Press releases

2020/04/22 Panama, April 13, 2020 – The National Authority for Transparency and Access to Information (ANTAI) in alliance with The Trust for the Americas, kickstarted a 10-week online course to train public officials on Open Government and Open Data principles.  This online course will provide training in complementary areas of public administration that will improve with open government and open data methodologies.  Currently, 60 information officers, who hold the responsibility in the different sectors of government to make the information available and met with the nation’s transparency requirements, are registered and receiving the training.     This series of webinars are activities carried out within the framework of the “Public Innovation through Open Data” project funded by the US Mission in Panama, which includes promoting collaboration between civil society and the government.    Juan Pablo Rodríguez, Director of Access to Information at ANTAI, emphasized that the role of citizens in these seminars “is a way to empower the use of their right to social audit and to ensure continuous collaboration between civil society, private sector, and governments under the concept of Open Government.”   By training public officials, the goal is to meet international open data standards and encourage local governments and civil society in Panama to create spaces for discussion, collaboration and accountability mechanism for citizens   A total of 90 public information officers are expected to complete the course in the coming months.   Panamá

2020/04/22 Washington DC, April 22, 2020 – The POETA Social Franchise organized a webinar during the COVID-19 contingency to support the entrepreneurs of our network and the general public. This session hosted by The Trust for the Americas with a special guest, Mauricio Leal Goldstein General Director and Co-founder of Fluxs by Nóvament, who presented his keynote, “Reinvent your Business Model: Challenges of Entrepreneurship in Times of Crisis”.   The event was an opportunity to acknowledge the global change that all professionals in different industries are experiencing, specifically in the business sector. That is why adapting to innovative methods of working, collaborating, and learning while working from home are the challenges that many entrepreneurs face.  Now is the moment to push them to look for more efficient and modern alternatives. “Sharing knowledge and experiences is the most effective way to reinvent ourselves and conquer new spaces!” The POETA Social Franchise team shares with us when introducing the event.   Mauricio Leal shared his expertise with more than three hundred people from Latin America who connected through Microsoft’s TEAMS platform.   An enthusiastic audience that included people from different organizations and entrepreneurs from across Latin America with Interactive activities made the event a success for the organizers.  The event concluded with messages of satisfaction, request for information on future seminars to the team, and the guest speaker.  The POETA Social Franchise’s mission is to provide tools and knowledge to organizations that promote economic and social inclusion. Stay tuned for our upcoming events.  Argentina – Brasil – Chile – Estados Unidos – Colombia – Costa Rica – Ecuador – El Salvador – Guatemala – Honduras – Mexico – Nicaragua – Panamá – Perú – Puerto Rico – República Dominicana – Venezuela

2020/04/08 Originalmente publicado en el blog de The Trust for the Americas por Elizabeth Laredo y Maria Fernanda Sierra. Agradecemos a Walmart Foundation por contar con su apoyo para estos esfuerzos. A finales del mes de marzo lanzamos una exitosa estrategia digital para ofrecer capacitación y contenidos de calidad para mujeres egresadas del Proyecto VIVE y nuevas participantes: Las sesiones responden a las recomendaciones de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) sobre el distanciamiento social y de la crisis actual por el COVID-19, con medidas virtuales e innovadoras para continuar implementando nuestra oferta de capacitación. Diseñamos contenido exclusivo para mujeres que son egresadas del Proyecto VIVE, estos insumos son compartidos a través de Facebook, específicamente en el grupo privado de Facebook “Comunidad de Egresadas de Proyecto VIVE”. Estos contenidos son: 3. Promover el registro y uso del Directorio de Emprendedoras VIVE: A finales del año 2019 creamos un directorio de emprendedoras, en el cual las egresadas del Proyecto VIVE pueden registrar la información básica de sus emprendimientos y darles difusión. Nos encargamos de divulgar el directorio mediante nuestra comunidad en línea y con nuestros aliados estratégicos. Para más información, aquí las ligas para consultar el blog y el directorio. Mexico

