Trip or Simulated Trip Day

So you're considering organizing a day trip to a local Asian business. Here are some pointers that you need to keep in mind.

Why should we have a site visit:

*Increase the delegates' awareness of the Asian businesses, associations, and activities in their own region/community/area.

*Have face-to-face interaction with the community - this will enable multisite participants to feel more "involved" in the despite the distance - this will also enable delegates to find other people from whom to collect information and/or get feedback.

* Networking: Establish links in the community that will last beyond Asia Connects and Canada's Year of Asia Pacific.

* The day trip can be used as a "trial-run" to show how youth can learn from a distance, network and gather information from their own communities and transmit it to others across the country and ultimately the world. The results of this activity (feedback, information, contacts, etc.) may then be used to complete projects of a similar nature in the future.

You and your host location:

You: How many people make up the group involved at the multisite event. The size of the group may affect the possibilities of what can be done / undertaken for this activity.

Where: Where are you actually situated physically for the week of the conference. Is it feasible to travel from your location to other areas of the community (question of travel - public transit, etc.)

Who: Whom or what kind of people within the community do you wish to visit. The visit may be organized such that there is a focus on a certain aspect of the community (Asian community organizations only vs. local businesses with an Asian focus). You may also wish to see a cross-section of the businesses,/associations/activities in the community.

How to organize a site visit:

Now that you have found the answers to the preceding questions, you are ready to move on to the next steps:

*Do a search of the businesses/clubs/associations etc in you area/community. (This may be done through newspapers, the local Chamber of Commerce, the Internet and most effectively by word of mouth)

*Narrow down your focus (based on your objectives) and call the organizations in question.

-Present yourself, briefly present the project, and discuss the site visit activity.
-Schedule brief meeting with contact person to discuss details and arrange a time to see the location physically.
-Establish the benefits of visiting each of the sites contacted
-Complete a break-down list of what exactly would be done during the visit itself.
- Schedule a time (day and precise time) during which the group will visit.

Dealing with the Media: This is a great opportunity to showcase the involvement of youth in the community as well as the smaller organizations who receive little recognition in the community. Do be sure that concerns about media coverage do not "run" the visit, which is an opportunity to have meaningful youth participation. This goal should not be overlooked for the sole benefit of a few snapshots that may or may not appear in the paper or elsewhere.

Young Canadians , through this day trip, will provide the opportunity to exchange information, expertise and learn about other organizations. The following may be considered prior to the visit to place emphasis on the benefits and more importantly the differences and similarities of such organizations:

*A document may be obtained or created which would offer youth some background information on the organization in question. You may want to have a youth interview a staff member or volunteer of this organization prior to the visit.

*Those attending can also prepare a few questions in advance to stimulate discussion with the host of the visit.

Isssues / Items / and other things to keep in mind for the visit:

How would a similar organization be organized and conduct its affairs in other APEC economies?

Things may not necessarily be as they appear - the following are possible questions you can ask:

Where is the organization located physically and why? And why not elsewhere?

What are staff/volunteers/members are concerned with? Why?

How do the mission, goals and objectives of this organization differ from others? Why?