State Visit to Chile - Day 3

Her Excellency Sharon Johnston attended the launch of the project En Maipú, Todo Mejora (In Maipú, It Gets Better), the Chilean branch of the international It Gets Better organization.

Supported by Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, the In Maipú, It Gets Better project consists of a play and a discussion on gender identity. It provides participating public schools in Maipú with the tools to promote and implement a safe environment for sexual diversity. During her visit, Mrs. Johnston engaged the children in a discussion on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights.

Their Excellencies and Canadian delegates visited the facility and attended performances under the circus tent.

Their Excellencies visited Circo del Mundo, an NGO devoted to teaching, cultivating, promoting and professionalizing contemporary circus in Chile. Its mission is to enhance and promote the circus as a performing art and as an intervention tool for human development.

Circo del Mundo was created through the initiative of Cirque du Soleil and Jeunesse du Monde in 1995, as part of an international co-operation project with Corporación Canelo de Nos, a Chilean NGO.

Following the performances, Their Excellencies engaged with the students, many of whom come from low-income communities in Santiago.

The students described how the circus has been beneficial to them, to their families and to their community as a whole.

"Canadians and Chileans must work together, must learn from each other, must do what we can to encourage greater mobility not only of products, but also of people and ideas. Our collective well-being will be determined by our ability to empower the greatest number of citizens possible to reach their potential and to contribute to the societies in which they live."

A discussion with Canadian experts and a question period with the audience followed. On this photo, Canadian delegate Gilles Patry, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Foundation for Innovation, is speaking.

Canadian delegates Paul Davidson, President, Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, and Carolyn Watters, Provost and Vice-President Academic, Dalhousie University and President, CALDO Consortium, also participated in the discussion.

The Governor General took part in a discussion on fostering entrepreneurship and innovation at the Anacleto Angelini UC Innovation Center. Upon arrival, he was greeted by Alfonso Gómez, Executive President of the Centre.

Her Excellency was joined by Alejandra Bustamante, Acting Mayor of the Municipality of Maipú, and by community members and project representatives. The In Maipú initiative aims to evaluate existing levels of understanding about sexual diversity among students, to add human rights and sexual orientation rights to the school curricula, and to end the stigma associated with sexual diversity.

During the visit, Mrs. Johnston was joined by Sebastián Dávalos Bachelet, Daniela Baeza, the centre’s director, and by Carolina Leitao Álvarez-Salamanca, Mayor of Peñalolén.

The Anacleto Angelini UC Innovation Center is a multidisciplinary and generalist centre conceived to promote innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives that yield high economic, social and cultural impact.

The discussion included testimonials from a Canadian-Chilean angel investor and the owner of a Chilean start-up who have established a successful business relationship.

Canadian delegate Victoria Lennox, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Startup Canada, shared her comments and answered questions from the audience. She described the major elements required to secure good projects from an investor’s point of view, and how to attain angel funding from a start-up point of view.

The Governor General summarized the discussion with closing remarks.

Her Excellency toured the centre and learned about its green garden and recycling programs that provide a healthier environment for the community. She also participated in various workshops and interacted with participants whose everyday lives have been changed for the better, thanks to the services offered by the centre.

Her Excellency visited the Peñalolén Centre of Fundación de las Familias, an organization that aims to improve the quality of life and social skills of families.

The Fundación de las Familias is funded by the Government of Chile. It helps some 300 vulnerable families through educational, sporting, cultural and integration activities.

The Fundación de las Familias helps people in need through group workshops, meetings and modules from four targeted areas of interest: sports, culture, green spaces and healthy living, and socio-family development.

The Governor General delivered a keynote address to academics and faculty from universities across Santiago at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. His speech, The Global Knowledge Economy: A Canadian Perspective, focused on the importance of collaboration through education, innovation and trade, as well as through the diplomacy of knowledge.