The Diplomat
The Fundación Consejo España-EEUU (Spain-US Council Foundation) takes over this year from the Carolina Foundation in the organization of the U.S. Hispanic Leaders Program, which will be held the week of October 16-23 in Madrid and Malaga.
The U.S. Hispanic Leaders Program was created in 1998 at the initiative of the Government of Spain with the objective, on the one hand, of introducing young Americans of Hispanic origin to the reality of the country and, on the other hand, of creating a network of contacts between prominent professionals in the political, cultural, business and academic fields and their Spanish counterparts through an agenda that specifically addresses the particular interests of this group in Spain.
The program annually selects a group of Hispanic participants between the ages of 30 and 45, with outstanding careers in their professional fields (political, cultural, business, academic) and who have a particular motivation to promote the interests of the US Hispanic community, broaden their knowledge of the contemporary Spanish reality and strengthen ties between the international Hispanic community. The program is open to both US citizens and citizens of other nationalities with legal residence in the United States. Since its inception, more than 200 people have participated in this initiative.
The Hispanic Leaders Program was organized between 2001 and 2017 by Fundación Carolina with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with the collaboration of Fundación Consejo España-EEUU. In 2022, the Council Foundation has taken over from Fundación Carolina in organizing the event.
The program takes place over a week in Madrid and a second Spanish city (in this case, Malaga), allowing participants to learn first-hand about the geographic, political and economic peculiarities of the different regions, and to better understand the Spanish reality in all its aspects. Through a high-level agenda that includes meetings with personalities from the world of politics, business and public administration, as well as visits to the media and leading cultural and academic institutions, such as the newspaper El País, Casa de América or the Cervantes Institute, participants in the program can broaden their knowledge of the possibilities offered by the country and identify new opportunities and lines of work that allow the development of new projects.
In 2005, a group of former participants in the program created the Association of Hispanic Leaders (AHL) with the purpose of maintaining synergies and involving its participants in the development and implementation of initiatives in the field of political, diplomatic, economic and cultural affairs that affect the relationship between the United States, Spain and Latin America. Currently, the AHL is comprised of more than 150 members.
According to the Fundación Consejo España-EEUU, the Hispanic population is a growing force in the U.S. economy, politics and society. There are already more than 60 million Hispanics in the United States, where they make up a heterogeneous, young and enterprising community that is seeking its own space in the public sphere. The program takes place in Spain, a European country with strong ties to the Americas and a key partner for the United States in its relations with Europe and Latin America. “The shared language, culture and history constitute a unique value that facilitates rapprochement, motivated also by a series of affinities, values and common interests from which Spain and the Hispanic community in the United States can mutually empower each other,” highlighted the Council Foundation.
