Student Vote 2015
Register your school or classroom for the Student Vote parallel election program for the 2015 federal election, administered by CIVIX. Student Vote offers students the opportunity to experience the voting process firsthand and practice the habits of informed and engaged citizenship. The program and resources are offered free to schools and are available in both official languages. This program has been and continues to be a highly successful way of engaging young people in the democratic process. Check it out at www.studentvote.ca.
Canada’s Democracy Week 2015
The fifth edition of Canada’s Democracy Week (CDW2015) takes place September 14 to 21, 2015. This year’s theme, “Let’s Get Canada Ready to Vote,” encourages Canadians to start making their plan to vote in the upcoming 2015 federal election. Inspired by the United Nations’ International Day of Democracy (September 15), CDW2015 encourages Canadians to learn more about the country’s electoral process, and be ready to cast their ballot by knowing when, where and ways to register and vote. CDW2015 has a special focus on Canadians under the voting age. The week highlights opportunities to participate in hands-on activities designed to encourage an awareness and understanding of Canada’s democracy, and the role youth under 18 have to play in it.
Check out a digital toolkit of logos, fact sheets, web banners and a digital postcard. http://www.democracy-democratie.ca/.
National Democracy Challenge
The flagship activity for CDW2015 is the National Democracy Challenge. Canadian students aged 14 to 17 are invited to answer this year’s Challenge question: “Show Canadians how to get ready to vote” through a video, an image/artwork or written text.
The submission deadline is November 9, 2015. Participants will win prizes for the best submissions in each category. This year, we have partnered with Forum for Young Canadians, Encounters with Canada and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights to offer great prizes for the winners.
For more information, go to: http://www.democracy-democratie.ca/.
Election-related materials for the classroom
Elections Canada’s mandate is to inform Canadians on when, where and ways to register and vote in federal elections. For this, Elections Canada has developed a series of products that can be used to help Canadians be ready to vote. Products include print and digital products and infographics, as well as videos on the English and French YouTube channels that may be of interest to teachers and students.