NEWS FROM MR. BRETT LASHLEY - OAS.ORG WASHINGTON DC

Mr. Brett Lashley (left)

YABT Extends Registration Deadline for TIC Americas 2011 at www.ticamericas.net

Until April 1st at 5:00 pm (Washington, DC time), young entrepreneurs from the Americas and the Caribbean will be allowed to register and compete in TIC Americas 2011, with the deadline having been extended to enable more youth to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the competition, which is now in its fifth year. TIC Americas is a competition that goes beyond the development of business plans to include phases of support and follow-up and opportunities for international visibility, networking and market access among other benefits. The TIC Americas platform provides opportunities to youth in the Americas and elsewhere that are in the process of creating or strengthening a business idea. Registration for TIC Americas 2011 began on November 15, 2010 and will remain open until April 1, 2011, the date by which all material required by the competition must be submitted, including the business plan, promotional video and website, or in the case of the Eco Challenge, the project and the proposed solution. The extended registration is to provide more young entrepreneurs the opportunity to participate and receive the benefits offered by TIC Americas 2011. Registration can be completed at www.ticamericas.net. Between April 1 and May 1, submitted projects will be evaluated by an international group of judges who will judge the proposals according to the rules and criteria of the competition to select the Finalists. Finalists will be announced on May 4 and those teams will begin preparations for travel on June 1 to the TIC Americas Finals in San Salvador, El Salvador. The Finals will be held in the framework of the XLI General Assembly of the Organization of American States, OAS. The Competition will award more than eight prizes of up to USD $5,000 to winning teams at the Finals. TIC Americas 2011 includes three prize categories: • Talent and Innovation Awards: Economic or social projects that demonstrate talent and innovation in the product, service or business strategy. Prizes will be awarded in seven different categories. • Eco-Challenge Awards: Economic or social projects that offer a viable solution to an environmental problem. The Eco-Challenge Awards are a joint initiative between YABT and PepsiCo seeking to promote sustainable solutions to environmental challenges. • TIC El Salvador National Awards: Open to economic or social initiatives that have a positive impact on Salvadorian youth. This award category is led by the National Directorate of Youth of El Salvador. TIC Americas is a program of the Young Americas Business Trust, YABT, a non-profit International organization that Works in cooperation with the OAS. YABT supports the objectives of the OAS Member States through youth and entrepreneurship development programs that create employment opportunities and better living conditions for young people. (www.yabt.net) The rules and conditions of TIC Americas are published online at www.ticamericas.net For more information: Brett Lashley YABT Program Manager E-mail: blashley@oas.org Tel: +1 (202) 458 6456. News from oas.org HUIRSE BELLINA JORGE ALBERTO DIRECTOR CADENA LATIN MEDIOS