Statistics education and outreach are central to the mission of the Statistical Society of Canada, helping to inspire future statisticians, promote data literacy, and strengthen the public understanding of our field. At this year’s annual meeting, a 90-minute panel discussion session took place with the following panellists: Dr. Bingrui (Cindy) Sun (chair of the statistics education committee (SEC)), Dr. Samantha-Jo Caetano (chair of the Census at School (C@S) Canada committee), Dr. Katherine Davies (chair of the Florence Nightingale Days (FNDs) subcommittee of SEC), and Dr. Tatiana Krikella (FNDs event organizer at York University).

During this session, panellists talked about three outreach projects supported by the SSC: (i) International Statistics Literacy Project Poster Competition, (ii) the Census at School Canada Project, and (iii) Florence Nightingale Days events in Canada. Descriptions of the projects are below. During the session, we described the ISLP, took the Census at School survey, and did an example of the Florence Nightingale Day Activity.

The session also spent time focusing on areas of improvement: recruitment, promotion, and gauging interest in supporting these events from other SSC members across Canada (to better support these programs and K–12 statistics outreach nationally). 

If you missed the session, please use the link tinyurl.com/ssc-outreach2026 to view the PowerPoint slides used by the panellists. Note this link will expire on July 1, 2026. After this date, please contact any panellist listed above for a copy to be emailed.

A description of the three projects is below along with their respective resource links:

International Statistics Literacy Project (ISLP) Poster Competition

The International Statistics Literacy Project (ISLP) Poster Competition is a biennial competition that promotes statistical and data literacy among students in Grades 4–12 and undergraduate postsecondary programs. Students work in groups of 1–5 members, with guidance from a teacher or instructor, to create a poster that communicates the results of a data analysis on a topic of their choice using existing or self-collected data.

In Canada, submissions are judged nationally within four divisions: Grades 4–6, Grades 7–9, Grades 10–12, and undergraduate postsecondary. Cash prizes are awarded to the top entries in each division. National winners then advance to the international competition organized by the International Association for Statistical Education (IASE), where Canadian students have achieved notable success, including an international winning poster from Ottawa in the 2024–2025 competition.

The next competition will take place during the 2026–2027 school year. Key dates include:

• Teacher/Instructor Registration Deadline: December 31, 2026

• Student Poster Submission Deadline: February 19, 2027

• National Winners Announced: April 20, 2027

For additional information, resources, and registration details, visit the ISLP Canada website: https://islp.ssc.ca/.

Census at School (C@S) Canada

Census at School Canada is a free, bilingual, online data collection project that helps students develop statistical and data literacy skills through the analysis of real-world data. Designed for students in Grades 4–12, the project invites classes from across Canada to complete a survey on topics such as demographics, technology use, health, environmental attitudes, and interests.

Participating teachers gain access to anonymized data from their class, which they can compare to Canadian and international datasets. This can be used to support inquiry-based learning and data investigations in mathematics, statistics, data science, and other subject areas. The project provides ready-to-use classroom activities, lesson plans, and resources aligned with curriculum expectations, making it easy for educators to incorporate authentic data into their teaching.

Led by volunteers from the Statistical Society of Canada, Census at School Canada reaches thousands of students annually and is part of an international network that promotes data literacy and statistical thinking among young learners.

More information can be found here: https://censusatschool.ca/ or by emailing the Census at School Canada chair at censusatschool@ssc.ca.

Florence Nightingale Days (FNDs)

Florence Nightingale Days (FNDs) are outreach events designed to inspire students to explore statistics, data science, and related careers while celebrating the contributions of women in these fields. Named after Florence Nightingale (a statistician, pioneer of modern nursing, and advocate for using data to improve public health) these events honour her legacy by demonstrating the power of data to understand and address real-world problems.

First launched in Canada in 2018, FNDs typically bring together secondary school students for a day of hands-on activities, games, networking opportunities, and presentations from student and professional role models. Activities introduce students to statistical thinking, data analysis, and emerging topics such as machine learning in an engaging and accessible way.

Florence Nightingale Days have been organized by individuals from institutions across Canada, including University of Toronto, York University, McMaster University, University of Waterloo, University of Calgary and Simon Fraser University. The Statistical Society of Canada supports the continued growth of these events through its Florence Nightingale Day subcommittee.

A repository of FND resources (including activities, lesson plans, suggested schedules, and a “How to Get Started with your First FND”) are available here: SSC-SEC-FND-subcommittee.  Note this link will expire on July 11, 2026. After this date, please email the FND subcommittee chair (Katherine Davies: daviek5@mcmaster.ca) for access.