the dominion institute · the dominion institute was established in 1997 by a group of young people...
TRANSCRIPT
Canadian Histo
Dominion InstitTHE
2002-2003 REPORT
Championing the Cause of Canadian History
Dominion Institute
Murray Campbell,
The Globe & Mail
“The Dominion
Institute has
emerged as one
of the dominant
players in what is
shaping up to be
something
of a resurgence
of interest in
Canada’s history.”
John Fraser,
The National Post
"The Dominion
Institute…
transformed
[war veterans]
into emblematic
talismans of a
revived national
sense of gratitude
and historical
recovery."
Janice Kennedy,
The Ottawa Citizen
“…the laudable
introduction
of increased
history instruction
to the [Ontario]
elementary
curriculum was
thanks to the
acknowledged
participation
of the Dominion
Institute…”
Rudyard Griffiths,
Globe & Mail op-ed
"History teachers
want to focus not
on what separates
us as Canadians,
but to figure out
what can hold us
together….
History is truly a
tie that binds."
Rt. Hon. Jean Chrétien,
‘97 Throne Speech
“I was very
troubled to read
a [Dominion
Institute] survey
this summer
suggesting that
young Canadians
knew too little
about each other
and what we have
done together…”
Media Quotes
The Dominion Institute was established in 1997 by a group of young
people concerned about the erosion of a common memory in Canada.
Motivated by the disappearance of mandatory history courses from provincial curriculaand by the public perception of the country's past as academic and boring, the DominionInstitute's founders saw an urgent need for a new organisation dedicated to championingCanadian history in schools and society at large.
In the space of five short years, the Dominion Institute has had a far-reaching impact onCanadians' perceptions of their history and shared citizenship. Through ground-breakingpublic opinion research, high-profile Internet and television programming, book publications,and meaningful curriculum reform, the Dominion Institute has delivered on its mission of:
"building active and informed citizens through greater knowledge and appreciationof the Canadian story."
Introduction
32% of Canadian youth are unable to name thecentury within which Confederation occurred.
Youth and History Survey
Only 54% of Canadians could identify Canada's firstPrime Minister, as opposed to 90% of Americanswho could name their first President.
2001 Canada Day Survey
POLICY RESEARCH
The Dominion Institute rose to prominence through its timely andthought-provoking research into Canadians’ knowledge of thecountry’s past. Quoted in more than two thousand print andelectronic media stories, the Institute’s public policy research hasbeen instrumental in quantifying Canadians’ historical and civicknowledge and keeping the issue of cultural literacy on the publicagenda.
The Institute’s robust research agenda continues to challenge thestatus quo by exploring the assumptions and values ofthe heritage community and by gauging the effectivenessof history education policies and programming.
The Dominion Institute has pursued its mandate to broaden
Canadians’ knowledge and appreciation of their history in two
priority areas: public policy research and educational resources.
By creating links between these priority areas, the Institute has
won a reputation as a source of bold ideas and practical solutions
for promoting Canadian history and citizenship.
“...it is our common citizenship that makes it possible for all of
us to be different. It's the identity that sustains all our identities.”
Richard Gwyn, Citizenship Policy Paper
Priority Areas
48% of Canadians consider Terry Fox Canada'sgreatest all-time hero and role model.
Heroes Internet Poll
76% of Canadian teachers are embarrassed by the lackof knowledge that Canadians have about their history.
History in Schools Research Study
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
The Dominion Institute has a straight-forward philosophy:to help Canadians share stories that define who we are and whatwe have accomplished as a nation. Through bilingual educationalWeb sites, television series, newspaper editorial campaigns,public lectures, and school programmes, the Institute provideseducators and Canadians with innovative treatments of thecountry's political, military, and cultural history.
The Memory Project - Peace and Warwww.thememoryproject.com www.leprojetmemoire.com
Using print, video, Internet, and face-to-face dialogue, TheMemory Project - Peace and War honours the sacrifice andachievement of Canadian veterans, and educates youth andthe general public about Canada's proud military heritage.
