SUPPORT BLUE METROPOLIS
Louise Ann Maziak
President of the Board of Director, Blue Metropolis Foundation
Honorary Chairperson of the honorary committee for the Thriller benefit event
Jean François Leduc
Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer, GardaWorld
Co-chair of the “5 Reasons to Give” campaign
A 25th anniversary with great fanfare!
As Blue Metropolis celebrated its 25th anniversary, 2023 was lining up to be chalk full of emotions, literary events, refreshed educational programming and many other lovely creative moments.
Louise Ann Maziak and Jean François Leduc invite you to lend your support to the Blue Metropolis Foundation to ensure the future of Montreal’s Blue Metropolis Festival, one of the biggest multilingual literary festivals in the Americas, and the continued achievement of the Foundation’s educational mission.
Literature, diversity, inclusion, freedom of expression, and even helping kids stay in school… There are so many reasons to support Blue Metropolis, as our recent projects show.
THE LATEST NEWS ARE GOOD!
Our 2022-2023 annual campaign has brought in, as of April 26, 2023, $349,475, including more than $47,355 related to the THRILLER benefit evening. A big thank you to our two honorary presidents and to the women of influence of the THRILLER honor committee.
DONATE ONLINE
Every donation counts. Each year our team doubles its efforts to promote reading and inclusion and to break social isolation.
DONATE BY CHEQUE
Print and fill out the downloadable form
and send it with a cheque made out to Blue Metropolis Foundation,
at 661, rue Rose-de-lima, bureau 204, Montréal (QC) H4C 2L7
Charity Organization number: 88516 8948 RR0001
THRILLER
The 25th edition of the Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival got off to a riveting start with the THRILLER benefit soiree. Members of the honorary committee performed dramatic readings of short excerpts from acclaimed thriller works from here and abroad that left the audience gasping for air and to got their hearts thumping. The soiree featured a rich program spotlighting a wide variety of novels each bound to keep one on the edge of their seat till the last very page: historical, social, psychological and mystery, fantasy and horror thrillers… A breathtaking assortment of tales that transported all of us to worlds of lurking menace, innumerable twists and turns, and spectacular investigations.
Discover the thrillers featured by the honorary committee here.
THE ANNUAL “5 REASONS TO GIVE” CAMPAIGN
Jean François Leduc, Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer at GardaWorld, is the co-chair of Blue Metropolis’ annual “5 Reasons to Give” campaign, a citizen funding drive that seeks individual and corporate donations to benefit the social and educational programs of the Blue Metropolis Foundation. Academic resilience, inclusion, combatting prejudice or environmental awareness: what will be your reason to give in 2023?
Find out more below.
5 REASONS TO GIVE…
25th ANNIVERSARY: SPECIAL PROGRAMMING & ILLUSTRIOUS GUESTS
In 2023, Blue Metropolis turned a quarter of a century old. Our 25th anniversary was the opportunity for us to look adamantly to the future: literature is constantly changing, including through heritage. More than ever, this edition of the Festival was based on important writers and thinkers whose work sheds light on the past and the present, however chaotic or tormented, and gives us a glimpse of what lies ahead. Together we asked what the future holds, a question that raises so many others: What will linguistic diversity look like? What about human habitats? Nature? Borders? Identities?
Support the future editions of the Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival.
NEXT – MAKING SURE THE NEXT GENERATION IS HANDS-ON
Society is a living organism, and forever in flux. That’s progress! But too many young people are left by the wayside. Youth marginalization can be structural, caused by poverty, dropping out of school, family violence, difficult living environments, or social inequality. Prejudice and resistance from companies and in the labour market can also create barriers for youth who may have less typical backgrounds and young people from under-represented communities.
Support social inclusion for every child. Support our training programs.
LGBTQ+ SERIES & THE VIOLET LITERARY PRIZE
For nearly 25 years, Blue Metropolis has been a platform for literary LGBTQ+ voices. Whether emerging or established, from Montreal, Canada, or abroad, the authors in the Festival’s LGBTQ+ series showcase new practices, raise identity issues, and mobilize communities.
Stay tuned to discover our LGBTQ+ programming, and support diversity by making a donation.
There are no small gifts. There are only precious gifts, gratefully received.
ECOLOGY AND LITTERATURE
How can we fight climate change and contend with the social and global injustice that the climate crisis entails? During the Festival, you’ll have a chance to meet writers, thinkers, and researchers who have come together to address these issues. Listen to our authors’ podcasts. Bring your children and check out the Vegetable Patch Adventurers workshop series.
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Did you know that 100% of the teachers, parents, and librarians surveyed in 2022 said that the TD-Blue Metropolis Children’s Festival activities directly contributed to the academic success of the children who visited with our authors and cultural mediators?
Support our free year-round children’s programming.
Find out more: www.bluemetropolis.org/youth
IMPACT OF OUR YOUTH AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING
YOUTH PROGRAMMING
Those surveyed agree our youth programming activities foster significant interest among children with regards to:
/ academic success 100 %
/ reading and/or mathematics 95,2 %
/ developing their imagination and creativity 95,2 %
/ increasing knowledge 80,9 %
100 % of those surveyed would recommend the Children’s Festival.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
Those surveyed (teachers, cultural facilitators, librarians, parents) feel our educational programs positively impact students’:
/ motivation 89 %
/ grades 79 %
/ ability to express themselves 93 %
/ self-esteem 93 %
/ interactions with each other 82 %
