The Canadian government is currently recruiting a youth delegation to attend the upcoming Junior 7 (J7) Summit that will take place over 22-28 April 2016 in Kuwana City (Mie Prefecture), Japan. The J7 Summit is an official Group of 7 (G7) event hosted by Japan in the context of its 2016 G7 chairmanship.

The G7 is one of Canada’s most important international memberships. The G7 members are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US. Representatives from the European Union also participate. The G7 is a venue for leading liberal democracies to come together and shape the global agenda on the most pressing global challenges. This year, the leaders of the G7 nations will meet for the 42nd G7 summit over 26 - 27 May 2016. In advance of their meeting, they want to hear what young people from their nations have to propose for the future of the environment, economy and other important topics for our societies and our world.

In this context, the Junior 7” (J7) Summit is an opportunity for young people to make their voices heard in an important international forum. The country delegations will come together to examine the key global issues from a youth perspective, exchange ideas and perspectives, and develop common positions to be presented to the G7 leaders. The theme of this summit will be “The planet for the next generation: environment and sustainable society”. The J7 Summit will be attended by teams of four young people, including two male and two female, all aged 15 to 18, from each of the G7 countries.

We are looking for:
✓ Youth who are making a difference in their communities.
✓ Youth with a passion for global affairs, an interest in environmental and sustainable development issues, and a demonstrated interest in the J7 summit theme of “A planet for the next generation – Environment and sustainable society.”
✓ Youth that are leaders or emerging leaders within their schools, teams, communities and peer groups.
✓ The ability and willingness to share this experience with other Canadian youth, through a variety of tools including social media.
✓ The ability to communicate in both of Canada’s official languages is an asset (though not a requirement to apply).

We welcome team applications from youth aged 15 to 18 as of 22 April 2016. You must submit an application for a team of four (consisting of two females and two males) by the application deadline of 15 February 2016. Team applications should include an identified chaperone (at least 25 years old) to accompany the youth participants.

Participants must meet all of the following criteria:
✓ Be a Canadian citizen aged 15 to 18 years old as of 22 April 2016.
✓ Be a strong communicator, able to speak, read and write in English (as all discussions at the event will be in English only).
✓ Be in good health for insurance purposes and hold valid provincial health insurance or an equivalent.
✓ All participants must be available to participate in the full Junior Summit schedule (expected dates including travel are 20 April 2016 to 29 April 2016).
✓ All participants must be available for orientation sessions prior to the event (date TBD).
✓ All participants under 18 must obtain consent by parental authority and this must be included in the application.
✓ All students must obtain permission to be absent from classes from their school administrator.
✓ All participants must agree to cover any additional fees associated with their participation to this event that are not covered by the organizers.

The delegates will attend as guests of the Japanese government. Airfare (from a Canadian city to Japan, economy class), travel insurance, and accommodation, food expenses, local transportation and admission fees as part of the official program (where applicable) in Japan will covered. (Note: Passport expenses are the responsibility of the participants. Domestic travel to one major city airport for the team is also the responsibility of the participants.)

Applications must be received by 11:59 pm (PST) on February 15, 2016 to be considered.

Please direct any inquiries to TeamCanadaJ7@gmail.com, or refer to our Frequently Asked Questions Page: http://bit.ly/1mqCNG9.

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