Canadian War Museum awarded Public History Prize from the Canadian Historical Association

June 12, 2020

MEDIA RELEASE

Ottawa, Ontario, June 12, 2020 — The Canadian War Museum is pleased to share that its Supply Line Second World War Discovery Box has been awarded a Public History Prize from the Canadian Historical Association.

Launched in September 2019, the Second World War Discovery Box is a hands-on learning experience that brings the War Museum into classrooms across Canada. Any school in Canada is eligible to borrow a Discovery Box for a free, two-week loan. The boxes include a curated selection of both original and reproduction artifacts from the War Museum, and are supported by digital resources. These resources, which include historical overviews, archival materials, personal stories and lesson plans, are also available on the Museum’s website. The Supply Line Discovery Box program also includes a First World War version — part of a suite of outstanding educational resources that help bring history to life at schools across the country.

“We are exceptionally proud of the Supply Line Discovery Box program,” said Caroline Dromaguet, Acting Director General, Canadian War Museum. “Drawn from the Museum’s broad expertise and collections, this object-focused box reflects the diverse experiences of Canadians who participated in or were affected by the Second World War, both at home and abroad.”

The Public History Prize recognizes work that achieves high standards of original research, scholarship and presentation; brings an innovative public history contribution to its audience; and serves as a model for future work, advancing the field of public history in Canada.

The committee was impressed by how the content of the Second World War Discovery Box is “based on strong scholarship, while presented in a way to make historical practice adaptable across age ranges.” They noted that this “promotes the best practices of historical thinking for teachers and students, and as such it reflects the important cross-fertilization between public history and history education.”

In light of the ongoing situation with COVID-19, the Museum is currently looking at ways to safely enable Discovery Box loans for the 2020–21 school year. More details will be released when they are available. The Canadian War Museum wishes to congratulate its co-recipients of the 2020 prize, Know History and the team behind Refugee Boulevard.

The Supply Line Second World War Discovery Boxes are supported by the Crabtree Foundation, the R. Howard Webster Foundation and the Friends of the Canadian War Museum. For more information, visit warmuseum.ca/supplyline.

The Canadian War Museum is Canada’s national museum of military history. Its mission is to promote public understanding of Canada’s military history in its personal, national and international dimensions. Work of the Canadian War Museum is made possible in part through financial support of the Government of Canada.

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Media contacts:

Avra Gibbs Lamey
Senior Communications and Media Relations Officer
Canadian War Museum
avra.gibbs-lamey@warmuseum.ca

Yasmine Mingay
Director, Public Affairs
Canadian War Museum
yasmine.mingay@warmuseum.ca