10-year-old Tecumseh Elementary student Judy Li is getting ready to head to Ottawa after being selected to attend the Canada's History Youth Forum. 

Li has been singled out for her heritage fair project about Chinese immigration to Canada. She will be joined on the October 15 -18 trip by 25 other young Canadians who were selected by the Young Citizens program. 

Four students from Tecumseh's Multi-Age Cluster (MAC) class were invited to the Regional Heritage Fair in May to showcase their projects. Two of the students were invited to make their projects into videos for they Young Citizens national contest. One of those students received Honourable Mention, and Li was invited to bring her project to Ottawa. 

In Li's project video, she appears in the gardens at the University of British Columbia's Asian Centre, talking about the Chinese immigration and anti-Chinese laws that were implemented in Canada.

"Chinese immigrants have helped shape Canada, yet they have endured endless struggles in order to become truly Canadian. The stories of these Chinese immigrants have taught us to cherish the fact that we get to live in a free country where nowadays, even though there is still racism every day, no one is restricted from participating in the society," Judy said. 

Young Citizens is a program of Canada's History Society. It focuses on citizenship and is a complementary component to heritage fairs, an annual event where students across the country present the results of their research on Canadian heroes, legends and key events in Canadian history. Participants in the Young Citizens program, aged 10 to 16, make a short video about their heritage fair topic, much like an evening news report or short documentary. 

"The Young Citizens program helps inspire Canadian youth about Canadian history, while encouraging them to explore the stories of their own home town, province and country," says Janet Walker, Canada's History President & CEO. "The 26 student winners exemplify the passion of Canada's young people for discovering their past and its significance to their lives today."

Joining Li on the trip from British Columbia to Ottawa will be Prince Rupert student Samuel Costa, 10, who attends Pineridge Elementary School. Samuel's project, called "Barkerville Stands the Test of Time," looked at how the gold rush city of Barkerville is still going strong after 153 years, with people visiting to learn all about the gold rush and the people who lived through it.   

The Young Citizens program is generously supported by Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life.

 

Watch Judy's video: www.canadashistory.ca/Kids/YoungCitizens/Profiles/2015/judy_l

Get more information about: 

Young Citizens www.canadashistory.ca/Kids/YoungCitizens

Heritage Fairs www.canadashistory.ca/Kids/Heritage

Canada's History www.canadashistory.ca 

 

ABOUT

Young Citizens and Heritage Fairs are both presented by Canada's History, which aims to make the discovery of our nation's past relevant, engaging, empowering and accessible to all Canadians. The society publishes the popular publications, Canada's History Magazine (formerly The Beaver) and Kayak: Canada's History Magazine for Kids, bringing the people and events that have shaped our past to life in stories that educate as well as entertain.