National Video-A-Veteran Contest


  1. MAKE A NEW “HISTORY FRIEND”

    SEEK OUT A VETERAN AND SUBMIT THEIR STORY.

    YOU CAN HELP SAVE CANADIAN HISTORY.

    INVITATION to participate in the:

    “National Video-A-Veteran Contest”

    All entries will become part of the “Harry Watts Veterans’ Video Library”

    Thank you for considering the “National Video-A-Veteran Contest” as part of your curriculum. “Remembrance Week” is a special time for our Canadian war veterans. It is a time for reflection of a turbulent time in Canadian history, when a portion of Canadians (1,000,000 of the 12,000,000 Canadians in WW2 alone) were asked to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country. The Boer War, World War 1, World War 2 and the Korean War all the way up to the Afghanistan War, our soldiers have given their lives for Canada. The “National Video-A-Veteran Contest” is a way to show our unwavering respect for our veterans, both past and present. By video taping the veteran that will be speaking at your school this Remembrance Day on November 11th, you can do your part in saving an important part of Canadian history.

    The Contest

    The “National Video-A-Veteran Contest” is open to all Canadian students from grade 5 to grade 12. We will require the students to video tape the veteran that will be speaking at the schools’ classrooms and auditoriums on Remembrance Day or during Remembrance Week. The students will be required to submit a 5 minute or less documentary/music style video about the veteran’s military life and the speech to the school, then take the veteran aside and get some additional information on a one on one basis. In order to enter the 5 minute video, the students will be required to submit the entire uncut version of the veteran’s visit in order for the 5 minute video version to be judged. Please seek out a veteran from World War 2 or the Korean War if possible, for time is against our older veterans. Veterans Affairs released the number of World War 2 veterans that were alive in 2007 as being 205,533; even if that number is cut in half we still have over 100,000 WW2 veterans that may be willing share their story. The number of Korean War veterans was approximately in the 16,000 range in 2007.   

    The Rules

    1)         The students must be respectful and polite to the veteran at all times.

    2)         All 5 minute veterans’ entries into the contest must be accompanied with the entire uncut video of the veterans’ visit to the school. If the veteran does not have enough time to speak in the Remembrance Day ceremony, please allow the students to have a one on one interview with the veteran, if the veteran is willing. Sometimes there is not enough time for the veteran to say all that they would like to say in the classroom or auditorium.

    3)         The students will be required to ask a list of questions that we will supply, to the veteran in the uncut version, and then ask any additional questions they may have. This method of questioning will allow us to be able to cut the stories together for compilation purposes. We will supply a list of suggested questions on our website, however, the student is free to ask any respectful questions they wish.

    4)         The 5 minute student’s entry is where the students can be creative. We are encouraging the student to use their own questions and filming method in the 5 minute or less version.

    5)         All entries must be accompanied with as much written information about the veteran as possible such as  name, date of birth, marital status, family, date of service, unit information (Army, Navy, Air Force), and where the veteran served.

    6)         All veterans, teachers and students involved with the video entries must sign the release form that will be supplied on our web site fovcanada.ca. Please include this document with the entry submitted by Canada Post mail service. Please put the 5 minute video version and the uncut video version on separate DVDs. Please label both DVDs with school names and date of completion on the DVDs. Please keep a copy of the entry at your school in the event that the submitted DVDs are lost in the mail. 

    7)         Each confirmed school registration entry will be listed on our web site as they arrive. If you do not see your school’s name on the list, please wait two weeks after entering before emailing us. Teachers can enter the National Video-A-Veteran Contest online at  fovcanada.ca  electronically. The hard copy of the release form can be printed out from fovcanada.ca and must be forwarded by Canada Post directly our Charity’s head office at “Friends of Veterans Canada” 105 Hamilton Road, London, Ontario, N6B 1N2, with your veteran’s video entry.

    8)         All entries must be submitted by Canada Post mail on or before the Christmas break 2009. All submissions must be at the charity’s head office no later that January 10, 2010.

