Canada’s Young Historians Share Digital Stories of the Past

The Spanish flu epidemic. The first French-Canadian woman to become a doctor. The history of treaties in Canada. Immigration stories and experiences, from the Vietnamese “boat people” to Syrian refugees. Tales of courage and liberation from the Second World War.

These are just a few of the topics explored by students taking part in the 2018 Young Citizens program — a national contest that sees young Canadians create engaging and inspiring history videos, while vying for a trip to Ottawa to attend the Canada’s History Forum.

Participants are selected from the thousands of students who each year take part in Heritage Fairs across the country. These students are invited to create a short video about an aspect of Canada’s past, covering everything from the arts, sports, politics, war, science, immigration, famous people, community heritage, and more.

Visitors to YoungCitizens.ca can vote for their favourites from among the 80 videos submitted.

“The level of research and inquiry behind these projects is impressive,” said Janet Walker, president and CEO of Canada’s History Society. “The students’ curiosity, depth of knowledge and flair for the dramatic make the stories of the past come to life for online viewers.”

The voting period is June 12 through June 22. The online vote will make up part of a student’s final score. Following the vote, judges will review the videos and select four recipients, who will travel to Ottawa in the fall for the Canada’s History Forum.