Earlier this year, Club Bon Accueil de Powell River officially changed its name to Association Francophone de qathet (AFqa), as a gesture of reconciliation with Tla'amin Nation.
The club has been there to support the francophone community and culture since 1967 and continues to do so. However, AFqa board member Dany Doiron told the Peak that the club is trying to open up to the greater qathet community and be more inclusive and recently launched a logo contest.
"I noticed that a similar contest was launched by the qathet Museum [and Archives] last year," said Doiron. "We want the logo to reflect values of inclusivity and celebration of francophone culture."
Doiron said AFqa is accepting submissions from artists local and BC-based until September 15, and will announce the winning submission on September 30.
"A $300 prize will be offered to the winner," said Doiron. "The contest is not only for francophones, but also francophiles."
Doiron said the organization wants to invite the broader qathet community to explore french culture through the group’s events and classes that it offers. For example, AFqa has ongoing adult French language classes open to beginners, or for those who may need some improvement. Every spring AFqa organizes what it calls the sugar shack as part of its Francophone Festival. The festivities are open to the public to enjoy traditional French-Canadian foods and listen to French folk music.
"The logo contest I believe is a better way to bring in new ideas and new people, rather than just have board members deciding on a graphic designer," said Doiron. "I guess what happened in the past few years, there's been kind of a renewal and there's a lot of younger people who are involved [with the AFqa board]."
The logo contest is open to artist submissions until September 15 at 3 pm. All are invited to submit their logo to [email protected].
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