As part of the Royal Canadian Legion’s commitment to our communities, we are involved in developing youth leadership at both the local and national levels. We believe that Canada’s youth play a crucial role in the growth of our communities and in continuing the tradition of Remembrance, which we do through several programs.
The Edward MacDonald Angus Branch 499 actively encourages students of our area in many ways, including the Poster and Literacy contest, a Video contest, support for track and field, cadets and bursaries. It’s important to provide means to both teach and promote Remembrance for all of those who, by land, by sea and in the air, laid down their lives for sovereign and country. This includes those in the past conflicts as well as those currently serving.
The Track and Field program of Ontario Command is unique in that it is the only program of its kind in the province that meets in both summer and winter for girls and boys 17 years of age and under. Athletes can compete at two levels (zone and district), and those who qualify can progress to the provincial level.
The literacy contest section is also a way of sharing Remembrance through the written word. Literary contest participants create and submit their original essays or poems on the theme of Remembrance. Submissions can be done in either English or French and then submitted to the schools, where they will be picked up by a due date. All entries will be judged at the Branch Level. This starts the journey through six levels of competition. School, Branch, Zone, District, Command and Dominion.
Our Poster contest will act in sharing Remembrance through visual art. All poster contest participants will create and submit original artwork in colour or black and white and explore themes of remembrance through drawing, painting, or illustration.
There is a video Remembrance contest, held every fall at the Provincial and National command levels. To find out more about this contest visit Provincial Command.
The Bursary Program is designed to assist those students who enter a post secondary school of education (including courses and training programs of a technical and vocational nature) and pursue the same course throughout their academic years.
The Angus Legion supports the Army Cadet Corps 2408 situated in CFB Borden. Cadets from this chapter support our Legion by manning locations with Poppies during our Poppy campaign. In November, unit 2408 marches in our Rembrance Day Parade and supplies the Cenitaph Guards of Honour during the Rembrance ceremonies.