Each year, the Institute prepares hundreds of veterans acrossthe country on how best to relate their personal experiencesof WWII, the Korean War, or modern peacekeeping missionsto Canadian youth. Educators use curriculum-based materialsand online resources to prepare students for a face-to-facediscussion with a veteran. Students who participate in theprogramme are then encouraged to record for posterity thestories of Canada's service men and women in an onlinedatabase.
Passages to Canadawww.passagestocanada.com www.passagesverslecanada.com
The Passages to Canada Web site, print resources, and video,provide educators and community groups with the tools toexplore the human dimension of immigration. Through thefirst-person stories of six leading authors who have immigratedto Canada, this programme challenges Canadians, especiallyyouth, to go beyond the history and geography of immigrationand reflect on the immigrant experience as a personal searchfor identity and belonging.
At www.passagestocanada.comand www.passagesverslecanada.com, visitors can share andread personal stories of immigration posted by Canadians fromcoast to coast or arrange for a presenter from the Speakers'Bureau to visit a school or community organisation.
www.thememoryproject.comwww.leprojetmemoire.com
www.passagestocanada.comwww.passagesverslecanada.com
Priority Areas
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Heroes and Heroismwww.ourheroes.ca www.nosheros.ca
Explore the results of our online heroes survey or download thebiographies of the Top 20 heroes as selected by Canadians.The Heroes and Heroism online educational resources and storyarchive provide educators and students with the opportunity tonominate a personal hero and the tools to learn more about thepeople who have made a difference in our nation's history.
Great Canadian Questionswww.greatquestions.com www.grandesquestions.com
Great Canadian Questions sees twelve prominent Canadianhistorians, politicians, and authors come together to debate sixessential questions in Canadian history. Video, print, and onlineresources encourage students and history enthusiasts to thinkcritically about how different interpretations of Canadian historyshape debate of contemporary public policy issues. Each June,the Great Questions Essay Contest provides high school anduniversity students with the opportunity to participate in thisongoing dialogue and the chance to win a $2000 cash prize.
LaFontaine-Baldwinwww.operation-dialogue.com/lafontaine-baldwin/
The LaFontaine-Baldwin symposium is an annual lectureand roundtable discussion co-hosted by His Excellency JohnRalston Saul and the Dominion Institute. Each year in a differentcity, the symposium provides a public thinker with a venue toexplore the interplay of Canadian history with our present-daydemocratic institutions and values. The LaFontaine-Baldwinlecture is published annually in the Globe and Mail and La Presseand broadcast on CBC Newsworld. The 2000, 2001, and 2002lectures are also published as a collection of essays by PenguinCanada.
Media partners:
www.ourheroes.cawww.nosheros.ca
www.greatquestions.comwww.grandesquestions.com
Priority Areas
74% of Canadians think not enough historyis being taught in schools.
Citizenship Survey
81% of Canadian history teachers support nationalstandards for teaching history.
2001 Teachers' Survey
Long-term Planning
The Dominion Institute has reached a critical point in its evolution.
Having established a reputation in policy circles, the arena of public
opinion, and with classroom educators, the Institute is making the
transition from a groundbreaking to an established, nationally
representative organisation. This evolution will require new resources
and new partnerships with corporations, the media, government, and
community groups across Canada.
Programmes
Toward the end of its second three-yearprogramme cycle, Institute programmingwill focus on the sharing and preservationof the personal stories of Canadians whohave contributed to our national story;specifically, veterans, peacekeepers, andimmigrants. This commitment will seethe Institute establish a Speakers' Bureauthat helps veterans, peacekeepers, andimmigrants share their stories in Frenchand English in communities across Canada.
Other programmes in development include:
• an annual programme of re-enacting greatlegal trials in Canadian history
• a campaign for a national commemorativeday to celebrate Canadian political history
• a memoirs initiative to assist notedCanadians in writing their autobiographies
Policy
Having documented what Canadians knowabout their history and surveyed educatorsand the public on the teaching of historyin schools, the Institute’s priority is toencourage a pan-Canadian discussion ofnational guidelines for history education.
Through history and social studies teachers’associations, academics, and provincialministries of education, the Institute willlobby the Canadian history and heritagecommunity to adopt national historyguidelines. The Institute’s hope is thatsuch guidelines will become a vehiclefor pan-Canadian textbooks, curricula,and educational resources
Fully 44% of Canadians think D-Day marks thebombing of Pearl Harbour.
