Royal Canadian Geographic Society

For more than 30 years, Canadian Geographic Education (or Can Geo Education), a program of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, has strengthened geographic and geospatial literacy across Canada. Their free, curriculum-linked teaching resources now support 28,000+ educators and 750,000 students in 80% of Canadian public schools, removing barriers to high-quality learning for classrooms nationwide.

Kensington is proud to support this mission. By offering ready-to-use materials and programs at no cost, Can Geo Education ensures more students gain the foundational knowledge and critical thinking skills needed to understand their country and the world.

This year marked the 30th anniversary of the Canadian Geographic Challenge, the program’s longest-running and most recognized student competition. With our funding, the Challenge was revitalized to engage even more learners ages 9 to 19 across three levels that blend traditional geography, geospatial skills, and new technology.

The competition’s impact is national in scale, with more than 10,000 students competing across Canada, and 5 finalists travelling to Ottawa for the finals.

• Level 1 introduces foundational skills to grades 4–6.

• Level 2 advances grades 7–10 through classroom, school, and provincial rounds to the National Final.

• Level 3 prepares top students for the international stage, where Team Canada earned Silver and Bronze at this year’s International Geography Olympiad in Bangkok.

At the 2025 National Final in Ottawa, Grade 9 student Mark Cherwick was named champion. “Geography is the basis of history, political science, linguistics and anthropology,” he said. “You can’t understand any of those subjects without understanding geography.”

Through our partnership, thousands of young Canadians are building curiosity, confidence, and a deeper connection to the place they call home.