"Youth, when put into action, can create enormous things..."

"This project was important to me... I could put creativity in my work... I learned new things and worked with people... I learned more about the place that I live."

2010 was an important year in La Tuque, a small town nestled on the Saint-Maurice River between Trois-Rivières and Chambord, Québec. It was the 100th Anniversary of this community and the elementary teachers at La Tuque School wanted to celebrate this milestone with an ArtsSmarts project that would bring their community's history alive in an evocative and engaging way for its young citizens.

And so began this ArtsSmarts project for Kindergarten to Grade 6 students and the writing of La Tuque: The Book. Working with artist Marc Sauvageau, these young Latuquois wrote stories told to them by ordinary folk who had lived in their town all their lives. They researched historic events and community leaders. They took photographs and made illustrations. They investigated and reported their discoveries about local architecture and landmarks. And they produced a 148-page book of memories of when the refrigerator was kept cold by an ice block, the milk was delivered by a horse and buggy, the sidewalks were made of sand, and when "We would catch bees in a jar and grasshoppers with our hands. We would go to the river to catch tadpoles. We would put them in a jar with holes in the lid so they could breathe."

Together with their community, the La Tuque students discovered their collective history and unique identity.

La Tuque: The Book demonstrated such exceptional results that it went on to win the a regional Prix Essor - a unique public-private partnership prize that supports the integration of arts and culture into Québec classrooms - and it is now advancing to the provincial competition. The results will be announced in February 2012.

ArtsSmarts projects such as La Tuque: The Book continue a 13-year history of fostering creativity, encouraging expression, building collaborations and inspiring change in Canadian public education. In 2010-2011, the 22, 672 students, 1,164 teachers, 370 artists and 737 volunteers who participated in 282 ArtsSmarts projects across the country joined their Latuquois peers on similar journeys into ArtsSmarts' approach to creative inquiry, the impact of which is persuasively explained by La Tuque artist Marc Sauvageau:

"Youth, when put into action, can create enormous things. To me, they sure are a source of inspiration. Motivation, effort, commitment, creativity, professionalism, self-fulfillment, teamwork - here are some key words that describe the learning experience during this project. In other words, this has been a great opportunity for all of us to extend the limits of our imagination."

Your investment in ArtsSmarts can ensure that students such as our young Latuquois can continue to be deeply engaged and more successful in their learning. A donation of $50 will buy art supplies for one class, $250 will bring an artist into a class for a day, $1,000 can supply materials for a whole school project, and $7,500 will pay for an entire school project.

Donations of any amount are welcome: Please give whatever you can afford. Every dollar goes towards supporting our vision to transform the state of Canadian public education so that all young people are equipped with the creative capacities and competencies they need to experience ongoing success in learning and life in the 21st century.

To donate securely online, visit our page on CanadaHelps, or donate by mail.

Best regards,