Global Vision Completes Mission to Colombia, arrives in Panama

Over the past week Global Vision and Junior Team Canada have travelled around Bogota, and to the far reaches of Colombia with the Red Cross and Talisman Energy (Peurto Carreño, Vichada) on the border with Venezuela.  Our Red Cross and Talisman partners took the 30 Junior Team Canada delegates on an Amazing Race through Bogota, and out to see their projects in action in the regions.  New friends were made, newspapers and media were interested, the eyes of their reporters made wide by what the group of young Canadian Ambassadors was tasked with doing in Colombia.

Ambassadors took in business meetings with the Canadian Embassy, Genivar, Talisman, the Red Cross, Universidad de Los Andes, Universidad Sergio Arboleda, and a host of other business and government leaders from around Colombia.  During these meetings Ambassadors had a chance to learn about educational opportunities, and build connections between sponsors back in Canada and those the team had met in Colombia.

On Thursday JTC took part in giving back to the Community, with a visit to CERIC, a rehabilitation facility for amputees, most of whom are victims of land-mines.  Though the facility is funded through foreign aid and donations, a lot of what makes their program special is the extra services, like arts and their volunteers - both of which are not funded through theses regimes.  Junior Team Canada Ambassadors pooled funds in order to buy new art supplies for the organization.

Junior Team Canada with Maria Luz Garcia, Volunteer President at CERIC.

A special thanks to all of our partners and sponsors who worked to make the Colombia leg of the 2012 Summer trade mission a success.

This morning Junior Team Canada arrived in Panama to a reunion with some old friends, David Young - Editor of the News Room Panama, and his wife Lourdes, greeted the team on arrival taking time out of their busy schedule to once again help organize a fantastic program for Junior Team Canada.  Several other old friends, including Scotia Bank Panama, and the Panama Post of the Canadian Embassy held a briefing and luncheon for the team to mark its arrival.  Junior Team Canada is looking forward to meeting and working with our Panamanian partners to continue building on the already strong relationships Canada has with Panama.