Three Newfoundland students have been named among 30 finalists in a national online video contest in this year’s Canada’s History Young Citizens Program.
For digitally documenting Newfoundland’s fishing industry, a video by Matthew Rogers of St. John’s received among the highest number of online votes from Canadians and is now closer to winning one of six trips to Ottawa.
Rogers ancestors settled on Silver Fox Island off the coast of Bonavista, but relocated to larger communities in the 1950s and 1960s.
Gina Spencer of Corner Brook produced a video on the Presentation Sisters and Julia Kelland from Happy Valley-Goose Bay, who took steps to have a street names after a soldier who was killed in Afghanistan, produced a video on Canada’s role in Afghanistan.
Across the country, about 200 students spent countless hours interviewing people, filming and re-enacting historical milestones that mattered most to them and their community.
The project, supported by Great-West Life and the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Youth Take Charge program, connected students from Grades 4 to 11 to historic moments by encouraging them to research, role play and digitally record short documentaries or news items.
Deborah Morrison, CEO and Publisher of Canada’s History Magazine said in a news release these students, through their efforts, have taken ownership of stories that have shaped the culture and heritage of their communities and our country. “ They’ve made a connection to the past that goes beyond anything they could learn from a textbook, and we hope it has sparked a deeper interest in history that they explore for years to come,” Morrison said.
Rogers said this hands-on style of learning was exciting. “I see monuments and historic names referenced all the time but I never really understood their deeper meaning, until this project,” he said. “Being a ‘Young Citizen’ made me appreciate and explore my personal connections to our country’s history.”
A national panel of judges will now review the 30 videos and have the difficult task of selecting six winners. The six final Young Citizens will receive a trip to Ottawa to participate in the Governor General’s History Awards at Rideau Hall in December where their videos will be showcased at the National History Forum.
To view the entries and contest winners, visit www.YoungCitizens.ca.
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
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