More than 200 secondary school students in immersion French will be bused to The University of Western Ontario on Tuesday, April 28 to participate in French for the Future, a day of lectures and workshops highlighting the advantages of being bilingual.
This is part of a federal government initiative to encourage young people to achieve and maintain proficiency in Canada’s two official languages. Similar conferences will be held in a number of cities across the country on the same day. This is the fourth year such a conference will been held in London.
The keynote speakers for the event will be Alexandre Trudeau (sponsored by London Life), documentary film maker and son of the former prime minister, and John Van Burek, artistic director of the Pleiades Theatre in Toronto.
In addition, students will have seven workshops to choose from on a variety of topics ranging from French and the legal profession and working for the government, to opportunities for study and exchanges, acting and owning your own ‘chocolaterie.’
In London, the entire event is conducted in French and provides an excellent occasion for students to learn about the benefits that knowledge of French can bring both personally and professionally.
The conference will begin in Conron Hall in University College at 9 a.m. with a welcome from Western President Paul Davenport; Marnie McGarry, the local coordinator of French for the Future; and Marilyn Kidd, a French professor at Huron University College.
Trudeau will speak at 9:15 a.m., followed by the series of workshops leading up to lunch. Two students from Huron University College, Judith Salem and Alexandre Fortier, will be presenting workshops at this event. Van Burek will speak at 1:15 p.m. prior to the closing remarks.