No 2 / Novembre-Décembre 2010
Bulletin de l’équipe des parents accompagnateurs en exogamie Newletter from the Team of parent-facilitors in exogamy
What on earth is ‘exogamy’? You or your spouse does not speak French? More than one language is spoken in your household? These situations sometimes lead your child to prefer the other language, often English, rather than French. This reality, exogamy, is experienced in many families of children attending a CECCE school. In Ontario, where French is spoken by a minority of people, exogamy presents many challenges and thus highlights the need to promote the French language in your home and community. Exogamy: Exogamy is the union of two people issued from two different languages and cultures. In our environment, this means that a language, other than or in addition to French, is spoken regularly in the household. In Ontario, English is very often the ‘other’ language spoken at home. ‘Exogamous’ parents often find it difficult to maintain the French language in their family life outside of the classroom when one of the two parents does not speak French. A conscious effort is needed to encourage French in all aspects of life outside of school, so that the child learns that French is not just something spoken in the classroom, but rather a part of everyday family life as much as the ‘other’ language is. Témoignage : As the anglophone parent who doesn’t speak French, I’ve always felt that there was little I could do to encourage my kids to speak more French outside of school. Then I realized that even my francophone wife had fallen into the habit of speaking English to our kids just because I was around and she wanted me to feel included in their conversation. Lately, I’ve begun reminding her to speak French with the kids, even if I’m there, so that they learn that both their parents’ languages are equally important at home. Amazingly, since I’ve started to encourage my wife to speak French to the kids, I’m noticing that I actually understand more of their conversation than we all thought I would! Who knows, with time I may even improve my understanding of French enough to add a few sentences of my own into their conversation! I’m pleased to know that even if I’m the anglophone parent, there is still a role I can play in encouraging French in my home.
Chers parents, Nous sommes heureux de vous présenter les membres de notre équipe de parents accompagnateurs en exogamie. L’équipe est formée de 5 parents engagés dans leur communauté scolaire : • • • • •
Adorata Uwizeyimana-Jacob Carole Gauthier Cindy Desouza L’Heureux Kristine Gavrel-McKeague Tanya Marion-Chapman
Cette équipe se réjouit de pouvoir tenir des ateliers-causeries pour parents vivant ou ayant vécu en couple exogame, où le français et une autre langue font partie de leur quotidien au foyer. L’équipe a pour mission d’appuyer ces parents dans leurs efforts pour appuyer et aider leurs enfants dans l’atteinte de leur plein potentiel. Le contenu des ateliers-causeries vise les objectifs suivants : 1. Discuter du rôle des parents dans un environnement où le français est minoritaire. 2. Permettre l’échange de défis et de solutions entre parents vivant ou ayant vécu en couple exogame. 3. Répondre aux préoccupations et aux besoins des parents dans un cadre conçu pour les échanges et la transmission de messages clés. 4. Stimuler un sentiment d’appartenance à la communauté francophone. Pour plus d’information au sujet des ateliers-causeries en exogamie, veuillez communiquer avec Monique Brûlé, au 613-744-2555, poste 3331 ou par courriel à l’adresse suivante : brulem@ecolecatholique.ca. Le FrancoFUN est publié 4 fois par année.
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