engage in transatlantic dialogues.
U.S. Fellowship Format

Each YTILI Fellow will work with their host organization Monday through Thursday for four weeks during the U.S. Fellowship. Fellows can contribute to and learn from the host organizations in a variety of ways, including projects, meetings in the field, job shadowing, or independent research. Fellows will continue their entrepreneurship curriculum and participate in community service on Fridays.
Hybrid Program

The YTILI Fellowship program is offered as a hybrid program with virtual activities leading up to a U.S.-based exchange. Please note that the in-person, U.S.-based fellowship is contingent upon favorable travel conditions. In the event there are travel restrictions, or other factors which could adversely impact the health, safety, and welfare of program participants and hosts, the YTILI Fellowship program will pivot the in-person, U.S.-based exchange to virtual programming.

The YTILI Fellowship Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by WorldChicago.