The 3rd Summit on the Transmission of French Language in B.C. brought participants together with contagious enthusiasm!

The 3^rd Summit on the Transmission of French Language was held on March 14, 2025, in Victoria. The event brought together 200 members of the Francophone community of British Columbia. The participants, of all generations, gathered in a warm atmosphere to learn about this topic that is so important to them.

The various speakers on stage noted several important aspects of the transmission of French in relation to the realities of Francophone minority communities, and more specifically those in British Columbia. Data, study results, and shared experiences, and the play Parler mal by Bianca Richard and Gabriel Robichaud, fuelled the participants’ reflection and discussion during the day.

At the end of this memorable day, a few observations emerged (read our press release) :

• Education, throughout its continuum (from early childhood to post-secondary), remains at the heart of the transmission of French. The construction of new Francophone schools and child care centres is a priority for the community.
• The role of parents and education professionals is essential, and we must continue to equip and support them.
• Teaching staff must be made even more aware of linguistic insecurity by conveying what was learned from the testimonies and presentations of experts at the Summit.
• The strength and impact of the community will come from an approach that combines the Francophonie and intersectionality, taking into account its varied and changing identity. It is important to stay tuned in to the different generations who care deeply about French.

Among the considerations resulting from the “Comment aller plus loin” working session, where participants gathered in heterogeneous and intergenerational subgroups, we find concrete actions that everyone, whether as individuals or organizations, can put in place with the goal of supporting and moving forward with the transmission of French in their community or region.

These courses of action focus on four spheres: parents, Francophone community organizations, teachers and professors, and young people (teens/young adults). Here are some of them:

Parents:

• Invite parents who come from a Francophone majority setting or background to support and guide their child by assisting with their linguistic security and the development of their identity.
• Inform parents of behaviours that help their children's linguistic security.
• Think about providing a space where adolescents can express themselves and live in French to counter a lack of Francophone educational levels in rural areas.
• Involve parents even more in their children's school life.

Francophone community organizations:

• Work on the intersectionality of Francophones.
• Give young people a place. They are the future, the next generation. It's important to keep them engaged by creating a safe and comfortable space.
• Ensure that the community is open to diversity.
• Convey knowledge about the transmission of French and linguistic security among teaching staff in B.C.

Teachers and professors:

• Train Francophone teachers and professors (secondary and post-secondary) on linguistic insecurity to raise their awareness about the realities for young people in BC.
• Consider including Anglophones in awareness-raising communication to foster collaboration within the community.

Young people:

• Advocate for spaces for dialogue.
• Show young people that there are different ways to experience their Francophone community outside of school.
• Organize workshops or discussion forums for younger people (under 18 years old) to talk about their feelings around linguistic security.
• Provide Francophone schools with plays such as Parler mal to encourage discussions about language issues.

The participants left with great enthusiasm, fully charged, and full of ideas!

Collaborative projects, including one between le Conseil jeunesse francophone de la C.-B. and la Fédération des francophones de la C.-B., are already being prepared.

A 4th Summit to come?

In any case, this is the wish of those present at the latest Summit, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, check out the Summit’s highlights through the media coverage of the event here.

Would you like to know more?

A complete document containing all the ideas of the “Comment aller plus loin” workshop will be available on the Summit website in the coming days. You will find it in the Documents disponibles section, which also includes PowerPoint presentations and handouts from the day's speakers.

 

Learn about the day's presentations here