More than 18,000 students from Montreal schools visited this annual 6-day event to celebrate the rich diversity of books published in the language of Molière.
This year, Éditions bahá’íes [Baha’i Publishing] chose the theme “Together Youth Are Changing the World” to encourage young people to take action for the benefit of their communities. During the fair, which took place from 19 to 24 November, over 200 youth left messages stating how they could change the world. Young visitors had been invited to write a message on a paper “brick,” which was then used to build a house representing a better world. A large poster showing a house under construction, on which the bricks were glued, decorated the back of the booth.
Many of the messages left by the youth, most of whom came with a school group, showed that they were very environmentally conscious. Many messages had to do with recycling and fighting pollution. Several dozen youth also emphasized the need for respect and good behaviour in general.
The Salon du Livre de Montréal is an important cultural event in Quebec. It attracts many public figures and features many well-known authors. Approximately 115,200 enthusiastic visitors took advantage of this unparalleled opportunity to meet authors, participate in discussions, and discover a different world of books. Some 2,200 of them visited the Éditions bahá’íes booth and participated in youth activities, bought books, or asked questions about the Bahá’í community.