School Twinning Pilot Project Themes

The three themes that will serve as the basis for the school pilot projects are:

The Discover Canada Study Guide will be a useful resource for students and teachers. Copies of the study guide can also be ordered at promotion@cic.gc.ca.

Be Heard! The Democratic Process in Canada

Our shared identity in Canada has been created by our many different stories. In many of these, Canadians have fought for the rights and freedoms we all enjoy today. Other stories were shaped by civic engagement to change legislation, values, and practices in order to extend rights and freedoms to all Canadians. This includes the right to vote and support the ability of all Canadians to participate to their full potential in shaping the social, cultural, economic, and political evolution of Canada.

All Canadians, new and established, recognize democracy, and the ability to participate in the shaping of our democracy as defining traditions of our country. We are proud of the fact that Canada hosted the first representative assemblies in (then) British North America. Many Canadians worked hard and died both here and abroad, so that we can live in a country that respects freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

In developing a school project with classmates and twinned peers, students will increase their awareness and understanding of and respect for democracy in Canada and its impact on their lives, as well as those of all Canadians.

School Projects to Consider

Understanding how our democratic system operates is just one of the steps to being an engaged and active citizen. Democracy is about the right to having your voice heard. While youth may be too young to vote in elections, there are many other ways youth learn how to make their voices count and make things happen. For example:

  • Interview an MP or other elected official from your region and compare/contrast the issues of importance from one region to another.
  • Be an “MP for a week” for your class and address your constituents’ issues (try to find solutions to their problems). Compare issues and results/solutions with the other (twinned) class.
  • Debate the following topic (or write a feature/opinion-editorial): Should the voting age in Canada be lowered to age 16? Each twinned class will take a contrasting position.
  • Select an issue in your school or community and create a plan of action to make your voice heard. Compare your approach to that of your twinned team. Compare results.

Research Recommendations and Links

Take Action! Volunteering and Community Engagement

Whether your family has been in Canada for generations, or just a few years, all citizens have responsibilities. The last line of the Oath of Citizenship states, “…and fulfill my duties as a Canadian citizen.” One of those shared duties is developing a sense of civic responsibility and donating time to help others in your community. Volunteerism contributes to personal growth and benefits your community. As a volunteer, you can help people in need, assist at your school, or facilitate the integration of newcomers to Canada in your community and in your school. When you volunteer, your community benefits and you gain useful skills and develop a network of friends and contacts. (Discover Canada)

Take action. Join something. Start something.

Civic engagement can take many forms— from individual volunteerism to organizational involvement to electoral participation. It includes efforts to: directly address an issue of interest or concern, work with others in a community to solve a problem, or interact with democratic institutions.

By participating in community activities, students increase their awareness and understanding of local issues. Such knowledge and experiences enhance classroom learning, contribute to the betterment of society, and typify a Canadian ideal.

When youth are involved in their communities, they develop leadership skills, a sense of responsibility, and their self-esteem and academic performance improve. They become motivated to take action in their respective communities.

School Projects to Consider

It is important for young people to be active in their communities. It is instrumental to personal as well as community growth. Individual involvement, even if in a minor role, can help build a community. Volunteer projects that help communities include:

  • A blood donor clinic in the community centre for adults (organised by schools –i.e., advertising, liaising with the Red Cross, working with community partners, etc.)
  • An art, music or essay contest, “What Canada/My Community means to me...and how I can make it better?” Share. Compare. Establish commonalities/differences.
  • A twinned schools competition to fundraise for a community cause, or they can compare how their school project impacted both the community and themselves as participants.
  • A school fundraiser for a community need.
  • A visit to an (immigrant) seniors’ centre.
  • Help newcomers in your community to better understand Canada/Canadian life.
  • A student “New Student Transition Mentoring” committee in your school to help transition students (immigrant, new Canadians, other).

Research Recommendations and Links

Getting it Right: Past Lessons and Current Applications

Canada’s history is marked by people and events that have shaped our society today. Some of these people and events have had lasting legacies of which all Canadians can be proud. For example, the brave service of Asian and black Canadians, in spite of the discrimination they suffered, in defending our rights and freedoms abroad; the work that Canadian women undertook at the turn of the 20th century to obtain the right to vote; and the work of Senator Paul Yuzyk in shaping the policy of multiculturalism in Canada.

Learning about these notable people and events inspires us to work to ensure that all Canadians can participate in shaping the future of Canada. Understanding our history helps to remove barriers, increase our respect for the stories and experiences of all Canadians, and encourages us to continue to build the country we are proud to call home.

In developing a school project on ‘past lessons-current applications’ with classmates and twinned peers, students will increase their awareness and understanding of Canadian history, values, civic pride, institutions, and diversity.

School Projects to Consider

This theme deals with learning and understanding lessons from Canadian history and applying them to today’s world (What has changed? Did we learn from history? What more could be done?)

  • Pick an event, measure, or law that significantly impacted Canadians and discuss its impacts on Canada today (i.e., the lessons learned).
  • Build a timeline of key historical events or describe, in detail, one event or person that had an impact on present-day Canada, such as:
    • The role and impact of the women’s suffrage movement;
    • The contribution of Chinese Canadians during the building of the CPR and the subsequent repeal of the Chinese Immigration (Exclusion) Act;
    • The history of Scottish and Irish immigration to Canada and its impact on the development of Canada and its institutions; or
    • The contribution of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples in building our country.
  • “Interview”, in the form of a play/presentation:
  • a residential schoolchild
  • a Chinese railway worker
  • a Japanese-Canadian who is facing relocation during WWII
  • an Italian-Canadian in an internment camp
  • a Black loyalist who has just escaped from the US in the 19th century

Present their situation “in their own words” and the lessons they hope Canada and Canadians will learn.

Research Recommendations and Links