Essay Contest

An Island of Stories/MAPPING THE MOSAIC

A new participatory essay and mapping activity dedicated to the heritage of Montreal’s English-speaking communities

The Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network (www.qahn.org) and The Quebec Federation of Home and School Associations (www.qfhsa.org) are pleased to invite the school community to participate in our annual An Island of Stories/Mapping the Mosaic essay project, launched on November 22, 2013 at the QPAT Teachers Convention. The writing of essays can begin on January 1, 2015 and will run until April 30, 2015. An Island of Stories will give students an opportunity to participate in an inter-generational activity that explores their family’s history through the research of a special place/building/site on the island of Montreal and surrounding area. Mapping the Mosaic is an innovative and easy-to-use mapping website that will chart the collected memories of English-speaking communities in the Greater Montreal Area. It is a participatory website where users of all interests can share experiences and expertise of where their history happened, by pinning favourite stories to an interactive map of neighbourhoods throughout Montreal, Laval and off-island suburbs.

No point is too small for Mapping the Mosaic. Primary Cycle 3 and Secondary I-V students are all invited to take part. Grandparent’s childhood memories of life in a particular neighbourhood? Archival photos of lost buildings? Little-known episodes in the life of a neighbourhood school, place of worship or local hangout? Memories of colourful characters or local sports heroes? The achievements of entrepreneurs, artists, or innovators? An Island of Stories/Mapping the Mosaic will be a “people’s history” that welcomes all these and more.

An Island of Stories submissions will be divided into two main sections: Memories and Histories. Memories tell personal stories of real, lived experiences — from first-hand recollections of life in a particular neighbourhood, to inherited family stories or archival anecdotes of traditional ways of life. Histories focus on factual history – stories about the people, places and events that have shaped Montreal history.

Essay that are submitted to QAHN and posted to the Mapping the Mosaic website will be eligible to win prizes.

For more information, please contact Matthew Farfan of QAHN: execdir@qahn.org