A Terry Fox secondary student is on his way to China next month to study international trade, business and politics with 45 other young Canadians.
But, first, Kishan Wijeyagoonewardane needs to raise $5,500 from local businesses to help sponsor his team on the Asia-Pacific trade mission.
Last month, the 16-year-old Coquitlam teen — who moved from Dubai a decade ago — was picked to be part of Junior Team Canada for Global Vision, a non-profit group founded by former MP Terry Clifford that gives its "ambassadors" a global platform.
Their July 27 to Aug. 14 trip to Chongqing, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Hong Kong follows Stephen Harper's visit to China in November 2014 when he was prime minister. There, the ambassadors will back Canada's Global Markets Action Plan.
"While in China, I will be an on-the-ground advocate for my partners to gather contacts and to identify promising commercial opportunities," the Grade 11 student said. "I will be gathering market intelligence and collecting valuable information that could benefit the businesses and organizations I partner with as well as my community."
Wijeyagoonewardane, who plans a career in community development, said when he returns he also wants to set up a program to make youth more aware of world issues.
"The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow so I fully believe that it is extremely important that we establish access to opportunities that encourage involvement locally and globally."
• Businesses wanting to partner with Kishan Wijeyagoonewardane on Junior Team Canada, email [email protected].