    9)         Your school may not have a veteran speaking at your Remembrance Week ceremonies. If that is the case, please seek out a veteran through your local “Royal Canadian Legion”, “Army, Navy Air Force Club” or the local retirement home. Tell them of your interest in their story and about the “National Video-A-Veteran Contest”.  They are out there and are willing to talk; all they need is to be asked.

    10)        All students must clear any request for an interview with a veteran with their teachers before contact is made with the veteran. 

    11)        The student can record their entry anytime during Remembrance Week.

    Prizes

    “Friends of Veterans Canada” will be awarding twenty trips to Holland for the winning veterans of the “National Video-A-Veteran Contest”. There is no physical prize for the students, however, we hope that the students’ reward will be the making of a “History Friend”.  Perhaps, if the school would like to offer an academic history award for the student, this would help encourage participation.

    The “Thank You Canada” ceremonies in The Netherlands (Holland) are a celebrated time in The Netherlands.  We will be assigning a Dutch volunteer to each veteran winner of the “National Video-A-Veteran Contest” in The Netherlands. They will be video taping much of the veterans’ visit to The Netherlands. We will then take all of those stories and make a documentary about how the Dutch people feel about Canadians. This documentary will be entered into Canadian film festivals in 2011.

    Electronic Entry Deadline

    We would like to have all electronic entry forms in by the start of Remembrance Week (seven days before Remembrance Day). We do not want to exclude anyone, so please have your electronic entry forms in by November 10, 2009.  Please go to our website www.fovcanada.ca for further information.

    What are the entries used for?

    The “Harry Watts Veterans’ Video Library” will be made available to school libraries across Canada. Harry Watts is an 86 year old veteran Dispatch Rider of World War 2 and Vice-President of “Friends of Veterans Canada”.  Mr. Watts has been speaking at schools on Remembrance Day for many years. It was Mr. Watts who was the inspiration for this veterans’ video library. 

    The veterans’ stories gathered will be made available to school libraries across Canada. For instance, if the teacher is doing a story on the “Battle of Ortona”, they can contact our charity and we will send out what we have in the “Harry Watts Veterans’ Video Library” to them. All students that make a “History Friend” during this contest will remember that they were involved in this project and will be able to pass on what they learned to their children.

    “Friends of Veterans Canada” is a registered charity and is run by volunteers for the many Canadians who have voluntarily risked their lives for all of Canada.  Please help us save our veterans’ memories and Canada’s history.

    Any Questions can be emailed to randy@friendsofveterans.ca 

    Randy Young

    President

    Friends of Veterans Canada

    105 Hamilton Road

    London, Ontario Canada

    N6B 1N2

     

     

    519 679 8190

     

Video Contest Entry Form
After filling out this form, a video submission guide will be emailed to you

  • Enter School Name
    •  
    •  
       
      Enter City
      Select Province  

      Enter postal code (L5L5L5)
  • Enter phone number (555)555-5555
  • Enter students name

  • AGREEMENT: All entries become the unconditional property of the Friends of Veterans Canada and Randy Young President, to be used as they see fit. This acknowledgement , must be agreed by any elected person(s) representing the entire list of participating student's and/or the teacher representing the entire list of participating students. All participants must agree and understand the rules and registrations of this entry form.

    You must agree to above notice I UNDERSTAND AND AGREE WITH THE ABOVE STATEMENT


     Enter security code  
 

Video's cannot be returned.   Send a CD or DVD copy of the video in a AVI, WMV or MOV file format. DO NOT SEND TAPES! Please keep all original videos and only send a MPEG digital copy.  Please send a short letter with the video submission describing the interview and details of the participants.  Use a proper CD or DVD mailer to assure safe arrival. DVD or CD mailers can be purchased at any Canada Post outlet or your local office supply store.

Mail to:
FOV Canada
ATTN: Video Contest Entry
105 Hamilton Rd
London ON.
N6B-1N2.

 

Please contact us for more information as required by clicking on Contact Us above.
Friends of Veterans Canada Is are a registered charity in Canada go to fovcanada.ca