Month: November 2015

To commemorate the 100^th anniversary of In Flanders Fields, more than 100,000 students from over 1000 schools in every province and territory recited this iconic poem during Remembrance Week.  The Vimy Foundation launched this initiative earlier this month.

Thank you to all the teachers, students, principals, parents, and all other supporters who helped us to reach this ambitious goal!

This year marks the centennial of the writing of In Flanders Fields, the iconic Canadian poem from Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. We no longer have any veterans of the First World War still with us: we have lost that direct connection with their stories – of the tragedy of war, of the reasons why they enlisted to fight, of the impact of the war on them, their families, and their country.

It is up to all of us to remember. Thank you to all who help to pass the torch of remembrance to Canada’s young people.

Some news articles about this initiative:

November-06-15, Calgary Herald   Canadian kids pledge to recite famous Remembrance Day poem

November-10-15, Times-Colonist  ‘In Flanders Fields’ still Canada’s pre-eminent war poem, even after 100 years

November-10-15, Maclean’s ‘In Flanders Fields’: 100,000 Canadian children recite 100-year-old poem

 

In no particular order, here are some of the classrooms across the country that participated:

 

 

 

 

 

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Vimy Foundation campaign to encourage Canadian youth to recite famous poem reaches 100,000 students

Toronto, ON – November 9, 2015 – Most (76%) Canadians can correctly identify In Flanders Fields as the Canadian poem written during the First World War 100 years ago, and John McCrae (61%) as the author of that iconic poem. Most encouraging is the young Canadians (18-34) scored highest in knowledge and attitude related to the famous poem.

When presented with a list of six options, three quarters (76%) of Canadians could correctly identify In Flanders Fields as the Canadian poem written during the First World War 100 years ago. Interestingly, Canadians aged 18 to 34 were most likely (80%) to correctly identify In Flanders Fields as the poem.

Among a list of six authors, six in ten (61%) Canadians could identify John McCrae as having written In Flanders Fields, although four in ten (39%) did not. Once again, young adults paved the way with their superior knowledge, with 68% correctly answering the question, more than the 63% of those aged 55+ and 55% of those aged 35 to 54 who identified McCrae as the author.

Three quarters (74%) of Canadians ‘agree’ that ‘In Flanders Fields should be designated as Canada’s National Poem by an Act of Parliament’, while just one quarter (26%) ‘disagrees’ with this position. The idea has a majority of support in every region of the country, including Quebec (51%).

With support is so high, it’s not surprising that eight in ten (82%) agree that hearing In Flanders Fields recited on Remembrance Day enhances their appreciation for Canada’s veterans, and most (84%) agree that every Remembrance Day ceremony in Canada should include a reading of In Flanders Fields.

In Flanders Fields…

The data show that some Canadians know more about this iconic poem than others:

–  Regionally, those in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (97%), Alberta (93%) and Atlantic Canada (92%) were most likely to identify In Flanders Fields as the Canadian poem written during the First World War.

–  Ontarians (74%), Atlantic Canadians (73%) and Albertans (73%) were most likely to correctly identify John McCrae as the author of this iconic poem.

–  Three in ten (30%) Canadians ‘agree’ that they can recite the poem In Flanders Fields by memory – matching the 30% of the population that could correctly identify the first verse.

–  The poem has a preeminent position in Canadian culture, so much so that two in three (66%) Canadians ‘agree’ that they learned In Flanders Fields as a child, rising to 73% agreement among those aged 18 to 34.

 

Click here to read more detailed results from Ipsos.

For more information:

Jennifer Blake
Communications Coordinator, Vimy Foundation
416.595.1917 ext.2
jblake@vimyfoundation.ca займ на карту