Young Latin American Grassroots Leaders Observe U.S. Democracy

By Natalia Capel Some of the Western Hemisphere's current and aspiring young leaders are touring the United States to watch the world's oldest democracy in action. "We are young leaders and we are the present not the future," said Raul Jimenez, economist and director of CoPlan, a nonprofit organization in Arequipa, Peru. He is one of 20 participants in the Grassroots Democracy for Young Leaders visitor program. Jimenez and his fellow Latin American visitors, all community leaders, were selected by the State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) to spend three weeks with their American counterparts throughout the United States. The program is designed to provide participants with a better understanding of U.S. democracy at all levels of government, with help from academic experts who outline the... [read full story]