Gander teen to represent N.L. at bilingualism conference
This August, 17-year-old Richard Wilton will represent Newfoundland and Labrador at a forum aimed at promoting bilingualism in Canada.
The annual event is called the National Ambassador Youth Forum (NAYF) and run by French for the Future, a Toronto-based notfor-profit group. It had more than 150 applicants this year from across the country, jockeying for 30 spots.
“Our main priority is to promote bilingualism through French language acquisition across Canada,” executive director Danielle Lamothe said.
Wilton is excited about this year’s forum, which will be held in Vancouver.
“I’ve been in French immersion since kindergarten,” Wilton said.
“I’ve always taken an interest in different languages and being able to speak to other people. I went to Germany, Switzerland and Austria last year, and I was able to communicate with people in Switzerland because lots of them speak French, so I thought that was really cool to be able to use my knowledge of the French language all over.”
The trip, which is scheduled to span four days, will include workshops, physical activities such as kayaking, and leadership initiatives, among other events.
“It really gives (the students) an opportunity to live in French over those four days. The goal of the forum is to get them excited about living in French, to make them passionate about the efforts that they’re making to acquire a second language, and to (have them) bring that enthusiasm back into their communities,” Lamothe said.
The forum application included a requirement for selected candidates to organize two initiatives promoting bilingualism later on in their local communities.
“French for the Future places a big emphasis on this being an opportunity to experience francophone culture. So it’s not a lecture. The idea is that there’s a benefit in experiencing a taste of Francophone culture, of living this experience in French,” Lamothe said.
“Since that is the mandate the students take back (through their community initiatives) they tend to be quite well-received, because it’s not a pulpit-banging political agenda. It’s really about living something different.”
Wilton is not sure what his project will be, but he’s considering writing a letter to his local paper, or advocating for the benefits of French immersion education.
“I don’t think (bilingualism or French culture) are talked about very often in Newfoundland, just because it doesn’t seem like a typical French-speaking province such as Quebec, or even New Brunswick where they’re highly bilingual,” Wilton said. “I guess just looking at us, the population is mainly English, so no one really notices that the Port au Port peninsula is highly French, or even that in St. John’s there’s a French school and a lot of French people. There isn’t that much information or knowledge being spread around.”
According to Lamothe, the program targets both second-language French speakers and francophones.
“I think this experience is a real eye-opener for francophones who live in minority environments. Because francophones in Canada tend to think of themselves as, you know, I’m a Franco-Ontarian, I’m an Acadian, I’m a Franco-Manitoban. They think of themselves as minorities,” Lamothe said.
Her hope is that bringing these francophones together with students who are making a concerted effort to become bilingual will shift their perception of the significance of French in Canada.
“Some people have asked us, for instance, why did we choose Vancouver,” Lamothe said.
“You know, it’s not like most people think of Vancouver as a hotbed of francophone activity. One of the reasons (is) so that people really get a sense of how much francophone culture is a part of the Canadian mosaic, across the country.”
For Wilton, becoming proficient in French is about history and relationships, as well as opening up opportunities for himself.
“Bilingualism has helped me a lot to communicate with people, and just to, you know, better understand the French culture,” Wilton said.
“It has allowed me to understand the whole country, really, because I believe that French is a big part of being Canadian and stuff. Some people don’t really see the importance, but I think that it allows us as a country to all come together.”