Canada’s History is a charitable organization dedicated to popularizing the nation’s history. They were presented with the opportunity to create something to celebrate Canada’s 145th birthday.

Together with Solv Communications, the organization showcased a fresh, young perspective on Canada’s history across the country.

Every spring, over a quarter of a million students attend heritage fairs across the country to present their Canadian history projects. How could we amplify these projects and share them with Canadians coast to coast?

Young Citizens was created to accomplish this. They encourage students to select a historical topic that intrigued them— topics ranging from social, military, political, sports and more.

Students celebrated centuries past by researching, producing, and filming memorable moments. 144 videos were produced, each one different, just like the students who produced them. Topics ranged from Canadian heroes to historic highs and lows.

The videos appeared on a dedicated website where both the public and selected judges narrowed down the submissions to six finalists. The recipients attended the Governor General Awards at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.

The campaign excelled at earned media coverage – including national television, radio, newspaper, magazine and online channels – that successfully promoted the Young Citizens campaign.

To launch the campaign, the Solv Communications team hosted media events in select locations across Canada. A vast array of media outlets attended and promoted our message to Canadians.

In addition, there was a media event at Rideau Hall in Ottawa showcasing the Governor General awarding the student recipients.