How CIVIX Uses Wordly to Teach Democracy to Bilingual Canadian Students

Challenge: Creating an Inclusive, Bilingual Youth Parliament That Lets Future Voters Experience Civic Life While Staying on Budget and Flexible

CIVIX is a national, non-partisan nonprofit dedicated to strengthening democracy by engaging students in meaningful civic education. Through programs like Student Vote, Rep Day, and the Youth Parliament of Canada (YPC), CIVIX helps young people understand public institutions, build civic literacy, and gain confidence in participating in democratic life.

The Youth Parliament of Canada, held in Ottawa, Canada in November 2025, was the first national youth model parliament in more than four decades. Over four days in the Senate Chambers, 75 young Canadians aged 16–20 participated in legislative debates, committee sessions, workshops, and question and answer periods. For the inaugural event, CIVIX wanted to create a program that truly represented future voters from across the country and gave them a real taste of civic life.

Achieving this vision presented three key challenges:

1. Official Bilingualism Required Equal Access: Providing equal access for both of Canada’s official languages, English and French, was essential, while also supporting students from recently arrived families who might speak other languages at home. Participants needed to be able to follow fast-paced parliamentary debates, which could be difficult for non-fluent speakers.
2. ‍Translation on a Small-to-Mid-Sized Nonprofit Budget: Traditional in-person interpretation was prohibitively expensive. Costs for interpreters, travel, equipment, and staffing could have determined whether the event could run at all. Bulky headsets, typically used for live translation, were impractical for young participants, who needed a discreet, youth-friendly solution.
3. ‍Flexible Translation Not Tied to Specific Schedules: The program required translation that could be available anytime during the four-day event, without being tied to rigid schedules or fixed sessions. To make the inaugural Youth Parliament fully inclusive and accessible, CIVIX needed a solution that was cost-effective, flexible, discreet, and scalable, without sacrificing accuracy or the overall participant experience.

“We wanted every participant to feel like they could engage fully, regardless of their first language without having to restrict sessions or spend more than our budget allowed,” said Cecelia White, Parliamentary Simulation Program Manager.

Solution: Supporting Students Across Canada with Affordable, Flexible, and Discreet Translation

To address these challenges, CIVIX implemented Wordly AI Translation & Captions to provide real-time multilingual access throughout the Youth Parliament.

Wordly solved the challenges in three key ways:

1. Equal Access: Wordly ensured equal access to Canada’s two official languages while also supporting students from multilingual backgrounds. Participants could follow fast-paced parliamentary debates in English, French, or dozens of other languages using their phones, tablets, or laptops, making the program fully inclusive and welcoming to all.
2. ‍Affordable Solution: Wordly offered a cost-effective solution that fit a small-to-mid-sized nonprofit budget. Providing multilingual translation at a fraction of the cost of live interpreters, and with a flexible pay-as-you-go model, Wordly allowed CIVIX to purchase only the hours they needed. Translation was no longer a make-or-break expense. The platform made language access feasible without compromising other program elements.
3. ‍Flexible and Discreet: Wordly delivered flexible, youth-friendly, and discreet translation. Unlike traditional interpreters tied to strict schedules, Wordly could be used anytime during the event, including simultaneous breakout sessions or for last-minute agenda changes. Participants accessed translation without bulky headsets or equipment. By simply scanning a QR code on their devices, participants were able to engage naturally without the need to wear bulky headsets and draw attention to their need for translation. The setup required no booths, audio technicians, or cables, making it seamless for staff and attendees alike.

“Wordly allowed our participants to focus on the debate and their learning experience, not on the

technology,” White added.

By combining equal access, affordability, and flexibility in a single platform, Wordly allowed CIVIX to deliver a truly inclusive, bilingual Youth Parliament that gave young Canadians a real taste of civic life while staying on budget and adapting to the dynamic event environment.

Results: Empowering Future Voters to Experience Parliament in a Fully Inclusive Way

Wordly significantly enhanced the Youth Parliament experience. Among the results:

• High Adoption Throughout the Program: CIVIX used Wordly for a total of 28 hours during the multi-day event, including virtual planning meetings leading up to the event, which averaged over a dozen participants using translation each time. During the in-person Youth Parliament, usage peaked at more than 50 users, nearly two-thirds of the 70+ total attendees.
• ‍A Fully Accessible Program Within Budget: For the first time, CIVIX could offer broad, high-quality multilingual access in real time without sacrificing other program components due to cost.
• ‍Event Feasibility That Wasn’t Limited by Interpreter Costs: The affordability of Wordly ensured language access enhanced the event rather than becoming a financial barrier.
• ‍Experience That Mirrors Real Parliament: Real-time bilingual debate and captioning reflected how Canada’s Senate and House of Commons operate.
• ‍Higher Engagement from Diverse Youth: Participants from Francophone regions and multilingual communities followed debates more easily and participated more confidently.
• ‍No More Awkward Headsets: Young participants felt more comfortable and more willing to engage because translation blended seamlessly with their existing devices.
• ‍Smooth Operations for Staff: Wordly allowed CIVIX to pivot program elements freely without negotiating or rescheduling interpreter contracts.

Future: The Affordability and Flexibility of Wordly Makes Long-Term Adoption Sustainable

The successful use of Wordly real-time translation in creating a smooth and engaging experience for the inaugural Youth Parliament of Canada demonstrated its value in supporting accessibility and inclusion. The affordability and flexibility of Wordly made long-term adoption sustainable, allowing CIVIX to continue providing seamless, multilingual experiences.

‍

"For a small nonprofit like CIVIX, affordability and flexibility can make or break an event, White noted. “Wordly ensured everyone could participate fully. We look forward to using it in future Youth Parliaments to continue providing high-quality, accessible experiences.

About CIVIX

‍

CIVIX is a Canadian nonprofit organization delivering experiential civic education to millions of students each year. Its mission is to build civic literacy and democratic engagement by connecting youth with real political processes and institutions.

About Wordly

Wordly helps make every meeting, event, and conference instantly accessible across languages. Its AI-powered platform provides accurate translation and captioning in dozens of languages, along with transcripts and summaries, streamlining communication at any scale. Attendees can join via a simple QR code or link, with no downloads or extra equipment required, ensuring seamless participation for virtual, hybrid, or in-person events.

Enterprise-ready, secure, and compliant, Wordly supports everything from small team meetings to large international conferences. It allows everyone to follow along, contribute, and engage without the expense and logistics of human interpreters.

See it in action – book a personalized demo.