Young filmmakers travel to Ottawa to celebrate their work
WINNIPEG, Oct. 24, 2014 /CNW/ - Twenty-two students from communities all across Canada have earned themselves a trip to Ottawa to learn more about our nation's capital and our country's history.
The students were part of a group of over 150 that participated in the Young Citizens program, administered by Canada's History Society, with the support of Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life and the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Take Charge program. The students were selected following their regional heritage fairs, and tasked with making a short video that demonstrated the historical significance of their topic. The videos were all posted online at YoungCitizens.ca and a public vote encouraged Canadians to watch and support their favourite student flicks. After a combined total of over 34,000 votes, a panel of judges selected twenty-two winners for this year's program.
The winners will receive a trip to Ottawa for the first Canada's History Youth Forum from October 31-November 2, where they'll have a chance to visit some of Canada's most important national sites. As part of the Youth Forum, the students will spend a morning at the Canadian War Museum sharing their projects together and deepening their knowledge of Canadian history.
This year's Youth Forum was also made possible by the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Working Group on Cultural Engagement, which supports national collaborative initiatives that strengthen youth engagement in heritage and arts.
The recipients of the 2014 Young Citizens program are:
Abby Peterson, Rocky Mountain House, AB — Canada & Titanic
Dominic Shoop, Okotoks, AB —The Flintlock Pistol
Dylan Lee, Vancouver, BC — The Chinese Head Tax
Alexandra Mines, Vancouver, BC — Les Réfugiés Indésirables du Canada
Jenna Allison, Winnipeg, MB — Nellie McClung
Rachel Teller, Winnipeg, MB — Sir Frederick Banting
Maude Couturier, Fredericton, NB — Les infirmières militaires canadiennes
Emma Morehouse, Lincoln, NB — Patrick Owens Covered Bridge
Jasmine Rahman, St. John's, NL—The Newfoundland Conscience: A History of Giving
Jack Goldsworthy, Torbay, NL —Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: The Original Way of Life
Ben Strickland, Bridgewater, NS —The Mosquito
Sam Rogers, Lower Onslow, NS — The Black Devil's Brigade
Eastyn Klages, Chatsworth, ON — A Little Taste of Home
Paris Snake, Rama, ON — Residential Schools: The Intergenerational Impacts
Karla McCallum, Charlottetown, PEI —The Journey of the Potato
Harrison Duffy, Kinkora, PEI — History Of the PEI Railway
Élodie Chamberland, Sainte-Hélène-de-Kamouraska, QC — La Seconde Guerre mondiale
Andréanne Girard-Lemieux, Saint-Gédéon-de-Beauce, QC — Reproduction de mocassins amérindiens
Dylan Donald, Regina, SK — Chuckwagon Racing
Ella Forrest, Regina, SK — My Oma's Story
Duncan Snooks, Whitehorse, YT— Jacques Cartier
Maximilian Wanner, Whitehorse, YT — North West Mounted Police
Honourable mentions include:
Lauren Bale. De Winton, AB — The Evolution Of Canadian Figure Skating
Amina Guo. Vancouver, BC — Japanese Canadian internment
Olivia Richards. Vancouver, BC — 1961 train smoke eaters
Siya Johal. Delta, BC — My Sikh Family History
Luke Harris. North Vancouver, BC — Vimy Ridge
Jacob Grant, Winnipeg, MB — Andrew Charles Mynarski
Luke Battcock, Paradise. NL — Gros Morne
Griffin Fancy, Bridgewater. NS — Prestigious Provo
Julia McNeaney. ON — Ridley College
Turner Clarke, Port Colborne. ON — The Wainfleet Bog
Clara Sismondo. Kingston, ON — KCVI : a history
Lise Charles, Charlottetown. PEI — Un pėcheur madelinot
Karine Champagne, Saint-Honoré-de-Shenley. QC — Le patrimoine des Jésuites en Nouvelle-France
Makayla Kaye. Whitehorse, YT — Yukon First nation
To view the entries and contest winners, visit www.YoungCitizens.ca.
Joel Ralph, Director of Programs at Canada's History Society remarked, "Through the Young Citizens program, these students emerge as teachers and leaders in their community." He added, "They are committed to sharing their knowledge with others and ensuring that the past is not forgotten."
The students will also be recognized for their work at the Canada's History Forum, a gathering of top historians, teachers, writers and heritage professionals that's held annually in conjunction with the Governor General's History Awards. This year's forum is taking place on Nov. 2 at the Canadian War Museum. The forum is free to attend online or in-person. Visit CanadasHistory.ca/HistoryForum to register.
"It's encouraging to see young people sharing and deepening their knowledge of Canada," said Jan Belanger, Vice-President, Community Relations for Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life. "We hope our support for the Young Citizens program will help participants gain the insights they need to become responsible and engaged citizens."
About Heritage Fairs
Heritage Fairs began as a pilot community project in Winnipeg in 1993 and have today grown to involve over 110,000 students each year in schools-based and regional exhibitions in more than 100 communities across Canada. Wholly driven by a network of volunteer teachers and community history organizations, the program benefits from funding support from Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life, partner in the Young Citizen's video component.
About Great West Life
Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life offer a broad portfolio of financial and benefit plan solutions and serve the financial security needs of more than 12 million people across Canada. Responsible and ethical management is an intrinsic value of the companies and is essential to long-term profitability and value creation. As an Imagine Caring Company supporting the principles of corporate citizenship and benchmarks for community investment established by Imagine Canada, the companies donate a minimum of one per cent of average pre-tax profits to non-profit, charitable and community organizations each year. Learn more about the organization's corporate social responsibility.
About Canada's History Society
Canada's History Society is a national charitable organization devoted to popularizing Canadian history. In addition to presenting the Governor General's History Awards and publishing Canada's History (formerly The Beaver) magazine, as well as Kayak: Canada's History Magazine for Kids, the Society also produces a number of educational and online programs to encourage more discovery, celebration, and understanding about our rich history and culture. More details can be found at www.canadashistory.ca
SOURCE: Canada's History
or to arrange an interview, please contact: Nicole Harris, Maverick Media Solutions, 204-470-4555, [email protected]; Joel Ralph, Director of Programs, Canada's History, 1-866-952-3444, ext. 221, [email protected]
Share this article