CPFMagazine_Fall-2018_Issue

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Engaging Youth Voices ACROSS CANADIAN PARENTS FOR FRENCH BY CLÉMENCE CHARRUYER, COMMUNICATION, DIGITAL MEDIA & MARKETING COORDINATOR AT CPF NATIONAL Emilie Josh CPF Alberta Branch Youth Director Guillaume Fleury CPF Nova Scotia Branch Director How did you become involved with CPF? I’ve been involved with CPF Alberta since May 2017, so E about a year and a bit. I was between two post-secondary programs (one being an undergraduate degree and the other a diploma) and had a friend direct me to Young Canada Works to find a summer job. I think she actually forwarded me the job posting for a summer student at the CPF Alberta Branch. I worked there for four months (May - August 2017) alongside another summer student. After I went back to school, Michael Tryon (ED of CPF Alberta Branch) encouraged me to consider a board position as a Youth Director, and I jumped on it, and here I am! It involves something I’m passionate about (French education), tons of fun people and it’s a great opportunity to be involved in the Albertan community specifically, and potentially have an impact nationally. I am actually a very recent member of CPF. French is my G mother tongue, and I have always been very passionate about French and its promotion. I worked for the Explore* program as an facilitator this past summer, and was invited last year to a CPF retreat by one of my university teachers who also happens to be the VP of CPF Nova Scotia Branch, Jan Claes. Even if she had mentioned CPF to me in the past, I always thought that it wasn’t for me as I am not Canadian or a parent. But I was wrong! There is so much that can be done for French, and I am now happy to contribute to CPF’s efforts as a member of the Board of Directors. * Explore is a five-week intensive French immersion bursary program that is offered during the spring or summer for people with any skill level in French. For more information, visit www.myexplore.ca. 10 CPF MAGAZINE FALL <strong>2018</strong>
Speaking French opens many doors — economically, culturally and socially. Il faut continuer! – Guillaume Fleury What do you feel the ability to speak French has brought to your life so far? Oh, so much! The list covers E a myriad of advantages, from somewhat mundane aspects - like the ability to read, write and listen in more than one language - to the deeper, more insightful features, such as a broader view of culture and a more extensive understanding of certain aspects of social commentary. I’ve found travelling to be incredibly rewarding (especially in France, obviously!) with the ability to speak French, but it has also saved me randomly, in places like Sweden and Spain, where the main language is neither French nor English, but the second language chosen by the individual to learn is French. Within the vein of culture, multiple languages (beyond French) provide access to so much more in terms of literature, insight and humour, and offer an entirely different perspective of life and living. This, of course, fits into the concept of “brain plasticity,” and while I won’t go all science-y, each language frames understanding slightly differently and provides a distinct outlook on society and life in general. I’m originally from France, so you G can imagine that speaking French was essential in every aspect of my life. Now that I live in Canada, I realize how valuable it is to speak French. Many people have told me about the advantage it is when it comes to job opportunities. Speaking French here in Canada also allowed me to expand my social network and become acquainted with a great diversity of French speakers. It is always a pleasure to meet Acadians, Quebecois, Franco-Ontarians, Franco-Manitobans and Franco-Albertans (I never knew there were French communities in Alberta until I met someone from Alberta)! What are your future plans – and how would keeping up your French figure into it? I will hopefully never leave behind E my French. Currently, I work in the communications industry, and while I love my job, I am considering returning to school for graduate studies. Despite not explicitly looking for a Canadian school, options in Quebec are very tempting (looking at you, Montreal!) for the field of study in which I’m interested. There are numerous ways to keep up with the language, even without living in a wholly-French-speaking community - books, news and music are some methods, and my personal favorite are podcasts, as many offer unique views from Francophone and French individuals. They’re also usually pretty “local” in that the people behind them put tons of thought and care into the production of the episodes. Two of my favorites are Le Tchip (Arte radio) and En roue libre (RTL radio). I’m completing my last year of G education, so hopefully next year I will be teaching French. Keeping up with my French would be necessary because it is my main teachable and I hope to teach French immersion or French core. I also would love to become a member of the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial. As for keeping up with my French, I love tutoring and I am always happy to help my Anglophone friends improve their English! And as previously mentioned, I am also an facilitator for the Explore program. I truly believe that those experiences are and will be very beneficial to my goal of becoming a French Teacher. What advice would you give to a student considering dropping out of French? Does “don’t drop out of French” E count?! Think about what (at least) two languages do for your future - especially given the increasing integration of every country with this “age of information” and the immediacy in which content is created and shared by people all around the world. All the opportunities available to a unilingual person are doubled with bilingualism, which, especially as a student, is an avenue to so many potential choices that could affect the student’s future in a plethora of incredible ways. Two languages gives you access to two worlds, and what could be better than that? DON’T! French is useful and it’s a G beautiful language if you give it a chance (yes, the grammar can be tricky, but that’s a minor detail!) Speaking French opens many doors - economically, culturally and socially. Il faut continuer! And because I know that learning a new language can sometimes be a challenge, I’m going to share my secret weapon: Audio Books. They are great for everyone in the process of learning a new language because often reading is what comes to you first, but listening or talking can be harder. Audio books allow you to work on that, and to make it easier you can even follow what is being said by having the book in front of you at the same time. It helps you learn pronunciations, and you can even choose the accent you prefer (Canadian, US, UK). There are a lot of free options available online, as for example on the Radio-Canada website! n CPF MAGAZINE FALL <strong>2018</strong> 11
Page 1: FALL 2018 Magazine $6.95 • FREE F
Page 4 and 5: PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE W elcome to t
Page 6 and 7: Here is the good news, children hav
Page 8 and 9: EDUCATION How to Woo French Teacher
Page 10 and 11: PARTNER LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES Fren
Page 14 and 15: TECH & MEDIA The article was first
Page 16 and 17: LEARNING Increasing the Opportuniti
Page 18 and 19: Becoming a Youth Ambassador for Bil
Page 20 and 21: EVENTS Local Forum: Yellowknife Org
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