National Meaning of Home Contest
Contest opens January 9, 2023
Countdown to contest.
Oakville student wins $30,000 through writing contest for Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga-Dufferin!
The annual Meaning of Home contest asks students in grades 4, 5, and 6 to share what home means to them. Rylan V. the Grade 5 winner from Oakville, Ontario. is one of three national grand prize winners. His $30,000 grant will go to Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga-Dufferin.
Click here to read Rylan’s winning entry “If home were the 5 Senses”.
Watch the video here “If home were the 5 Senses”
What is this contest?
The Meaning of Home contest, which runs from January 9 to February 24, 2023, invites Grades 4, 5 and 6 students from across Canada to submit a written poem or essay (in English or French) explaining what home means to them for a chance to win a $30,000 grant for their local Habitat for Humanity.
Since 2007, over 90,000 students have participated in the Meaning of Home contest, raising over $2 million to build homes across Canada for families in need of decent and affordable housing. This would not be possible without these students’ inspiring words, and the support of award sponsors Urban Systems Foundation, Home Trust, Face to Face Games, judging sponsors Travelers Canada and Hunter Douglas, and founding sponsor Sagen™ [1]. Sagen has volunteered hundreds of hours across Canada to support the Meaning of Home Contest through judging entries, worked in collaboration to develop marketing/entry materials, as well as continuing to fund multiple aspects of the program with dedicated relationship managers.
The Meaning of Home contest engages students in creative writing and learning about civic responsibility while providing them with a unique opportunity to make a difference in their community.
[1] Sagen™ is a trademark owned by Sagen MI Canada Inc
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We know how important it is to share this information with your student’s parents. Simply download this letter, add your contact information and signature at the bottom, and you’re enabling them to have important conversations with their children at home. This will help students reflect upon what home means to them and spark ideas for their entry in the writing contest.
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We’ve made it super easy to have important social justice discussions and host the writing contest with your students. Everything you need to run this activity with your students is right here. What are you waiting for?
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Here’s a little bit of information to tell you more about the program and how it works. Read this before you jump into the lesson plan. It provides an important overview of timelines and resources available.
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This is a handy little one-pager that you can put up in your classroom or around the school. You may even wish to place it within your school newsletter or send a digital copy to fellow teachers.
The Habitat for Humanity Canada Meaning of Home contest is a great way to:
• Encourage independent and critical thought
• Promote creative writing
• Increase awareness around social issues
• Promote community involvement
The grand prize winner in each grade gets to direct a $30,000 grant to Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga, an iPad and the class of each grand prize winner will receive a pizza party.
