More than 6,500 international students from Asia, South America, the Middle-East, Europe, and many other countries will celebrate their chosen destination, Canada, during World Student Day (WSD) today. They will take a short break from their English or French studies to take part in sports and cultural activities, and to express their appreciation for Canada.
Celebrations will take place in: Halifax, NS; Glace Bay, NS; Charlottetown, PEI; Montreal, QC; Toronto, ON; Ottawa, ON; Winnipeg, MB; Calgary AB; Vancouver, BC; and Victoria, BC. Special guests will include:
MP Andy Filmore (Halifax);
Cape Breton Regional Municipality Mayor Cecil Clarke (Glace Bay);
Michael Forian, Assistant to Jacques Chagnon, MNA for Westmount-St-Louis (Montreal);
Richard Deschamps, City councillor (Montreal);
Han Dong, MPP, Trinity-Spadina, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development (Toronto);
Councillor Heather Deal, Deputy Mayor of Vancouver (Vancouver); and
Mayor Lisa Helps (Victoria).
“World Student Day is a unique opportunity for students and language education professionals to connect and celebrate their contribution to Canadian and international education and culture. The success of this event over the past two years has demonstrated how important this sector is to both Canadians and to the students who choose Canada as a study destination,” says Gonzalo Peralta, Executive Director of Languages Canada.
This year’s World Student Day event marks a major activity in a new communications campaign entitled I Choose Canada (hashtag #IChooseCanada). The main goal of the campaign is to highlight the importance of language education in Canada and advocate for policy changes that will support members and the sector. The I Choose Canada video is the central focus of the campaign launch and social media contest on Facebook (closing July 15th). Participants can watch and share the video on Facebook with the hashtag #IChooseCanada for a chance to win great prizes.
Fun activities, such as talent shows, potlucks, sports, music and cultural activities of interest to students and staff alike are on offer in each city. Celebrations are held by Languages Canada members and some events are ticketed.
About Languages Canada
Languages Canada is Canada’s national language education association representing more than 225 private and public members that offer accredited English and French programs. Languages Canada’s members hosted more than 134,000 international students who studied English or French in 2015. These students came from around the world (top five countries are Brazil, Japan, China, South Korea and Saudi Arabia) and contributed more than $1.5 billion to the Canadian economy in tuition, living and tourism expenses. Approximately 36% of these students continued on to post-secondary programs in Canadian colleges and universities upon completing their language studies.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Sarah Snowdon
Communications Manager
ssnowdon@languagescanada.ca
416.838.3423
Use the #IChooseCanada hashtag on Facebook and Twitter!
Twitter:@LangCanada
Facebook: facebook.com/WSDJEM/facebook.com/languagescanada
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/languages-canada
Website: languagescanada.ca
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