Leadership Camps

Applications for the mid-year Leadership Camps are closed. Sign up for our mailing list in your preferred language below to receive updates about the next season!

virtual leadership camps

The Leadership Camps are the gateway to LALA, where you will meet young people from all over Latin America with the same dreams as you. This immersive five-day experience seeks to provide the tools and support for young Latin Americans to make profound transformations in their communities and themselves. The Camps are available in three languages, all with the same curriculum and outcomes but adapted to different needs.
  • Offered in Portuguese, Spanish, and English
  • 5-day curriculum via Zoom
  • 90% of all applicants receive financial aid
  • A diverse group of students from across the region
applications
From February 19th to March 22nd
interviews
From the week of April 15th to the week of April 29th
final decisions
Week of May 13th
fundraising program
From the week of May 27th to the week of June 24th
camps
From July to August

program fee

We don't want money to be an obstacle! That’s why we offer need-based financial aid to 90% of applicants historically through scholarships based on the applicants' and their families' economic situation. Our program fees range from $50 - $500. The investment for the Camp provides lifetime access to the LALA community and resources.

eligibility

  • Between 14 – 20 years old before the start date of your Camp
  • Proficient in the language of the Camp you are applying for
  • Passionate about social transformation and positively impacting your community

In case you don’t have consistent access to the internet but still want to attend the Camp, please include this piece of information in your application so LALA can make sure to support you better.

application process

When reviewing applications, we seek students who have demonstrated leadership potential, a sense of purpose, acts of service, and values aligned with LALA. We care more about your interest in positively impacting your community than your grades, resumé, or test scores. In this process, there are no right or wrong answers!

Application: You must submit an online form with short essay questions, a presentation video, and supplementary information.

Interview: If you are a good fit for LALA, we will invite you to a virtual interview with a member of our Admissions Team. This interview will teach us more about your passions, motivations, and ideas.

Decision: Most applicants will receive a final decision within 6-8 weeks after the application deadline.

WHAT HAPPENS AT A CAMP?

LaLa camp
trajectory summary

This is intended to provide an example of what to expect from the Latin American Leadership Academy Camp. The information below is tentative and subject to change.

PHASE 1

community building

Students take the time to share about themselves and hear about each other to create a rich learning community for students and their fellow participants.

PHASE 2

the power of questions and vulnerability

Students practice methods of inquiry that yield deeper connections and understanding of themselves and others. Through learning about strength-based approaches and interviewing each other, students practice vulnerability by speaking their truth and ultimately deepening community connections.

PHASE 3

social impact in your life

Students learn the importance of crafting a narrative and the story's role in any leadership journey. Students internalize how to use narrative to supercharge how they educate themselves and others and mobilize resources and communities. Students dive deeper into themselves and the world around them to understand how they can create an impact on small and large scales.

PHASE 4

building relationships

In the Camp, we receive guests who have been working with social impact in the world. We see this event as one of the highlights of the V-Camp and an opportunity for them to practice everything we have been learning during the week. Students are invited to practice deep listening skills, question crafting, inquiry methods, and story sharing.

PHASE 5

final shares

Students practice vulnerability by doing a final share that enables the community to understand better who they are. The strengthened Camp cohort explores how to effectively transition out of meaningful experiences and use them to grow and develop themselves and their social impact mission.

PHASE 6

ecosystem, community, and closing

One of the reasons we have the Ecosystem is because we know that just a Camp is not enough to help them face all the challenges and barriers they have in their lives, and that's why we want to offer them lifelong support. We introduce them to the LALA Ecosystem and how it was created. We want to help them better understand it and get excited about how they can participate, engage, and find their home in it. They also can taste the development and growth that LALíderes, who have deeply engaged with the Ecosystem, have experienced.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER A CAMP?

the community

Wait, there are more than Camps? Yes! After participating in this program, you’ll become a lifelong member of our continental community. You will receive exclusive opportunities like mentoring, virtual clubs, meditation sessions, internships, support in applying for university scholarships, and much more.

Bianca Vasconcelos

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

My camp was the first time I could travel outside Brazil for an immersion experience. It was amazing to experience house-sitting with people from all corners of Latin America. I experienced a high level of connection and a sense of belonging there. Not only to that group but also as a Latin American woman, I had experiences that were very important for the life I am following today.

Sol Petroni

Rosário, Argentina

The camp was a turning point in my life. With the support of a community, I reflected on what I cared about and who I wanted to be. The participants and the staff made me feel seen and were eager to change the world, just like me. I was able to be myself, find my purpose, and build relationships that are still present in my life.

