Thank you London!

It was a successful evening at the 2nd annual Bovet 1822 presents Brilliant is Beautiful Gala benefitting Artists for Peace and Justice. This is thanks to the generosity of everyone who attended and continues to support APJ. All the money raised directly benefits the “Brilliant is Beautiful” scholarship fund for underprivileged women and girls worldwide.

Check out photos from the event here.

This year’s Brilliant is Beautiful Award recipient was Petra Nemcova, a beacon of love and light for humanity. The Brilliant is Beautiful Award recognizes extraordinary longstanding commitment toward activism on behalf of the poorest communities on the planet with a particular focus on promoting women’s education, human rights, and leadership.

Throughout the night we were dazzled by the performances by Parson James and Jasmin El-Akabi. Chef to Her Majesty the Queen of England prepared a delicious 3-course dinner and Lord Dalmeny, Chairman of Sotheby’s UK, graced the stage as our auctioneer. Thank you to everyone who made this night so wonderful!

Major thanks to our influential team of co-hosts, including Pascal Raffy, Kim Cattrall, Elizabeth Hurley, Johan Ernst Nilson. Our co-chairs, Caroline Stanbury, Mike & Sukey Novogratz, have been working tirelessly in support of the cause and the event alongside the event committee: Esmeralda Brajovic, Mark & Jane Evans, Camilla Olsson, Lisa Tchenguiz, and Shadi Ritchie. This would not have been possible without their dedication.

The utmost gratitude to our incredible strategic partner and benefactor, Bovet 1822, for your continuous support. Thank you to our other presenting sponsors: Brioni, Vhernier, Armand de Brignac, Club des Chefs. Hosting this event at Claridge’s was a dream. And last but certainly not least, we are incredibly grateful to our friends at GSP-UK who produced this stunning event. Thank you for making the dream a reality.

Thank you again, London. Join us next year!

Thank you Toronto!

It was a successful evening at the 9th annual Bovet 1822 presents APJ Festival Gala 2017 benefitting Artists for Peace and Justice. This is thanks to the generosity of every one who attended and continues to support APJ. All the money raised directly benefits the beautiful students of Haiti. We are left with irreplaceable memories and a fire in our hearts to serve.

Check out photos from the event here.

This year’s Peace and Justice Activism Award recipient was Jackson Browne, celebrating his lifetime of activism and commitment to peace and social justice both in Haiti and around the world. APJ distributed the inaugural APJ Canadian Changemaker Award presented by Maison Birks to recipient Gary Slaight, honoring his work as a leading Canadian philanthropist committed to integrity and impact.

Major thanks to our co-chairs, Natasha Koifman and Suzanne Boyd and the incredible event committee for making this night possible. Thank you to our title sponsor, Bovet 1822, for your continuous support. We can’t forget our incredible co-hosts, donors, and serving staff: David Belle, Shantelle Bisson, Yannick Bisson, Kathryn Everett, Cuba Gooding Jr., Dana Maskimovich, Audrey Raffy, Ben Stiller, Morgan Spurlock, George Stroumboulopoulos, and our other presenting sponsors Birks, Stella Artois, Audi Canada, Slaight Music, NKPR, Joe Fresh, Remington Group, Fabricland, Icon, and Flow Water. And to the Art Gallery of Ontario for hosting us at their beautiful venue.

Thank you again, Toronto. Join us next year for our 10-year anniversary!

Last month we celebrated the newest graduating classes from the Academy for Peace and Justice and Artists Institute in beautiful ceremonies honoring the graduates. Below we have two updates from APJ team members who were present for the celebrations with more details on the proceedings and on the graduates followed by a few of our favorite photos.

Graduation at the Academy for Peace and Justice
By Kathryn Everett, COO

Dear friends,

I’ve just come from the Graduation at the Academy for Peace and Justice and I wish you all could have been there. I was given the incredible honor of being the “Marraine,” or Godmother, of the graduation ceremony, and I made a short speech to the graduates congratulating them on all their hard work. It is hard for me to put into words how much the honor and experience meant to me. It was so beautiful, and humanizing, to see the graduates with their families, so happy, full of school spirit, bursting with happiness. The graduation was full of music, dance, poetry, song — the young leaders we are supporting in Haiti are definitely the next generation of artists for peace and justice! I feel so lucky to have been one person who helped to make this amazing school become a reality, just like all of you.

One of the best moments was when the graduating class, who have named themselves the “Quiddité,” or essence, of the school, literally passed the torch to the incoming seniors. The outgoing president held the torch high, and asked the incoming president if she was prepared to carry the legacy of the soul of the school — to which she replied a resounding YES! You could feel the pride pulsating throughout the tent.

I know that this year has been a challenging one, and at times it can feel like we are drowning in bad news. While I was in Haiti, Father Rick gave an impassioned service talking about our troubled times. He said that we can’t let our spirits be dulled by egotism, and greed, and darkness. We must keep our spirits sharp, and remain vigilant and compassionate, so that when we are presented with the next chance to help someone else, we can do so with hearts full of grace.

I am grateful for his reminder — and I look forward to that next opportunity. The Academy for Peace and Justice is proof that goodness still exists. Thank you for being a part of it.

With gratitude,
Kathryn

Graduation at Artists Institute
By Erlantz Hyppolite, Country Director

Dear friends,

July 1st marked the graduation ceremony of the third class at Artists Institute. For 10 years the institution has been serving the Jacmel community and Haiti by training 5 graduating classes of filmmakers and now 3 graduating classes of audio engineers. Artists Institute provides students with a dignified place to study, equipped with the best studio facilities available in the country.

The professionals trained by the Institute represent an important financial and artistic impact for Haiti. For admissions and scholarships, priority is given to young people that have talent but who would otherwise not have an opportunity to pursue the same kind of training. Because of this, each graduate is not only well trained but is also proudly engaged as a member of the Haitian music industry.

This year’s graduation ceremony was held on the Institute campus in Jacmel, with the sound of waves crashing in the background and modern Haitian beats mixed by the students setting the tone for the afternoon. The ceremony itself was simple and full of emotion, with cheers and celebration for each graduate as each was called by given names and nicknames, indicating the close bonds within the class.

Thank you for your continued support and for making these life changing opportunities possible.

With gratitude,
Erlantz