Hooked on novel?
Aspiring writer?
Would-be booksellers?
The Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival is certainly a top place to volunteer. Take part in a Festival the literary scene is talking about (in 5 languages!). Whether it’s the welcome desk, the box office, the Festival bookstore, or accompanying one of our authors in transit, the Blue Metropolis Festival will immerse you in the industry side of the book word! From children’s literature to the latest literary titles, there’s a place at Blue Met for you and your interests.
May 6 to 8, 2022
Hôtel 10 or at one of our partner locations (Montreal)
To volunteer: benevolat@metropolisbleu.org
Do you have a talent for public relations ?
Join the promo squad of the Blue Metropolis Foundation and ensure the follow-up and development of the Festival’s promotion through the bookstores and libraries of the Greater Montreal!
According to Statistics Canada, nearly half of all Canadians give generously of their time, energy and skills to special interest groups or organizations. The reason is simple: Volunteering pays!
Volunteering has several long-term positive effects, both on one’s physical and psychological health. In his 2001 book The Healing Power of Doing Good, Allan Luks enumerates the physical benefits: a longer life, a decrease in overall stress, prolonged functional abilities, lower blood sugar levels and higher pain tolerance among volunteers than among those who don’t do any volunteer work. Allan Luks uses the term “helper’s high” to describe the fact that volunteers produce more endorphins (the neurostimulant that causes a feeling of well-being), which is expressed in these individuals as higher self-esteem and a considerable decrease in feelings of isolation. This feeling of well-being that results from volunteering guarantees long-term protection against depression and anxiety. If this hasn’t convinced you, volunteering is also beneficial for your social life and your career. In fact, volunteering provides an opportunity, even for the introverts among us, to practice our social skills as part of an informal group of people with similar interests and as such create a wide network of contacts and friends. As a recent study by the Government of Alberta points out, this same network allows one to develop a number of career opportunities. Volunteering also promotes the acquisition of new skills and a greater work-family balance by allowing you to combine personal and professional interests.
You have all the reasons in the world to be a volunteer! We all devote several hours a week to our favourite TV series, all the while scolding ourselves: “If I only my time were better spent…” At Blue Metropolis Foundation, we’d like to suggest that you become a volunteer and share your love of literature with us during Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival. And run the risk of experiencing “helper’s high”!