Andressa Reis

Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

When I participated in my first LALA Bootcamp, I didn’t know the dimension of what the word “LALeader” would mean to me. MLB2 was the first step in my personal and interpersonal development; connecting with people from different parts of Latin America opened my view of the world and, in a fruitful way, made me the person I am today.

Júlia Peixoto

Goiás, Brazil

My V-Camp broadened my views on social change and being part of a community. It made me believe I could change the world, not because I can do it all – but because together, we can do a lot!

Jhudy Souza

Bahia, Brazil

Being part of LALA fulfilled a personal dream I had for a few years. Honestly, the community has far exceeded my expectations and has become like a second family to me! My favorite part was learning that vulnerability is not about being weak but rather about being open to feeling at all times.

Sueli Zalazar

Asunción, Paraguay

The LALA Bootcamp is the most unforgettable experience someone can ever go through; it was the most life-changing moment for me. Being surrounded by so many passionate people is incredible; it’s an experience full of self-listening, happiness, and purpose.

faq

LALA is a non-profit institution that seeks to promote sustainable economic development and strengthen democratic governance in Latin America by developing and connecting a new generation of principled and socially innovative leaders. Find out more about our mission and purpose on the About Us page.

No! LALA is a legal non-profit organization. Through Google, you can find articles about our work in trustworthy communication channels, such as O Globo, The Bogota Post, Educación Futura, El Comercio, Estudar ForaBrazil Reports, and Argentina Reports.

The entry initiative to LALA is the Leadership Camp. After students successfully attend the program, they become LALíderes. To keep supporting them, we created an ecosystem network of Mentors, LALíderes, and others that keeps growing! Find out more about our programs on the The Community page.

Here is a breakdown of the application stages:

(1) Filling out the application form and the financial aid form on the website (available only when our applications are open);

(2) Reviewing applications and sending acceptance and rejection letters for interviews;

(3) Interviews;

(4) Reviewing pre-final candidates’ applications;

(5) Sending either an acceptance or rejection final letter for the Camp.

We encourage you to apply to any Camp in the language you feel most comfortable with. We require a medium proficiency level for English Camps to fully understand and be involved, which will be tested during the interview.

Check this document for the most frequent questions about OpenApply.

The age requirement for our Camps is 14-20 by the start of the Camps season. Sadly, we don’t make exceptions for the age requirement, as we follow the internal Admissions Policies and Procedures.

Those born and/or lived in Latin America for over 10 years are qualified to apply.

You can apply to up to 3 Camps but will only be accepted in one.

We’d love to have you join us! Feel free to re-apply to our future Camps.

We don’t want cost to be an obstacle. The final investment will depend on the results of your selection process and the Financial Aid Form. Our program fees range from $50 – $500. The investment for the Camp provides lifetime access to the LALA community and resources.

If accepted, this information will be provided on your admission letter.

You will get a deadline for making this request on your admission letter. After the deadline, reallocations will be closed, except for health emergencies, because late switches bring operational challenges. We highly recommend you plan ahead and let us know if you have any predictable commitments on your program date.

Involving guardians in our applicants’ LALA journey is crucial to our organization. That’s why we welcome guardians in all the events we host. Furthermore, we’ll be hosting an exclusive event for guardians where you’ll get to meet the people behind our organization and answer all your questions. Find out more information on the Financial Aid page.

Please check the Our Team page to learn more about all the staff involved in the organization!

The Financial Aid team at LALA considers all the demonstrated needs from the financial information shared by the candidates during their application (Financial Form), respecting the regulation on Data Policy, to calculate the scholarships to each candidate. The model considers factors such as family income (total and per capita) and the proportion of all admitted students in the season to provide the distribution of scholarships in the most equitable way possible.

Briefly, lower-income applicants are more likely to receive scholarships, but 90% of the applicants receive a certain amount of financial aid. For more details on this topic, check the Financial Aid page.

Before the Camp starts, you will be emailed all the information and resources needed. There is no need to buy anything specifically.

There are 3 essays in the LALA application, each with a minimum of 250 words and a maximum of 350 words.

Yes, it’s possible. You have the right to request all your data to be removed, and it will violate data privacy if we keep it. You can request your data to be erased by emailing [email protected].

Often, those emails can be in the spam. Go to your email’s Spam Box and search for keywords such as LALA, application form/update, OpenApply, webinar, or office hours.

If you have further inquiries, feel free to reach out to [email protected]. Please name the email subject in the following way: Name/Matter (e.g., Maria/Interview Problem).

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