What’s New at Kitso Learning Solutions LLC
Upcoming in 2026
Taking On New Work & Strategic Partnerships
At Kitso Learning Solutions, we are always excited to explore new opportunities to create meaningful learning experiences that drive inclusive growth and positive impact.
We are thrilled to partner with The Phoenix, a nonprofit gym dedicated to transforming lives through fitness, and collaborate closely with their DEI team to advance equity and inclusion in all aspects of organizational culture.
Through this partnership, we are leading a signature learning program:
The Platinum Facilitation Method: Compassionate Design, Inclusive Delivery
This program equips The Phoenix staff with the tools, strategies, and mindset to create learning experiences that are inclusive, compassionate, and impactful. Participants learn to design and facilitate sessions that honor diverse perspectives, engage all voices, and foster environments where every participant feels seen, heard, and valued.
Whether your organization is seeking to enhance facilitation skills, strengthen DEI practices, or cultivate an inclusive learning culture, Kitso Learning Solutions brings expert guidance, proven methods, and heart-centered design to every engagement.
Summer/Fall 2025
Redesigning Learning for Impact: Partnering with AAAP
Kitso Learning Solutions is proud to collaborate with a leading instructional design team specializing in medical education to support the redesign of 12 online courses for the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP). This important initiative equips healthcare providers with the knowledge and skills to effectively treat opioid use disorder in adolescents.
Our role in this project centers on applying evidence-based learning design, with a focus on increasing accessibility, relevance, and learner engagement across all modules. By integrating best practices in adult learning and trauma-informed approaches, we aim to enhance both the clinical impact and the learning experience for a diverse audience of healthcare professionals.
At KLS, we believe that thoughtfully designed learning has the power to save lives—and we’re honored to contribute to a project that directly supports the health and well-being of young people and the professionals who care for them.
Summer/Fall 2026
Designing Discovery
We’re excited to share that Kitso Learning Solutions has officially partnered with Explore Interactive, Inc. to support the design of curriculum guides for their innovative platform, Mind Labs!
Mind Labs by Explore Interactive is a hands-on, augmented reality learning tool that brings STEM concepts to life for elementary and middle school students. With a focus on critical thinking, collaboration, and engineering design, Mind Labs empowers both teachers and students to engage deeply with STEM through interactive problem-solving experiences.
We're proud to contribute to a project that supports and uplifts STEM education—and we look forward to equipping educators with high-quality resources that make science and engineering more accessible, fun, and meaningful.
2025
Kitso Learning Solutions Founder Honored in National "Top 40 Under 40" List
We are proud to announce that our Founder and Lead Designer, Janina Acevedo-Yates, has been named to the National Peace Corps Association’s Top 40 Under 40 list—an honor recognizing rising leaders who are making a meaningful impact through service, innovation, and community-centered work.
Janina’s recognition is a testament to her longstanding commitment to equity in education and her dedication to designing learning experiences that are inclusive, strategic, and rooted in values of justice and collaboration. Her background as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Botswana and El Salvador continues to inform the way Kitso Learning Solutions supports clients across sectors in building programs that empower learners and spark change.
We are honored to have her leadership shape our work and vision.
Read the full article here: https://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/2025-npca-40-under-40/
Summer 2025
Returning to a Place That Grounds Me
In 2009, what began as a search for a summer job led our founder, Janina, to Westcoast Connection (WCC)—an opportunity to travel and work with youth. What she thought would be temporary quickly became something much deeper: a space of learning, adventure, and purpose.
After several meaningful years, life led Janina elsewhere—through the Peace Corps, graduate school, meeting her husband, and building a family. Two years ago, she reached back out to WCC, and they welcomed her home. Since then, she’s spent her summers as a Program Director and Support Staff, roles that continue to challenge and inspire her.
This summer took Janina from Washington, D.C., New York City, Denver, and Boulder, to San Francisco, and even the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica—weeks spent supporting an organization that has given her so much. WCC has been a steady place amid shifting ground, reminding us that we can always return to what grounds us and to the communities that help us remember who we are.
