Help Send a Canadian Youth Ambassador to Malaysia

Hey There! 

My name is Jason Liao and I'm a high school student attending Gleneagle Secondary in Vancouver, British Columbia. Like many others, my life mission has always been to make a dink in the universe - and recently, I was given the chance to do so. This summer, I was given the honour of representing Canada as a trades ambassador to Southeast Asia. Along with a cohort of other youth, I'll be travelling to Singapore with a charitable organization called Global Vision to promote trade with the ASEAN. Our team will be working with key stakeholders, Malaysian industry leaders, and the Canadian embassy to build a better bridge between our two countries. Though that may be our collective objective, I've carved out a personal mandate for myself to fulfill:

1. I will, in whatever minute way I can, help push Canadian-Southeast Asian relations in a direction that betters our natural environment.

Us Canadians are privileged to live in a country revered for its natural beauty. Though that may be, it's becoming increasingly important for nations to ally together and help conserve the health of our planet. On this mission, I will be advocating for the better accommodation of native animals, reduction of carbon emissions, and the adoption of sustainable corporate practices.

Back at home, I also run a 'green' initiative called The Pollinator Project. If you'd like to learn more about this, you can click through here or check out some of my features on the Tri-City News  :)

2. I will use this experience to help alleviate one of my community's most pressing issues: opioid addiction.

As a proud Vancouverite, this is a topic that hits close to home for me. In BC alone, fentanyl abuse takes an average of 4 lives per day. This problem not only burdens our healthcare system (along with the tax dollars that fund it), but also the emotional welfare of our province. Whenever I hear about the opioid crisis on the news, I dread that the reporting might involve someone that I know - someone that I care about. This is an anxiety that many of us share.

I’d like to learn in-depth about how Southeast Asian countries are dealing with related problems, and share my findings with decision makers in my community so we can better fight drug abuse in BC. 

The donations raised on this platform will help cover the expenses of our mission. Your support will not only empower the two initiatives detailed above but also help our entire team of ambassadors fulfill their own efforts to give back!

If you'd like to be more involved in the success of our ambassadorship, I encourage you to become a partner! Each of us ambassadors are responsible for partnering with businesses and organizations in our community to receive sponsorships that'll assist with the costs of the mission. These sponsorships consist of donations above a certain threshold, and come with a variety of benefits. In return for sponsorships, us ambassadors work to further our partners' brand in Southeast Asia and deliver on specific mandates, such as obtaining on-the-ground contacts and market intelligence. Upon our return, we will produce market sector and tailored reports for our partners which will include a summary of the mission, market intelligence gathered, opportunities identified, and key contacts made. Partnering with us isn’t just a goodwill initiative; it’s very much a value-added opportunity. On this particular mission, I will be representing British Columbian agriculture, clean energy, education, and entrepreneurship; if any of these sectors are relevant to you, It would be my privilege to work with you!

If you're interested in becoming a partner or have additional questions about my mission, feel free to shoot me a message. Thanks for hanging out with me (virtually, anyways) and go Raptors!