Mr. Chair, members, it is a pleasure for me to be here today.
I'm Agnes Augustin from the Shaw Rocket Fund. The Shaw Rocket Fund is a not-for-profit, CRTC-regulated private fund that is dedicated to Canadian children's media for independent producers. We support programming in both official languages, indigenous languages, and other minority languages, on all Canadian networks that air children’s and youth programming, with public and private broadcaster support split evenly.
The Shaw Rocket Fund strives to be forward thinking and innovative in its support of Canadian-made media for children, with the audience that represents the future of our country. We believe there is great opportunity to create a positive impression on children's lives, given the appropriate means. Through media, we can positively influence them. With that in mind, we have three recommendations.
First is a youth entrepreneur fund to create online opportunities to develop young Canadian entrepreneurs. Second is to provide tools for discoverability, so that the innovation created by these young people can be found by an audience and monetized. Third, we need research to remain relevant with the habits of the constantly evolving digital world. Our proposal, focused on digital, will touch every part of the country, urban or remote, allowing further generations to contribute to our country's economic growth.
The proposed fund is based on generation Z. After 1995, this generation does not know a world without Internet. They are known as the first global generation having exposure to international ideas and challenges, and the ability to connect beyond all borders, allowing them to better understand our diversity and celebrate who we are as Canadians. We see this generation as becoming the innovators and entrepreneurs we need to contribute to Canada's economic growth.
Given the government's focus on making Canada a country of innovators, investment in online entrepreneurship is key to future prosperity. Our research shows, and the data speaks for itself, that between 2010 and 2014, watching programming on TV decreased by 21%, whereas digital platforms increased by at least 20%. Surveyed in 2014, 60% of kids believe content will become an online experience. That was two years ago. Simply put, we must adapt to these changing demographics and consumption habits.
Our research also shows that 68% of kids aged nine to 18 who were surveyed say they are proud when a show they like is Canadian, and 46% like shows that reflect them as Canadians. Therefore, we recommend that the government invest $10 million over five years to create an online entrepreneur fund for youth, which will help support Canadians 17 and under in all regions of the country to set the stage for successful online entrepreneurs.
A second but critical recommendation is to provide tools for making the content discoverable online. We recommend that 5% of the proposed fund annually goes towards meaningful investments in Canada's young people in urban, rural, and remote communities, to help them tell stories relevant to them, with the emphasis on making the content discoverable online.
Lastly, research needs to be a vital part of this initiative. In 2010, the rocket fund undertook the first-ever media and technology landscape study for young Canadians on their media habits. This initial research gave us the opportunity to truly understand how kids view the constant stream of information that is being communicated to them, and the best ways to engage them. With the digital world changing incredibly fast, we believe it is crucial to expand this type of research to keep it fresh, and to ensure that the media sector and this entrepreneur fund remain relevant to the audience and consumer.
Partnerships have been critical to the success of the rocket fund, and we firmly believe that a private-public partnership could be within our reach should the government choose to make this initial critical investment. We are looking forward to discussing opportunities to make this a reality. We see the government as a catalyst in digital innovation in our sector.
In closing, I want to quickly mention that the rocket fund fully supports the Prime Minister's youth council, as it shares our view that youth engagement is understanding the future economic growth of our country.
I also hope that I will see you all on the evening of November 23 at Rocket Prize, which you've received an invitation for. It celebrates the best in Canadian kids programming and gives an opportunity to engage with stakeholders across Canadian kids programming.
There are four words I would like to leave with you today: innovation, entrepreneurship, economic growth. We see no better role for the government than as that catalyst.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.