Have you ever wished you could have more practice speaking French outside the classroom? Do you want to bump up your grade in that modern language course that you just can’t seem to grasp? UFV’s French Club could be the solution to your problems. I was able to sit down with the French Club president, Emma Kent Dion, to discuss the purpose and heart behind the club. Dion, a native french speaker herself, strives to make the French culture come alive for French students here at UFV.
UFV’s French Club had a very strong presence among French students on campus, and has just made a transition to a new team of executives after all of the previous ones had graduated. Dion described the process of getting everyone together at a meeting to fill out the club registration paperwork and decide on executives as tedious, but easy at the same time, as the group is “made up of a lot of relaxed, type B people just trying to make it happen.”
Although there has only been one official meeting so far, they are planning to do more socials and events oriented towards studies. For example, they are doing a Diplôme d’Études en Langue Française (DELF) info session, hosted by Molleen Shilliday, a French professor in the Modern Languages Institute who is also a DELF examiner. DELF is an international language exam used to assess your proficiency of the French language. The exam is offered in a variety of levels: level A1 and A2 is for a basic knowledge of French and a speaker of this level would be able to hold a base-level conversation. The middle level, B1 and B2, is being able to have more complicated, spontaneous conversations and being able to express one’s own personal opinion in greater detail. The final level, C1 and C2, is the equivalent of French being your primary language or mother tongue. Shilliday will explain the structure of the exam for interested students and provide resources and study tips for students who are preparing to take the exam.
The French Club is an invaluable resource for French students who want more practice outside of the classroom. Dion described the purpose of the club as being a support system for students to go to if they need their work looked over or if they want to actually have a French conversation in a relaxed, social setting, without the pressures of the classroom.
The club also wants host some events following French traditions, such as the Winter Festival in Quebec, which is held as Festival du Bois in Coquitlam. As well, the club is looking into taking students to La Seizième in Vancouver, a French-speaking theatre company.
So what inspired Dion to become president of the French Club?
“I have so much knowledge of the French culture, I know how to speak well, and I’m not scared to speak in front of people to get things going,” Dion said. “I just want to provide an actual French experience for my fellow students.”
Dion recognized the difficulties a French student can encounter, especially in a province with one of the lowest-percentage of French speakers in Canada. She described learning a language as learning to play an instrument: you can study the theory behind it as much as you want, but eventually you need to actually put your hands on the instrument and start playing.
“If you want to learn French you just have to start throwing yourself into it and start talking … You’ll get it eventually, but you have to put the practice and talk,” Dion said. “We want to encourage all levels of French to join; if you speak ‘Frenglish,’ that’s okay, you’re trying. We’re here to help you find the right words and the right way to say something.”
If you are interested in joining the French Club, most UFV French professors can provide information on how to join. The regular bi-weekly meetings that focus around planning different events and socials are scheduled according to the availability of interested students, so join the UFV French Club Facebook group to learn all the details of upcoming meeting times.
Attend the official launch party at the Trading Post on Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. or attend the DELF info session on Oct. 17 at 11 a.m. in room B154.
Andrea Sadowski is working towards her BA in Global Development Studies, with a minor in anthropology and Mennonite studies. When she's not sitting in front of her computer, Andrea enjoys climbing mountains, sleeping outside, cooking delicious plant-based food, talking to animals, and dismantling the patriarchy.