2020/04/08 Jamaica, 2 de Abril 2020.- The Trust for the Americas lanza agenda de capacitación virtual para dar inicio al Proyecto N.C.B. ICON Lab en Jamaica de la mano de nuestros aliados The Mico University en Kingston.  Esta serie de capacitaciones se adapta a un formato interactivo virtual, en la que los principales participantes son la facultad de The MICO University incluyendo profesores de varias disciplinas, y la mezcla de metodologías entre capacitaciones y webinars via Facebook. El objetivo de estas capacitaciones dirigidas a nuestros aliados locales en Jamaica, es involucrar a los futuros facilitadores del proyecto con las prácticas exitosas de los laboratorios de innovación y el Sistema de Información de The Trust for the Americas. El objetivo de estas capacitaciones dirigidas a nuestros aliados locales en Jamaica, es involucrar a los futuros facilitadores del proyecto con las prácticas exitosas de los laboratorios de innovación y el Sistema de Información de The Trust for the Americas. De la misma manera, nuestro aliado local Institute of Law and Economics (ILE), quienes llevan las operaciones del Laboratorio de Innovación Urbana para Jóvenes en Jamaica y el equipo de Proyecto VIVE México colaborarán compartiendo experiencias y metodologías con The MICO University y contribuir en el éxito del proyecto N.C.B. ICON Lab.  Parte de las capacitaciones que se llevarán a cabo incluyen:   El proyecto N.C.B. ICON Lab busca promover una mentalidad emprendedora, acceso al empleo y emprendimientos tecnológicos para jóvenes en riesgo en Jamaica, a través del acceso a un espacio colaborativo con capacitación de calidad y enlaces a un ecosistema de emprendimiento.   Jamaica

2020/04/07 Costa Rica, April 7, 2020.- Today, a series of online training for local governments began under the project “Improving municipal government services through innovation and local networks.” The month of open virtuality offers the possibility of developing dialogues to search for solutions to overcome the challenges that municipalities face, as well as proposing means to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus. The objective of the virtual training series is to promote open government actions in times of COVID-19 and virtuality. This series of webinars aims to present experiences and challenges of governments, discuss effective methodologies, offer digital tools to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus in localities and facilitate spaces for dialogue to better understand the role of local government in times of pandemic and recession. The implementation of Open Data policies in the municipalities helps to improve the services to citizens, and at the same time, allows identifying tools that are vital for municipal empowerment. The webinar series includes the following topics and objectives: Tuesday, April 7: “Empowerment of local governments to mitigate the coronavirus.” Objective: To publicize the City Listener and Blockchain Certificates tools as means of municipal empowerment to mitigate the coronavirus and its rapid spread. Thursday, April 16: “The experience of the Municipality of Esparza in its live process of opening public data. Learnings and good practices. ” Objective: To share the challenges, progress, and achievements of the Municipality of Esparza in terms of Opening Public Data with a collaborative approach, in order to be a point of reference for other municipalities. Thursday, April 23: “A more efficient and agile municipal government: CoLABora Methodology to simplify procedures focused on users.” Objective: To share the experience of the coLABora methodology in the pilot project simplifying the patent process in various local governments of the Greater Metropolitan Area of Costa Rica. Thursday, April 30. “The role of local government in times of pandemic: effective communication and listening to the private and entrepreneurial sector.” Objective: To recognize the role of municipalities in supporting the private, commercial and entrepreneurial sector in times of pandemic and recession. Among the participants were officials from Argentina, Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico, and Paraguay. Costa Rica

