Remember Together: John McCrae 150

The Maple Leaf Trust, the Canada UK Foundation and the Canadian Memorial Foundation have joined together with Big Ideas to fund Remember Together: John McCrae 150.

 Remember Together: John McCrae 150 will bring together UK and Canada school children on 9 November 2022 to be inspired by the amazing story of John McCrae and mark the 150th anniversary of his birth. Together they will discover the story behind his famous poem and its links to the poppy as a symbol of commemoration.

They will take action together to commemorate him, his incredible legacy and celebrate the continuing friendship between young people in the UK and Canada.

 Big Ideas will run a series of 3 digital events on 9 November 2022. This is to accommodate school timetables and time zones to maximise participation. The events will bring young people together to mark the 150th anniversary of John McCrae’s birth. They will learn his story and the stories behind his famous poem In Flanders Fields which led to the poppy becoming the most recognised flower of remembrance and symbol of commemoration. The events will be active with classroom activities taking place during the session, including writing in response to In Flanders Fields and designing poppies.

 Following the event, each participating school will receive a digital badge for its website and will be encouraged to share their work with Big Ideas for a day of comms to mark John McCrae’s the 150th anniversary of his birth on 30th November 2022.

 The aim of the project is to enable British and Canadian school children to:

●      Learn the incredible story of John McCrae and stories behind the famous poem and the poppy deepening their understanding of commemorative culture.

●      Have the opportunity to participate in a memorable commemorative event with other schools, including the excitement of connecting with schools in a different country 

●      Gain a deeper understanding of the ties of friendship between the UK and Canada through coming together to commemorate John McCrae.

Schools can sign up via https://www.big-ideas.org/remember-together-john-mccrae-150/