Trade Team Canada 2015

Future Team Canada trade missions to the four corners of the world may very well feature former students of Susan Chow of North Surrey Secondary School in Surrey, British Columbia. In fact, current trade missions may, since she, along with another colleague, trains her students for this possibility.

Terry Clifford, who is a former member of Parliament, launched the Global Vision Conference at which 17 to 25 year old students attend presentations by big business CEOs, hear about the real-life situations and problems of entrepreneurs, and participate in the development of solutions.

Students who qualify to go to the conference can apply to go on to the Global Vision Junior Team Canada international trade mission. Only one or two students per province may join the team, which has gone in the past to China, Mexico and Brazil.

To have a chance at one of these coveted positions, students must have demonstrated leadership qualities. They then must find local sponsorship from businesses, in order to represent them in the country. But they have to qualify to go to conference in the first place!

Chow asks her fellow teachers who the current student leaders are, and she invites them and other interested students to come to a lunch hour meeting about the event. Students then apply for a position on the team. Once the team is selected, they are coached on expectations and dress code after they learn to "brand" themselves.

After the conference, any student can apply for the trade mission. In that case, the whole team works to support those interested throughout the application process. In addition to showing the students the importance of teamwork in a business environment, this brings the added bonus of showing young people to support others and to have respect for others' talents.