Elections Canada released new civic education resources on Wednesday for teachers to use in their classrooms for free as one way of getting young people interested in the topic.
“The goal is not to deliver information to students but to have them talk about issues and see how they could get engaged in their community,” said Stéphane Perrault, chief electoral officer of Canada, on Wednesday in Dartmouth, N.S.
The resources available before for teachers dated back about a couple of decades, and the organization decided they needed to be updated.
READ MORE: Liberals keen to push through voting reforms ahead of 2019 federal election
Resources include activities
Perrault participated in a launch event where students at Bicentennial School participated in one of the five activities that are part of the group of resources.
Students focused on women’s suffrage, one of several available case studies, and the actions of women from a century ago. The actions, which were written on cards, included creating a group of local supporters, signing a petition, and contacting an elected member.
Students placed those cards on top of the appropriate categories on a paper, kind of like a board game. The four categories were: participating as an individual, working together as a group, building public support, and working through the political system.
They examined how each action, separate and together as a whole, impacted the topic.
Then, using the same system, they came up with their own actions for the things to matter to them.
“It helped me learn about voting and how much of an impact everything can have,” Alex Smith said.
The 14-year-old said his group determined that students at the school need a longer break between classes for travel and snack-eating purposes.
Getting involved in school politics, spreading awareness of the problem, and setting up a petition could be their next steps, Smith said.
WATCH: Movement to get millennials to vote
Nova Scotia teacher involved in development of resources
Wendy Driscoll, who teaches social studies at the school, was one of several educators from across Canada who gave feedback regarding the educational tools teachers desired in classrooms. She and her students tested and provided feedback on some of the resources last year.
“I hope that they can identify what their role is now, but they can also see how that’s going to grow and change as they get older,” she said of her students.
Driscoll said she also hopes that her students know that they can make a difference and that they act on it.
The materials, which are available online in French and English, can be used in classes including civics, math, and history.
READ MORE: ‘Trailer Park Boys’ character wants Canadians to vote in online campaign
Perrault said that when young Canadians don’t vote early in life, they tend to continue that later in life.
“We’re working on the long game. This is tomorrow’s voter,” he said. “It’s an important segment of the population for us.”
Maura Murphy, 14, said she thinks one reason why older people tend to vote more than young people is because they’re more experienced with and knowledgeable about the process.
She said she didn’t know much about voting before the class, and she thinks this topic is a good thing for her and other young people to explore.
“We learned that, really, anyone can make a change and, if you want to make a change, you should probably speak up about it because, most likely, you’re not the only one thinking about it,” Murphy said.