Great news from one of our long-term ambassadors, Steve Hawthorne (of PD90), who is embarking on a four part film documentary entitled “Road to World Cup 2014”.

RWC2014 will document the lives and stories of 11 soccer players from across the world and tell the stories of how they achieved their dreams to represent their home nations by playing on the sport’s biggest stage. Soccer is the most universal of global sports, and a language understood by the youngest and the oldest from the most remote locations in Africa to the most cosmopolitan cities in the USA. This of course includes Haiti where passion for the sport runs very, very deep.

Filmed using mobile devices this project crosses many boundaries not typically achieved by bigger film projects. The access to the lives of these players and their most personal stories is remarkable, and especially in its depiction of the role soccer has played in the lives of disadvantaged youth from across the world and as a reminder of the sport’s unique power to unite and inspire us.

A portion of proceeds from the film will be generously donated to APJ to help support our many young fans and footballers at the Academy and Artists Institute. We congratulate Steve Hawthorne and PD90 on this and we look forward to watching it next summer during World Cup 2014 Brazil!

This September we’re thrilled to be holding our annual APJ Canada lunch in Toronto again. The Bovet 1822 and Artists for Peace and Justice Festival Lunch presented with Roots will be held on Sunday, September 8th at the magnificent Budman Family Residence during the opening weekend of the Toronto International Film Festival. In years past the lunch has been a huge success and we are looking forward to another amazing afternoon!

This year’s lineup includes co-hosts Pascal Raffy, Michael Budman, Diane Bald and George Stroumboulopoulos, with celebrity guests Mila Kunis, James Franco, Olivia Wilde, Liam Neeson, Adrien Brody and Moran Atias (subject to availability).

The lunch is a gathering of leading Canadian and international philanthropists, business people, artists and entertainers who come together to help raise vital funds for the programs that APJ Canada supports in Haiti. This year’s event will feature live musical performances, cocktail and food stations, a live auction and the presentation of an APJ Canada short film. Proceeds from last year’s event covered the bulk of the operational costs at the Academy for Peace and Justice, which currently educates 1,400 underprivileged middle and secondary school students in Port-au-Prince and which will welcome a class of 400 additional students this fall.

Tickets can be purchased by visiting apjcanada.eventbrite.com

We’re also giving away two free tickets to this year’s event! Click HERE for more information on how to win.

For those unable to attend we hope you will still consider supporting APJ Canada’s work and donating today. Your donation will go directly to our programs on the ground in Haiti that are making a difference in the lives of thousands of kids every day.

Summer School at the Academy for Peace and Justice began yesterday. But the programs offered this summer may not be what you would typically expect from summer school sessions. Yes, Summer School at the Academy is an opportunity for students to take extra classes to prepare for the coming school year, but it also provides our students an outlet to have some extra summer fun!

During the next couple months, the Academy is offering crafts, karate lessons, sports teams, and access to the new computer labs. The oldest students will also be able to attend introductory courses in Nursing, Plumbing, Telecommunications, and Electrician Work with Solar Specialization at the professional school St. Francis de Assisi, which is run by the St. Luke Foundation.

We’re committed to making sure our students get the best education experience possible — and we couldn’t do it without your support. In a country where only 20% of the population receives secondary education, it’s no wonder kids at the Academy love Summer School!