2020/04/02 This is the first ideathon in Jamaica in which youth will present projects to offer solutions for the challenges posed by the COVID-19 April 1, 2020- The Trust for the Americas and the Institute of Law & Economy (ILE) with support of Citi Foundation is launching a two-day urban challenge ideathon through our DIA Lab in Jamaica. In this virtual workshop, fifty young participants shortlisted from more than one hundred registries will find solutions to combat the impact of the fast-spreading COVID-19 specific to select sectors of Jamaica. This activity will serve as a platform for youth to start their long-term project in community building or disruptive entrepreneurship. Thirty solutions will reach to the virtual pitch phase, which will happen on Monday, April 6, 2020, at 9:00 am. The solutions will focus on the following themes: · COVID-19 & Health · COVID-19 & Education and Access to Information · COVID-19 & Economic Relief · COVID-19 & Crime and Security Davey Haughton from the Ministry of Education, Youth & Information, Michael Sappleton from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce & Agriculture, Simone Green from the Youth Innovation Centre, Spanish Town, and the renowned entrepreneur Mrs. Godiva Golding will be the judges to select the winning projects based of the innovation and entrepreneurial potential of the solutions. Linda Eddleman, Executive Director of the Trust for the Americas commented: ¨As the world is facing significant challenges amidst the COVID-19 situation, this virtual ideathon is an excellent opportunity to empower youth to be protagonists of the solutions for the communities. We are proud to support their ideas coming from remote places of Jamaica to fuel the entrepreneurial spirit of the island.¨ Follow the ideathon and support our entrepreneurs while working and creating solutions through these hashtags and in our social media. #DIAJamaica #Ideathon2020 #DIAInnovation #OvercomeCovid19 #Innovateremotely #Covidsolutions About The Trust for the Americas: The Trust for the Americas is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization affiliated with the Organization of American States (OAS). It was established in 1997 to promote public and private sector participation in social and economic development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our initiatives, implemented through local partner organizations, seek to improve access to economic opportunities as well as to foster innovation in vulnerable communities in the hemisphere. To this end, The Trust also promotes social inclusion and good governance. The Trust has offices in Washington, D.C., Colombia, and Canada. More information: www.trustfortheamericas.org Facebook: The Trust for the Americas Twitter: @Trust4America Jamaica

2020/03/26 El miércoles 25 de marzo de 2020, The Trust for the Americas llevó adelante la primera capacitación de Teams, liderada por Jorge Cella, director de filantropías de Microsoft para América Latina.   Teams es una plataforma que permite establecer comunicaciones unificadas en las organizaciones, ofreciendo funcionalidades como chat, reuniones, llamadas, colaboraciones, integración de aplicaciones o almacenamiento de archivos. The Trust for the Americas utiliza esta herramienta para coordinar sus operaciones en más de 20 países del hemisferio.   The Trust for the Americas durante las últimas dos semanas, se ha enfocado en identificar cuáles son aquellos cursos y oportunidades de capacitación que podrían tener mayor interés en el público, sobre todo para los operadores de los centros tecnológicos y socios locales de nuestra franquicia social POETA y en nuestros beneficiarios para seguir adelante con su trabajo diario, su capacitación y su educación.   Con mucha satisfacción pudimos verificar que las 273 personas de 13 países que estuvieron conectadas en la presentación, nos confirmaron la importancia de la capacitación y el entrenamiento online en este momento.   El contexto de crisis que trajo aparejada la pandemia del coronavirus en América Latina nos convoca a una responsabilidad mayor de seguir brindando oportunidades y capacitaciones a nuestros beneficiarios en toda América Latina y el Caribe.   Es por eso que, a partir de esta semana, con el lanzamiento de este primer curso, estaremos realizando una serie de capacitaciones en formato virtual, por Teams través del uso de nuestra plataforma exclusiva “aula virtual” con la cual damos apertura a un conjunto de capacitación continua para nuestros beneficiarios garantizando el seguimiento de nuestras operaciones y el apoyo a toda la red de centros en la región.  Los invitamos a mantenerse atentos a nuestras redes sociales para información de nuestra programación.  About The Trust for the Americas: The Trust for the Americas is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization affiliated with the Organization of American States (OAS). It was established in 1997 to promote public and private sector participation in social and economic development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our initiatives, implemented through local partner organizations, seek to improve access to economic opportunities as well as to foster innovation in vulnerable communities in the hemisphere. To this end, The Trust also promotes social inclusion and good governance. The Trust has offices in Washington, D.C., Colombia, and Canada. More information: www.trustfortheamericas.org  Facebook: The Trust for the Americas  Twitter:   @Trust4Americas Argentina – Brasil – Chile – Estados Unidos – Colombia – Costa Rica – Ecuador – El Salvador – Honduras – Mexico – Panamá – Perú – Puerto Rico – República Dominicana

