Montreal, June 25, 2023 - As part of the 2nd edition of the Festival of Diversity organized by the Bon courage Place Benoît Community Center from July 24 to 30, 2023, the Saint-Laurent Bahá'í Community was invited as guest of honour to take part in a round table discussion on the theme: "Sport, the arts and political commitment: how can we ensure the inclusive integration of young people from immigrant communities in Quebec?
We agreed to talk about: "How art could be a unifying element to integrate young people into our community," says Gigi Vidal, spokesperson for the Bahá'í community.
The festival kicked off at around 11 a.m., in the presence of the Executive Director of the Bon Courage Community Centre, the Assistant to the Member of Parliament, Ms. Emmanuella Lambropoulos, Montreal City Councillor and Leader of the Official Opposition, Mr. Aref Salem, and a hundred other guests, representing dozens of ethnicities and cultures from Saint-Laurent.
In his welcome address, the spokesman for the Bahá'í community warmly thanked the Bon Courage Centre for inviting us as their guest of honour!
The organizers of the Bon Courage Centre, who for the 2nd year running had organized this magnificent Festival of Diversity for the betterment of the Laurentian community, are made up of dozens of devoted people who have given their heart to community action. Their dedication is an example to us all!
Although a small community, the Bahá'í Faith has been established in Saint-Laurent for 57 years and participates fully in the life of society, contributing to the social, material and spiritual progress of the Laurentian community.
The panelists were made up of three speakers and a moderator, including Cynthia Wu-Maheux, who began her speech with a quote from the Universal House of Justice on the importance of art in the community:
"The arts as a whole, which are an integral part of community development from the outset, stand out as an important tool for generating joy, strengthening bonds of unity, spreading knowledge and consolidating understanding. And, of course, there's always a strong emphasis on opening up to the outside world: finding ways to share. An elegant integration of the arts into the various activities enhances the wave of energy."
A lively debate followed the speakers' presentations, which lasted a long time! The conversation with Cynthia continued outside the conference room, in the parking lot and finally in the park next door until 5:30 p.m.!
The activity in Poirier Park the following day was also very lively! The Bahá'í community had a booth, a peace banner, flyers for youth empowerment activities and general information about the Faith. Some young people from the CEGEP Vanier youth empowerment program were also present. Many a message of Peace was written on tree leaves and glued to the banner! Unfortunately a thunderstorm cut the day short and the event was over by 6 p.m.