CPF Magazine Winter 2021 Issue

CPF EVENTS PROGRAMMING
New Reality, New Lear
With the advent of COVID-19 school
closures, CPF has been adapting
all of its programming to the new
virtual reality, from Concours d’art oratoire to
the CPF Network Conference and offering more
resources online.
As students across Canada moved to
stay-at-home learning and online classes,
FSL students were among the most impacted
adding a whole new layer of challenges to
learning a new language. The need for resources
was evident as was the difficulty in adequately
supporting their child, especially for parents
who do not speak French.
The CPF Virtual French Tutoring program
started in spring 2020 with three pilot sites
in Ontario and as of September 2020, it is
now offered all across Canada. There are
approximately 500 students enrolled between
the ages of 6 and 14 years of age. They are
supported by more than 400 volunteers who
are at least 16 years old, bilingual and residing
in nine provinces.
Children spend one hour per week in a one-onone
session with a French speaking volunteer
tutor. Sessions take place virtually and so a
computer, camera, microphone and internet
connection are required. This is not an academic
program following a pre-determined curriculum.
They can work on whatever skills are identified as
needing the most improvement - reading, writing,
speaking, help with homework. Additionally,
registered students also have the opportunity of
practicing French through different activities like
small group conversation and book clubs. n
10 CPF MAGAZINE WINTER 2021