Sharing Stories: How CAF Members Inspire Canadians During Veterans' Week

By Mélodie Gratton

I'm the National Coordinator for the National Veterans' Week Speakers Program (NVWSP), and my job is to make sure members of the Canadian Armed Forces have an opportunity to share their story with audiences of all ages during Veterans Week (November 5-11).

I absolutely love what I do. Why? Because I get to work with amazing people – civilian and CAF – who every year step up and go above and beyond to make sure Canadians, especially students, get a chance to interact with a CAF member during this important time of year.

The best part of my job is working with a dedicated team of volunteers every year, from the people who represent their Environments or L1s, to the regional points of contact who coordinate requests received for their base, wing or unit. I know it can be overwhelming and a stressful time for many of the volunteers, simply because of the number of requests received every year – usually more than 2,500. I commend them for their efforts and know they are doing everything they can to find a speaker for all of the schools and groups that make a request.

And then there are the CAF speakers themselves. I've heard stories that brought tears to my eyes and made friendships that will last a lifetime. I continue to be amazed every year with the sheer number of volunteers who step up and are willing to participate in my program. In 2023, we had close to 1,200 CAF members volunteers as speakers.

I'm also blown away when I receive feedback like this: "Our presenter was amazing! He has a great presentation, fantastic story and spent the remainder of his morning going to different classrooms to answer questions. Our presenter was very kind, knowledgeable and friendly and we would gladly have him back every year!" – teacher at the Edmonton Catholic District School Board.

Now, the part I dislike the most is telling a group that we can't fill their request. I know we do our best and try to match as many speakers as we can against the requests we've received. Sometimes we just don't have enough speakers to meet demand and it's difficult to let people down.

Which is why I'm appealing to CAF members from all environments and ranks – officers and NCMs, French and English – and asking them to volunteer to help fill as many requests as possible. I know that L1s face competing priorities, but I'd like to emphasize that being seen and heard during Veterans' Week makes a lasting impression.

If you have any questions, or want to find out more about the NVWSP, you can reach me at 1-833-223-8322 or via email at DNDRemembrance.SouvenirMDN@forces.gc.ca. Or visit our Intranet site: http://intranet.mil.ca/en/news/special-events/national-veterans-week-speakers-program.page