#GivingTuesday 2018

ChLA has joined #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities, and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide. Occurring this year on November 27, #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (in the US) and in conjunction with widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Last year, your generous support helped the International Committee bring distinguished scholars Ada Bieber, Ute Dettmar, and Daniel Feldman to San Antonio for a special focus panel on German Children’s Literature. The generosity of our supporters makes a difference! Together we can make an even bigger difference with #GivingTuesday2018!

The ChLA International Committee actively pursues the internationalization of North American children's literature research by bringing distinguished children’s literature scholars from around the world to present at the Association’s annual conference, traditionally held in the US. As ChLA International Committee member Lucy Pearson notes, “Attending ChLA can be particularly challenging for international scholars, who often face visa costs as well as higher travel costs. Bursaries for the ChLA International Committee's focus panels help to address some of these challenges, allowing us to expand our understanding of the field through international approaches.”

Longtime International Committee member Karen Sands-O’Connor echoes Pearson’s sentiments: "The International Committee welcomes your financial support of our goal to expand the children's literature world for our members and invite global scholars who might otherwise be unable to share their research with us. Help us realize our dream of having an African focus country for a ChLA conference in the near future."

#GivingTuesday is a way for members to give back to ChLA and fund important initiatives that shape the field of children’s literature scholarship. International Committee member Emily Murphy notes, “The activities of the International Committee speak to a growing desire to make the field of children's literature more diverse. While this happens in many different venues, the annual ChLA conference is a great place to start these conversations. Funding for the International Panel helps ensure that we continue to prioritize the work being done globally within the field."

Former International Committee panelist (Iceland 2008) and current International Committee Blog Editor Tanja Nathanael is a testament to how these funds spark lifelong interest in international scholarship: “Travel grants from ChLA’s international committee help graduate students like me contribute to international children’s literature research. Not only do such grants make travel possible to the conference event, but they also foster much needed relationships with international scholars in our field—an opportunity to cultivate future international children’s literature scholarship.” To learn more about past grant recipients, please visit our Grants Page.

Consider giving to the ChLA International Committee today to support international research initiatives and scholars. In past years, the generous support of our donors has helped the International Committee bring distinguished scholars such as Luis Cabrera Delgado (2017 Cuba), Rio Alma (2012 The Philippines), Giorgia Grilli (2015 Italy), and Fumiko Ganzenmueller (2016 Japan) to ChLA conferences in the United States. Help us continue to support our international scholars by giving today.