YGL North American Edition

The ForUsGirls Foundation, Emerging Young Global Leaders Accelerator, is a full immersive professional development, global leaders, and entrepreneurial training program. We designed this program to empower, develop, and mentor young Black, Indigenous, of Color, identifying womxn aged 16-24.

The Emerging Young Global Leaders accelerator program provides training from Fortune 500 company executives, inspirational entrepreneurs, and leading industry professionals on the UN Global Goals, Global Citizenship, Design Thinking, Business Model Lean Canvas, Agile Project Management, Branding & Marketing, Sponsorship & Pitch Funding.


Also, to provide insights on how to create, design, and launch social-impact focused businesses and social justice community projects.
If you are ready to challenge yourself, learn, develop, and grow both personally and professionally, apply to participate in the Canada & United States North America Summer 2020 Edition.


Applications Open: June 30, 2020
Applications Deadline: July 31, 2020,*
Summer 2020 Edition Cohort announcement: August 5


*Will accept applications until August 4. Applications submitted by the July 31 deadline will receive priority over applications submitted after the deadline. 

Nadia Theodore joined the Canadian civil service in 2000. She has made her career in the Trade Agreement and Negotiations Branch of Global Affairs, holding leadership positions on several recent and major trade initiatives of Global Affairs Canada, including serving as one of the two Deputy Chief Negotiators for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and as the Executive Director of Canada’s Secretariat for the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

Consul General Theodore previously served at Canada's Permanent Mission to the World Trade Organization and at Canada's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, in Geneva Switzerland. Directly prior to being named Consul General for the US Southeast, in August 2017, she served in Ottawa as Chief of Staff and Executive Director to Canada’s Deputy Minister for International Trade.

With over 10 years of trade policy experience, Ms. Theodore’s appointment came as Canada, Mexico and the United States launched negotiations to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). As part of Canada’s international trade negotiating team, Ms. Theodore built a reputation for forging strong partnerships with government and business leaders and managing complex, priority trade initiatives.

Ms. Theodore was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario. She holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of London and an M.A. in Political Science from Carleton University.

After working for a number of years in marketing at Bell Canada and AT&T Canada, I moved to Aruba to lead a mobile telecom startup called Digicel. After six years at the helm of this successful startup, I looked for another challenge and ran for public office. In 2009, I was elected to become the Minister of Economic and Social Affairs for Aruba and was re-elected in 2013 as the Minister of Education. After serving two terms in the office, I returned to Canada in 2017. Since returning, I’ve established my own consulting company and am a Certified Leadership Coach.

I am also a Government Affairs Committee member of the Canadian Black Chamber of Commerce. My unique and diverse professional experiences have been shaped by a deep desire to create a meaningful impact on people and communities and I have dedicated a large portion of my career to advocating for gender equality, children’s rights, education reform, and equity & inclusion.

I believe my years of experience in leading a country delegation at the Committee for Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) at the United Nations, extensive work in policy setting to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion, coupled with my leadership experiences in a start-up and major corporations , would be an excellent fit with this program.