Media Release - Students: One idea will lead to $50,000! Could it be yours?
Only one month left to submit your campaigns to Imagine Canada and the Muttart Foundation’s national contest Students (Verb) Charities.
Ottawa, Ontario, November 1, 2012 - When you think of the charitable sector, you probably picture individual charitable organizations and the excellent work they do. Or, perhaps larger sub-groups come to mind such as the health sector or the arts community. What about the bigger picture? How does the charitable sector as a whole ensure, improve and reflect the quality of life in Canada and around the world?
The charitable sector is massive and multifaceted. Consequently, its collective impact may not be evident. Students (Verb) Charities is a contest that asks students at publicly funded post-secondary institutions to produce a public awareness campaign that talks about the depth, scope and reach that the sector has as a whole. Contestants can submit campaigns in any form or medium. There is a total of $100,000 in cash prizes including a $50,000 first prize for the top entry, a second prize of $25,000, and a third prize of $10,000. Deadline to submit is November 30, 2012.
Bob Wyatt, Executive Director of the Muttart Foundation is looking forward to seeing how students use their creativity to reflect the contributions of the charitable sector. “We have deliberately kept the format and medium of the contest flexible because we want young people to be as creative as possible in helping us take a fresh look at ourselves.”
Marcel Lauzière, President and C.E.O. of Imagine Canada added: “This is an opportunity for young people to become more engaged with charities. In addition to looking forward to seeing the campaigns, we also look forward to connecting with the next generation of leaders in our sector.”
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Students (Verb) Charities
Show us (y)our stuff!
Visit www.studentsverbcharities.ca for contest rules and regular updates.
For interviews with Marcel Lauzière or Bob Wyatt, or for more contest info contact:
Lainie Towell, Project Manager – Public Awareness Contest
ltowell@imaginecanada.ca / 613-238-7555 ext. 303
Did you know that there are 161,000 nonprofilts and charities in Canada?
Did you know that Canada’s nonprofit and voluntary sector is the 2nd largest in the world?
The sector represents $79.1 billion or 7.8% of the gross domestic product
The sector is larger than automotive and manufacturing. It generates $112 billion in revenues and employs 2 million people
Canadians donated $10 billion in 2007
Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick have the highest donor rates.
Canadians volunteered 2.1 billion hours in 2007
Young Canadians aged 15 to 24 are more likely to volunteer than Canadians in any other age group
One percent of nonprofits command 60% of all revenues flowing to the sector
Canadians with the lowest household incomes give a greater percentage of their income than others
Saskatchewan has the highest volunteer rate in the country, followed by the Northwest Territories and the Yukon
Those exposed to giving and volunteering activities early in life are more likely to continue those behaviours as adults
