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Student Vote is a parallel election for students under the voting age coinciding with official
election periods.The program combines in class learning, family dialogue, media consumption,
and an authentic voting experience. Since 2003, 21 Student Vote elections have been
conducted, with 3,000,000 ballots cast across Canada. "It's one thing to read about an election
in a text book or talk about it in a classroom, but with Student Vote their actually doing
it and it's hands-on." "It's a great opportunity for students to become leaders of their school,
and spread the message that democracy is important." How does it work? Step 1. Register Your School.
The program is free and open to any school in the province. Teachers can register online
or by phone. Step 2. Receive Materials. Registered schools will receive activity resources, posters,
ballots, ballot boxes, and voting screens. Step 3. Engage With The Campaign. Students
learn about the electoral process, party platforms, and local candidates through classroom activities
and campaign events, such as candidate forums. Step 4. Participate In Student Vote Day. Students
take on the roles of election officials, and coordinate a vote on local candidates. Results
are tabulated and shared with media for broadcast and publication. An independent evaluation
commissioned by Elections Canada reports that the Student Vote Program is having a positive
impact on students' knowledge of politics and the electoral process, their sense of
civic duty and interest in politics, and levels of political dialogue at home, which are all
important predictors of voting. The program is also confirmed to improve educators' knowledge
and confidence in teaching civics, and 20% of parents reported that their child's participation
positively affected their decision to vote. "I think every singe school and every single
teacher, whether it be a science teacher or a math teacher or an art teacher - never mind
a social science teacher - should be engaged in this process because we are all citizens
in this democracy, and this country." Join us in strengthening the future of our democracy.
Register today at studentvote.ca, or give us a call at 1-866-488-8775.