| Manitoba 4-H Members Visit their peers in Durango, Mexico - August 14,
2001 Four Manitoba 4-H members who have been doing business on the Internet with
Durango 4-C members are now in Mexico, staying at the homes of their trading partners.
Manitoba Agriculture and Food provincial 4-H program leader Joan Clement said the visit
caps off the work of Manitoba 4-H members and their Mexican 4-C counterparts on the
International Youth Entrepreneurship Project.
Over the past year, ten senior 4-H members from across the province met on a weekly
basis via the Internet as part of a project that allowed them to explore business
opportunities in the global economy. They used Junior Achievement's GLOBE program to learn
about business structures and how to set up their 'Mexitoba' company to trade with members
of 4-C, the 4-H equivalent in Mexico.
The trade mission portion of the program allows the Manitoba participants to make
presentations in person to their Mexican counterparts. They also gain a better
understanding of the way of life and the way of doing business in Mexico.
The 4-H members originally learned about Mexican market opportunities for Manitoba
products from State of Durango Secretary of Agriculture Ferdinando Ulises Adame de Leon
when he visited this province on a trade mission in March. It was his interest in an
exchange between Manitoba and Mexican youth which resulted in Durango being selected as a
trading partner.
Among the products for which Mexico offers potential markets are dairy genetics,
oilseeds, cereals, pulse crops, pork and forages.
The Manitoba program participants received advice from several business people
throughout the province. A number of group sessions were held which provided them with the
firsthand experiences of entrepreneurs, some of whom are exporting to Mexico.
"The participants in this project will have a better understanding of business,
the global marketplace, and the impact of culture on business," said Clement.
"The 4-H members who have had the opportunity to experience the Mexican market
firsthand will be able to provide guidance to 4-H project members next year. The skills
learned in the International Youth Entrepreneurship Project will make these young people
an asset in their communities and will help strengthen the leadership base of rural
Manitoba."
Contact: 4H
Office |
