ILG 2021 Program Graduation
by Cristina Ruiz (EML'21)
On November 10, 2021, Georgetown Latin America Leadership Program celebrated the culmination of the eighth edition of its Innovation and Leadership in Government Program, (ILG), with the participation of 35 public managers and social impact leaders from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay Peru, Spain, and Uruguay. You can learn more about ILG 2021 participants and their projects at LALP Melian.
Every year, ILG participants are selected from a diverse applicant pool based on their professional experience, personal leadership capability and potential to make a significant impact in their home countries. The selection process is rigorous and highly competitive and the selection for admission is a recognition of the ILG participant’s professional accomplishments and leadership capacity. Program participants are expected to develop a public policy proposal to carry out real changes in communities, create successful programs and influence the position of their respective countries in the region and the world.
As with the previous edition and to respond to the pandemic conditions around the region, the eighth edition of the Innovation & Leadership in Government Program was offered as a live virtual, part-time program to facilitate the continuation of current government work. The program was held from September 20 through November 10, 2021, as a part-time program, two days a week (Mondays and Wednesdays). The academic curriculum featured synchronous academic sessions with Georgetown University faculty and visiting lecturers, peer-to-peer coaching, virtual visits to institutions in the Washington DC area, and guest speakers from multilateral organizations, government institutions, think tanks, and public advisory companies to analyze some of the most pressing challenges facing the public sector, including the consequences of this COVID-19 pandemic.
With this latest cohort, the ILG Program has welcomed 206 public leaders from 19 countries in the Ibero-American region. These highly-committed ILG alumni organize under the ILG Alumni Network, a student-led initiative that serves to unite and connect ILG alumni throughout the years, and foster links with other Georgetown University's Latin America Leadership Program(LALP) alumni. The network aims to promote governability and innovation in the region by organizing and hosting local events and strengthening collaboration amongst alumni beyond their time at Georgetown.
Out of the 35 projects presented as part of the program, six were selected to participate in a new pilot program offered by LALP with the support of former ILG Alumni president, Adolfo Arguello, to provide additional support for the design, implementation, and evaluation of impact. The six projects will be carried out in Argentina, Colombia, and Ecuador. A blog co-authored by the selected ILG project leaders retelling their experience will be published by Summer 2022.
ILG 2021 counted with the support of Facebook Latin America.