I don't know if this is done everywhere or not, but around here teenagers (cadets aged 12-18) guard the cenotaphs on the night of November 10. They work in shifts of five throughout the night, with one cadet on each corner of the cenotaph at all times, and another there to patrol, command the changes of guard, etc. Adults of some kind (cadet instructors/parents/members of local CAF regiments) are always close-by as well, just to make sure the kids are alright.
This is the Kitchener cenotaph, which is located right downtown, being guarded by two Royal Canadian Army Cadets (wearing dark green uniforms with berets) and two Royal Canadian Air Cadets (wearing blue uniforms with toques). There are more Air Cadets and Army Cadets in this area than there are Sea Cadets, so they're more common to see at the various cenotaphs on this night. For some reason the area Sea Cadets always form the complete guard contingent for the Waterloo cenotaph (even though they're not actually based in Waterloo) and don't participate in guarding the others, as far as I know.
Both of my older brothers were very active and involved Royal Canadian Sea Cadets when I was little. Given our family's situation back then-- with my mother fighting cancer at first, and then me being the only kid in a single-parent family who was NOT a cadet, not to mention the baby of the family too-- I spent an awful lot of my childhood around this stuff! Chris has not been thus exposed though, and he found it interesting to see the kids do a changing of the guard while we were there tonight.
Wonderful image and story behind it. I don't think we have this tradition in the states. I did, however, have a student who was a Sea Cadet in Buffalo. He now serves in the Navy.
