“The wealth of Haiti is its people. If you miss the people, you miss the wealth. ”
— Paula Hyppolite

Born in Cap-Haïtien, Paula Hyppolite is the director of Ciné Institute, Haiti’s only film school. After 25 years living in the United States, Paula returned to Haiti in 1997.  In 2003,  she and APJ CEO David Belle launched the Jacmel Film Festival,  a massive screening hundreds of international films, all free of charge. The annual film festival was such an extraordinary success that they decided to offer workshops to local Haitian youth who were eager to learn. What she and David discovered was that what audiences really hungered to see were local films showcasing Haitian culture.  “We want to give Haiti a voice—its own voice—in cinema.” A strong, artistic, female role model and leader in the traditionally male-dominated film sector, Paula is constant source of inspiration to our students and a model for what is possible when we unlock creativity, inspiration, and education.

I’m an artist for:

positive changes.

I’m driven by:

Love

I’m inspired by:

the need for awareness and knowledge.

I hope Haiti:

can educate it’s youth to become tomorrow’s leaders with a good sense of who we are as a people, what our goals are as a nation and how to achieve them.

I believe education can:

change a nation and empower it’s people.

“The power is in us, all of us. Big or small, smart or slow, rich or poor, sick or well. The power is in all of us. It’s in our hearts. It’s called love.”
       – Father Rick Frechette

We’re thrilled and proud to announce that Father Rick Frechette, founder of the St. Luke Foundation, will be joining us September 7^th , 2014 as the keynote speaker of the Bovet 1822 and Artists for Peace and Justice 2014 Festival Gala presented at beautiful Casa Loma, Toronto.

“We started this organization because we fell in love with the country- this local organization run by Father Rick Frechette, so it became a big part of all of our lives. I am proud of what we have accomplished. We run the only free secondary school in Haiti.”
     – APJ Board Member and actress Olivia Wilde

Father Rick is a doctor, priest and community organizer who has been living and working in Haiti for over 25 years. He is the founder of the St. Luke Foundation, an entirely Haitian run organization with over 2,000 full time employees. This dedicated team of Haitian professionals provide hundreds of thousands of people every year with free education, food, water, medical care, professional training, and dignified humanitarian outreach. Father Rick and his team have been successful where so many aid organizations haven’t because of St. Luke’s complete commitment to direct partnership with the Haitian people, saving lives and empowering local communities. Father Rick and his team at St. Luke do impossible work…and the impact of their programs keeps getting bigger.

“I’ve watched the number of people the organization serves grow at a breathtaking rate: 900,000 Haitians a year now directly benefit from St. Luke’s impressive infrastructure. It’s near impossible to do justice describing their impassioned efforts. And when I try, I’m not sure if anyone who hasn’t seen their work believes me. ”
       – APJ board member and actress Madeleine Stowe

This coming school year, we will serve 2,600 talented, vibrant students at the Academy for Peace and Justice, and it all began because of one man: Father Rick Frechette. Community organizer, Passionist priest, doctor, founder of the St Luke Foundation, founding inspiration for APJ, and a living legend in Haiti. Artists for Peace and Justice is humbled by Father Rick’s impossible work and his inextinguishable passion for a brighter future in Haiti.

“Father Rick Frechette, a hero among men.”
     –  founder of JP/HRO and actor Sean Penn.

Please join us in Toronto this September as we honor Father Rick Frechette as keynote speaker for our fifth annual film festival gala event!

Happy Summer!

School’s out, but we wanted to share an exciting Artists Institute update on the brand-new, beautifully completed recording studio and main live room at Audio Institute: We Are the World School of Music and Audio Engineering! With the successful completion of this music production facility, next year’s incoming students will be able to write, record, mix, edit, and master their own original songs, all in Jacmel, Haiti. The talent emerging at Artists Institute is inspiring.  This fully equipped, professional recording studio showcases uniquely Haitian design elements made by local craftspeople and artisans. Stay tuned for more updates and music from our students.

Big thanks to Marc Lee Steed for the beautiful photos!