To combat the isolation inherent in the pandemic situation, La Boussole decided to innovate and create a letter-writing project between its members and students at Collingwood School in West Vancouver. Around 80 letters were exchanged anonymously, containing light-hearted and intimate pieces. La Boussole has decided to compile the most beautiful moments in a collection available for sale today.

For over 6 months, À Portée de plume brought together 21 participants, members of La Boussole and students from Collingwood School in West Vancouver, who exchanged over 80 letters over several months. At the start of the adventure, each participant was given a creative kit containing everything they needed to write and capture their emotions - including a disposable camera.

As the exchanges progressed, we saw the participants open up, revealing themselves to this unknown person. The anonymity guaranteed by the project helped to bring together people who had nothing in common - age, social background, mother tongue.

"We're very proud to have been able to create social links within the French-speaking and Francophile community at a time when human exchanges were being prevented, while guaranteeing everyone's safety," explains Maxime Barbier, Director of Operations at La Boussole and project coordinator.

To immortalize the result, extracts from the exchanges were published in a collection created by the La Boussole team in collaboration with Annabelle Glas, Collingwood's French teacher, and Elsa Chesnel, the artist who led the writing workshops.

This book is available for purchase on the La Boussole website. It will be used to finance future projects to promote social cohesion.