"Dear/Cher Canada" Set to Launch This Week

A Group of Canadian Youths Offers Their Nation a New Means for Coming Together

VANCOUVER, BC, June 29, 2020 /CNW/ - A team of passionate youth volunteers is launching a new initiative this week called "Dear/Cher Canada"—a national, bilingual and digital platform designed to connect Canadians of all ages during this unprecedented period in our country's history, while supporting COVID-19 relief efforts. 

Dear/Cher Canada launches July 1st. (CNW Group/To:gether Innovations)

"We love the 7pm-cheer across the nation but want to use technology to extend the sentiments behind the cheer and bring us together in a time of need," said Katherine Lou, a Harvard University student from Vancouver, BC. She and six other students have formed a new venture, launching on Canada Day, that allows all of us to write a "digital postcard" to the country as a whole, transcending some of the limitations created by social distancing and existing social media platforms.

Visitors to DearCanadians.ca or ChersCanadiens.ca can share a meaningful photograph on one side and, on the reverse side, express their thoughts and feelings about anything that's on their mind during this unique moment, from reflections and observations, to words of gratitude for specific groups or individuals. The cards will be able to be viewed online by the public, putting individuals of diverse backgrounds and from all corners of the country into a single conversation—and serving as a historical record of the public consciousness during this pandemic.

To amplify participants' impact, for every card posted, TELUS will donate $1 to support COVID-19 relief for vulnerable communities and youth across Canada, via the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation (up to 10,000 cards). Lou describes the partnership as invaluable, saying, "we are extremely grateful for TELUS' support to not only help us connect Canadians, but provide much needed funds and services to Canadian families and communities."

The "Dear/Cher Canada" initiative is spearheaded by seven students, ages 19-22, who have teamed up to create a non-profit entity called To:gether Innovations (togetherinnovations.org), using digital postcards to bring people together. The team's leaders live across North America and, true to their digital innovations, many of them have never met in person. The team includes: Aysha Emmerson, Jasper Johnston, Katherine Lou, Lara Teich, Rob Walker, Sophie Webster, and Vicky Xu.

The Dear/Cher Canada platform can be accessed starting June 30th at both dearcanadians.ca and cherscanadiens.ca.

SOURCE To:gether Innovations

Email: [email protected]; Phone: Aysha [phone], or Jasper [phone]