Montblanc has a history of helping youth communities in the fight against illiteracy through its former years-long collaboration with NGOs and local schools. In line with this commitment, Montblanc has launched Dear Future, a new long-term project in partnership with the Montblanc Cultural Foundation that focuses on promoting writing education among children and young adults on a global scale.
Through Dear Future, Montblanc will highlight the importance of writing when it comes to having a positive impact on the planet and people. The project aims to promote literacy education on a local level, and to grant young people the necessary tools to face the challenges of tomorrow. The ultimate goal is to empower them and their communities to thrive and help advance society’s sustainability goals on a global level. The first initiatives have been introduced in France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Thailand.
“As a brand deeply rooted in culture, we aim to maximize our brand handprint on education through this new initiative. The grassroots efforts action we undertake in different communities around the world can have a meaningful and sustainable impact, and help young people build and write a future that matters,” says Nicolas Baretzki, Montblanc CEO.
One of the first foundational programmes of Dear Future is a partnership with FOEHN (Fond pour l’Environement et la Haute Nature) in Chamonix, France at the foot of the Mont Blanc, the summit that inspired the company’s name over 100 years ago.
Here, Montblanc supports and funds a program for kids aged 10 to 12 that specifically helps them understand and protect the mountain through the perspective of climate change. During winter and spring, kids living in the Mont Blanc valley explore the region with guides and learn about the local fauna and flora. Kids are then encouraged to write about their experience in the mountain, developing their creative writing skills to describe the importance of the natural environment around them.
In Italy, The Montblanc Cultural Foundation is collaborating with Laureus, a long-standing partner of Richemont and an NGO that aims to use sport to end violence, discrimination, and disadvantage. The goal of the program is to combine sports and writing by hosting workshops with sports psychologists and teachers who specialize in sports and creative writing.
The program aims to help kids better manage their emotions through these classes, with children first attending a sports class and then learning how to process and write about their emotions. The partnership looks to promote long-term mental well-being in the youth community and share means through which young people can navigate their emotions as they move through key changes, effecting positive change in their communities.
In Hamburg, The Montblanc Cultural Foundation is partnering with two local schools to provide free calligraphy classes for teenagers. Hosted at the newly opened Montblanc Haus, children are taught by a teacher with extensive experience in the art of calligraphy.
The goal of the program is to reach as many young people as possible, with a special focus on students from less privileged backgrounds who will be able to use the classes as an outlet to express themselves through art, and as an opportunity to leave their creative mark in their community to inspire others.
In Thailand, Montblanc has partnered with Mae Sot Hospitality and Catering Training Center, a vocational school located in Mae Sot. It provides hospitality classes for 65 students aged 16 to 22 years old. The Montblanc Cultural Foundation is teaching young adults English writing skills which they can utilize in their professional life to increase their literacy level and enrich their employment opportunities.
Throughout the program, students are given the opportunity to learn how to write mini-theatre plays, songs, and various self-expression exercises. These creative projects are designed to provide young students with tools for future employment as well as equip them with ways to embrace their creativity.
In Spain, Montblanc Iberia has partnered with Save the Children to assist young people throughout the country with educational reinforcement and psychosocial support, utilizing education as a tool to break the spiral of poverty. The partnership opened in December with a literary event held at the Save the Children centre in Vallecas, an area of Madrid often characterized by poor levels of school attendance.
The event’s highlights included a speech and book reading by Gabriel González Cordón, a young author who wrote his debut book at just 12 years old. Gabriel shared stories about his creative journey with the local children, with the hope of inspiring them to leave their own mark through writing. The children also received a signed book by Gabriel, alongside a Montblanc Christmas postcard and a Montblanc gift to accompany them in their next moments of inspiration and creation.
In addition to the current programs in France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Thailand, Montblanc will be introducing new initiatives in India, the USA, China and the Africa region next, with the aim of having active Dear Future programs in every single Montblanc market by the end of 2025.
“With Dear Future, our goal is not to just invest funds but to be part of the solution and help craft the programs so they can have even more impact on the ground,” adds Vincent Montalescot, Chief Marketing Officer and Chairman of the Montblanc Cultural Foundation.
Dear Future is financed as a collaboration between the Montblanc Cultural Foundation and Montblanc. The Montblanc Cultural Foundation’s goal is to promote education through charity work. As writing is at the core of the maison’s identity, Montblanc aims to educate those who can’t write and inspire those who can.