Media Kit
News Release for Canada’s Coolest School Trip
For immediate release
The My Parks Pass program is excited to bring you the sixth annual Canada’s Coolest School Trip contest. This year, ______[class name] at______[school name] in ______[city/community] has created a video about ______in the hopes of winning Canada’s Coolest School Trip contest.
Grade 8/secondary 2 classes across Canada were invited to create a one-minute video telling us which Parks Canada place they would like to visit to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday, and to demonstrate what that chosen place has to offer and what significance it has had in creating the Canada we know today.
At stake is the grand prize, an all-expenses-paid class trip this June to explore Parks Canada places in Nova Scotia. Students will explore the beautiful landscape and experience Mi’kmaq culture in Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site, discover Canada’s first National Historic Site, Fort Anne, take part in a spooky ghost tour at the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site, uncover the tragic and powerful Acadian history at the UNESCO World Heritage and National Historic Site, Grand-Pré, and so much more. Amazing prizes will also be awarded to five runners-up and five honourable mentions.
In order to win, they need your help! From March 6-24, 2017, their video will be available online at contest.myparkspass.ca and will be open to public voting. We need the community to vote for their entry every day in order to be among the finalists! The top twelve videos with the most votes will be judged for a chance to win the grand prize as well as the runner-up prizes.
For more information on the Canada’s Coolest School Trip contest, please contact Ellen Curtis, Director of Education for the Royal Canadian Geographic Society, at (613) 745-4629 ext. 124. The My Parks Pass program is an initiative of Parks Canada, Canadian Geographic Education, Nature Canada, the Canadian Wildlife Federation, and Historica Canada,
For more information on this grade 8/secondary 2 class and their video, contact:
______[Contact’s name]
______[Contact’s title at the school]
______[School name]
______[Phone number]
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Tips for drawing media attention
1) Involve your community in the creation of your submission.
For example, if you need “extras” for your video, organize a community event inviting friends, family and media to participate. Just make sure you have permission to film every person that is featured in your video. This could also be an opportunity to share with your community information about Parks Canada places in Quebec and in your area.
2) Use social media
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social media are great tools for leveraging the involvement of your community. Use it to spread the word and illicit votes. Get your local media outlets to share your page on their social media accounts.
3) Organize a family night to show off your video
Invite students’ families to the school and host an event centered on your class’ video.
4) Engage your local officials/government
Invite your local officials or government to visit your school and discuss the value of the Parks Canada system and how your video will help encourage people to explore Canada’s nature and culture.
5) Invite your local newspapers/TV stations
Contact your local media and get advice on producing a video – how they create a storyboard, what videos are most effective, etc. Invite them to report on your project to raise awareness so that more people vote for your video. Use the press release template to help you. It’s as easy as sending an email containing your news release to an editor/producer at the local newspaper/TV station/radio station (check the Contact Us section of their website). You could also make a follow-up call a few days later.
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