Evelyn Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Fair address: South Shore Regional School Board
Project: The Little Immigrants
From 1833-1948 over 120,000 British children were sent to Canada to become "home children." They were leaving bad conditions behind in the hopes of a better life in Canada. The British Immigrant Children program" may have had good intentions but life in Canada was often very difficult.
What was the most interesting thing you learned about your topic?
I learned that home children contributed greatly to our population. Over ten percent of Canada's population today can claim they are relatives of home children. That is more than 4 million people!
What important lessons have you learned that you want to share with other Canadians?
I learned that sometimes good intentions can have selfish reasons behind them and don't always have good results. The program was a way to get rid of poor children and solve overcrowding issues in Britain, while providing farm labourers and domestic servants to people in Canada. I learned that people are tough and can overcome difficult times in life.
How would you compare your life today to the lives of those studied in your project?
My Life is 100% different. I get to be a kid and don't have to worry about child labour. These children came from very poor situations and I am very lucky to have the life and family that I do.