Remembrance Day Survey
Teachers named Confederation and Canada'sinvolvement in war as the two most important historicalevents to teach students.
2001 Teachers’ Survey
Executive Team The Dominion Institute is the product of the combined energies of a dedicatedgroup of young people who feel passionately about Canadian history.
The Institute’s treasurerand a founding member,Michael Chong, is aninformation technologyexecutive. Michael servedas CIO with the NationalHockey League Players’Association beforestarting his own fullservice IT company, theNichol Solutions Group.Michael studied Canadianpolitical science at TrinityCollege, Toronto.
Erik Penz is theInstitute’s chair and afounding member. Anintellectual property andcommercial law barristerat the national firm ofLang Michener, Erik tookfirst-class honours BAfrom King’s College,Dalhousie University,specialising in Canadianand British politicalhistory, and a LL B fromQueen’s University.
Rudyard Griffiths is theCEO and governing mind.The creativity of theInstitute’s programmingand the widespreadcommunication of itsmandate are the result ofhis vision and advocacy.He holds an honours BAin history and politicalscience from TrinityCollege, Toronto and aM.Phil. from EmmanuelCollege, Cambridge.
Jessica Humphreysis the manager of TheMemory Project, theInstitute's flagship educa-tional programme. Priorto joining the Institute,Jessica worked with theUnited Nations and withvarious Canadian educa-tional organisations. Sheholds an honours BA fromthe University of Toronto,and a Master's degreefrom Queen's University.
Alison Faulknor isdirector of programmes,responsible for managingthe Institute’s educationalInternet, print and in-classinitiatives. Alison hasworked as an educatorand a project managerat the McMicheal and theArt Gallery of Hamilton.She holds an honours BAfrom McMaster and anMMst from the Universityof Toronto.
The Dominion Institute functions with a full-time staff of six, a yearlyoperational budget of $250,000, and yearly programming expendituresof $1,000,000. A portion of the costs of keeping the Institute operatingon a day-to-day basis is defrayed by the delivery of programmes andservices. Work in the areas of policy development is undertaken withinthe operational budget.
To ensure a continuing and prominent voice in the heritage community,the Institute has set itself a goal of funding two-thirds of its operationalcosts through a Corporate Council of prominent Canadian foundationsand organisations.
The Dominion Institute would like to thank the following organisations forjoining the Corporate Council and making a multi-year contribution to theInstitute’s operating costs.
Historica FoundationBell CanadaMagna International Operation Dialogue Random House
The Institute is a nationally-registered charity #87396 8176 RR 0001.
FOUNDATIONS 25%
GOVERNMENT 46%
CORPORATIONS 29%
REVENUE SOURCES
SALARIES 14%
OVERHEAD 7%
POLICY RESEARCH 21%
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS 40%
CURRICULUM REFORM 18%
EXPENDITURES
OPERATIONS
Advisory Board and Patrons
Contact Us
Honorary Patron
His ExcellencyJohn Ralston Saul, C.C.
Patrons
Rt. Hon. John TurnerMiller Thomson
Hon. H.N.R. JackmanE-L Financial
Advisory Board
Michael BlissUniversity of Toronto
Alister CampbellZurich Canada
William ChristianUniversity of Guelph
Jack Granatstein, O.C.
Richard GwynThe Toronto Star
Mel Hurtig, O.C.
Patrick LucianiDonner Canadian Foundation
Warren J. KinsellaMcMillan Binch
Anne MedinaBroadcaster
Jamie WattNavigator Ltd.
Peter WhiteHollinger Inc.
Kenneth WhyteNational Post
John WrightIpsos-Reid
Phyllis YaffeAlliance-Atlantis Broadcasting
January, 2002
The Dominion Institute183 Bathurst St., Suite 401
Toronto, OntarioM5T 2R7
www.dominion.ca
Telephone: 416-368-9627Facsimile: 416-368-2111Email: [email protected]
For long distance, call 1-866-701-1867
French text of this brochure is available on request