2020/03/18 As a way to encourage learning in programming and artificial intelligence for all ages, The Trust for the Americas, organization affiliated with the OAS – Organization of American States, in alliance with Microsoft, held on March 11, the Hour of Code Minecraft 2020 event. The global online event that has certified more than 130 million people in 180 countries since 2015 also held a face-to-face version in São Paulo for people with and without disabilities. Celebrated in the Education Room at the Microsoft facility, participants were able to access content using the free version of “Minecraft: Education Edition”. Hour of Code is a global trend that wants to show children, youth, adults, parents, and teachers that the logic of programming can be available to everyone. In its sixth consecutive year, the Hour of Code aims to demystify computer science by promoting learning in basic programming and machine learning concepts, based on activities of up to one hour in duration. About The Trust for the Americas: The Trust for the Americas is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization affiliated with the Organization of American States (OAS). It was established in 1997 to promote public and private sector participation in social and economic development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our initiatives, implemented through local partner organizations, seek to improve access to economic opportunities as well as to foster innovation in vulnerable communities in the hemisphere. To this end, The Trust also promotes social inclusion and good governance. The Trust has offices in Washington, D.C., Colombia, and Canada. More information: www.trustfortheamericas.org  Facebook: The Trust for the Americas  Twitter:   @Trust4Americas Argentina – Brasil – Estados Unidos

2020/03/18 By Rodrigo Iriani, Project Manager In 2016 we began a journey in support for the government and Costa Rican society on the Open Government agenda. Today, we have valuable lessons learned, best practices, and a projection towards sub-national governments. In 2018 we undertook the challenge of transferring the successful national processes to fifteen Municipalities outside the Greater Metropolitan Area. In July 2019 we signed an agreement of understanding with the Ministry of Communication of the Costa Rica to work together in bringing these experiences and best practices to all the Costa Rican cantons, under an Open Munis Route. During 2020, we will implement pilot projects for the use of civic technology in two municipalities, which simplify government services for greater efficiency in the management and issuance of municipal certificates, licenses or patents, generating confidence in their validity and traceability. Following the project, six municipalities have an Open Data policy, and another seven are for approval by the Municipal Council. To contribute to the debate on the importance of opening public data and enhancing the capacity of governments we present this paper where The Trust for the Americas, the Organization of American States and various instances of the Government of Costa Rica explain how collaboration to promote social innovation at the service of citizens. Furthermore, this article will showcase how this alliance positioned Costa Rica as a leading country in open government. This technical note covers our journey that started in 2016 and culminates with the summary of activities and achievements met in the last three years. The goal is to bring our readers and especially the Municipal leaders, closer to an experience that will allow them to build new services and position themselves among the few projects of this style in Latin America. Want to learn more about what it means for a country to want to be an Open State? Download our publication in the orange link below. (Available only in Spanish) Costa Rica

On March 10, 2020, The Trust for the Americas’ Director of Communications, Lara Bersano and the ambassador of Paraguay to the Organization of American States Mrs. Elisa Ruiz Diaz, visited the office of the First Lady of Paraguay Mrs. Silvana Abdó. The purpose of the visit was to present the programs that the Trust for the Americas develops in twenty-one countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Also, during the meeting, the First Lady talked about the work of her office to empower women and to support the networks that collaborate, developing entrepreneurship initiatives in Paraguay. The Trust for the Americas is very honored to have had the opportunity to meet Mrs. Abdó and is preparing a proposal to put in place a POETA center in the country. This will be the first program that the Trust for the Americas will develop in Paraguay, becoming the twenty-second country in which the Trust operates. The first lady was also interested in the results of the VIVE project that we developed in Mexico and in which we trained more than 56,000 women in three years. As a follow up to this meeting, both parties agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding in the coming weeks. The Director of Communications of the Trust for the Americas also met with officials from the University of Columbia in Asunción to explore a potential partnership to develop joint programs in the region. About The Trust for the Americas: The Trust for the Americas is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization affiliated with the Organization of American States (OAS). It was established in 1997 to promote public and private sector participation in social and economic development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our initiatives, implemented through local partner organizations, seek to improve access to economic opportunities as well as to foster innovation in vulnerable communities in the hemisphere. To this end, The Trust also promotes social inclusion and good governance. The Trust has offices in Washington, D.C., Colombia, and Canada. More information: www.trustfortheamericas.org  Facebook: The Trust for the Americas  Twitter:   @Trust4Americas Estados Unidos