Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
We did in fact open our new office space last week. We were very happy to have some members of the committee come visit beforehand.
Thank you for that. That's very kind.
Good afternoon. Thank you for the invitation to present to the standing committee. My name is Caitlin Bailey. I'm here today representing the Vimy Foundation, a First World War commemoration and education organization that has worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs since 2010.
Our mission in youth and public education includes running major national programs that tell the stories of Canadians who lived through the First World War from 1914 to 1918.
These programs reach hundreds of thousands of Canadians each year.
As part of our work, we engage with many equity-seeking communities. We have committed to weaving the experiences of indigenous and Black veterans during the First World War throughout our programming, focusing on their service during the conflict and highlighting the particular difficulties they faced receiving recognition for the same.
In a recent national educator survey that we performed in the fall of 2024, 50% of responding educators noted that they already teach Black and indigenous experiences of the First World War, but that they lack sufficient digital educational resources for their teaching.
In addition, our internal surveys of young participants and our programs reveal that more people want to learn more about these communities and their experiences during the First World War.
Organizations like ours, and the many others that have presented during this committee study, serve to help address these identified gaps. Our suite of digital projects leading up to Vimy's 110th anniversary in 2027 will reach hundreds of thousands of Canadians and highlight stories of many First World War veterans, including Black and indigenous veterans. However, they require investment to help us meet the needs of the educators and the public we serve.
I'd like to thank you again for your attention. I'm looking forward to answering your questions.
Thank you again.