We remain deeply grateful to the WCC team—past and present—for their warmth, leadership, and enduring commitment to purpose, and to the opportunities to continue growth, learning, and adventure.
August 2025
Supporting FSN Leadership and Resilience
Kitso Learning Solutions is proud to contribute to the upcoming “Former Department of State/US Agency for International Development Foreign Service National Resilience and Togetherness” virtual session series. In collaboration with a dedicated team of volunteers, we’ve designed an engaging and supportive learning experience for former Foreign Service Nationals navigating life and career transitions.
These regional pilot sessions will:
Celebrate the legacy and leadership of FSNs in international development and humanitarian assistance
Offer strategies for resilience and well-being during times of change
Create space for shared reflection and storytelling across the FSN community
Explore practical tools for career pivoting and future planning
We’re honored to support this community-led initiative that centers connection, lived experience, and growth.
July 2025
International Career Advancement Program Fellow
We’re proud to share that our founder and principal consultant, Janina Acevedo-Yates, has been selected as a 2025 Fellow for the International Career Advancement Program (ICAP).
ICAP is a prestigious leadership development initiative that supports mid-career professionals from underrepresented communities who are committed to making a global impact. The program equips fellows with the tools, networks, and guidance to step into higher levels of leadership across sectors—government, nonprofits, academia, and beyond.
Janina’s selection as an ICAP Fellow reflects her continued dedication to equity-driven learning, international collaboration, and transformative education systems. Through her work at Kitso Learning Solutions (KLS), she remains committed to designing inclusive, community-rooted learning strategies that make space for voices often left out of traditional systems.
Please join us in celebrating this milestone for Janina and the broader vision she brings to KLS’ work every day. We are excited for the year ahead and what this opportunity will unlock for our communities, clients, and future partnerships.
May 2025
Facilitating with Grace
This week, we had the honor of facilitating a session on healing and closure during a time of significant transition at the Posner Center for International Development—a session that was both professionally meaningful and deeply personal for those of us at Kitso Learning Solutions LLC.
In the spirit of release and renewal, we guided a burning ceremony, inspired by a Colombian tradition. Together, we symbolically destroyed what no longer served us as passionate international development practitioners—making space for healing, clarity, and the next season of growth.
In times of uncertainty, community is everything. Holding space for shared reflection, grief, and hope reminded us just how powerful collective care can be. We have been on our own path toward closure, and we know the strength we carry today is because of the community that has carried us.
At Kitso Learning Solutions LLC, we offer a wide range of learning and development services—but this session, centered on transition and transformation, is especially close to our heart.
As Founder, Janina remains committed to taking on work that aligns with her values: care, connection, integrity, and honoring the whole human experience. That’s where real change begins.
March 2025
The Passion in Motion Podcast
We’re thrilled to share that our founder at Kitso Learning Solutions was recently featured on the Passion in Motion podcast!
In this inspiring episode, she reflects on her journey from humble beginnings to her work in international development, offering a powerful look at how purpose can be rediscovered through resilience, clarity, and community.
From navigating personal and professional transitions to building a company rooted in meaningful learning experiences, this conversation is a raw and uplifting reminder that every step—no matter how challenging—can shape something extraordinary.
🎧 Watch the full episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIxZmWytw60&t=3s.
We hope her story resonates with anyone finding their way back to purpose, and reminds you that even when the path isn't linear, it's always worth walking.
April 2025
Local Advocacy Rising
We’re thrilled to announce our upcoming collaboration with the Vincentian Family Initiative on Homelessness (Famvin Homeless Alliance) https://vfhomelessalliance.org/eng/!
This summer, Kitso Learning Solutions LLC will be delivering two dynamic workshops on Local Advocacy (in English and Spanish)—designed to empower communities and equip local leaders with the tools to drive real change in homelessness prevention.
Through human-centered design and purposeful collaboration, we’re honored to support Famvin’s global mission to end homelessness, one local advocate at a time.