Explorica Canada will send thousands of students, teachers and chaperones from across Canada to Vimy, France to attend Vimy 100 on April 9. As part of their week-long educational Canadian history tour in Europe, students will participate in the official Veterans Affairs Canada ceremony and take part in activities organized by Explorica and its partners.
More than 9,000 Canadian high school students and teachers will be in attendance along with key government officials and community leaders, honorable Canadian veterans, Canadian citizens and descendants of Vimy soldiers. The event will span the entire day, featuring speeches by Canadian and European officials, including members of the Royal Family as well as special presentations by Canadian youth. Explorica, in conjunction with their partners at the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917, is offering participants access to an exclusive WWI interactive event as part of the commemorative experience.
Having worked for more than five years with hundreds of teachers to create custom educational tours Canadian History Specialist Stephanie Crosbie is proud to inspire students to travel abroad to experience this moment in history. “Explorica’s Canadian history tours cultivate a passion for Canadian history through cultural immersion tours that explore the impact Canadian soldiers made in war and peace efforts during WWI and WWII.” she explained. “As the granddaughter of two Canadian World War II veterans, I’m touched to have so many Canadian youth travelling to the Canadian battlefields to honour those who fought during both World Wars. Many of the young men who fought at Vimy a century ago were the same age as these students so seeing the battlefields and attending the ceremony will ensure the next generation never forgets what our ancestors sacrificed for us. All students should be offered this type of opportunity.”
In preparation for this historic event, Explorica invited students to design a Vimy 100 emblem for the official Explorica commemorative jacket. Students from across Canada were asked to share what the Battle of Vimy Ridge meant to them. The winner, high school student Maddy Haggith of Strathroy, Ontario, was inspired by a sense of responsibility to honour the past, “The responsibility to protect and preserve the memories of what happened during WWI are now in the hands of a new generation.” To see Maddy’s artwork, visit http://www.explorica.ca/blog/vimy100-jacket.
In addition to participating in the Vimy 100 events, Explorica travelers will venture across Europe to visit other iconic locations significant to Canadian history including the beaches of Normandy, Menin Gate, the Anne Frank House, the Imperial War Museum and more.
Would you like to take your students on a history-themed tour? We can make that happen!
Visit explorica.com/history or call 1.888.310.7120 to get started!