More than 90 French speakers from across Maine filled Â鶹APP Augusta campus with lively conversation, laughter, and learning during this year’s French Immersion Weekend.

The annual event, held Oct. 4, brought together students, teachers, and community members of all ages for a full day of speaking, listening and celebrating French language and Francophone cultures around the world. The entire weekend unfolded in French through games, films, conversation circles, and cultural exchanges that made the campus feel like a small corner of the Francophone world.

“My favorite part of the weekend is seeing connections built between participants of different speaking abilities, backgrounds and generations,” said Chelsea Ray, coordinator of the French Immersion Weekend and UMA professor of French. “Our organizing committee, which includes leaders from AATF-Maine and French educators from USM and across Maine, is proud to showcase the diversity of the French language, from Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo to France, Quebec and Maine itself.”

The weekend began Friday night with a Franco-American dinner at Le Club Calumet in Augusta, the largest Franco-American organization in New England. Guests shared stories, music and memories of Maine’s French-speaking heritage. Among them was Blackie Béchard, past president of the club, who reflected on the early days of Le Festival de la Bastille, an event that helped strengthen ties between Maine and Quebec.

Saturday’s sessions included professional development for French teachers, organized in partnership with Villa Albertine, the Centre de la Francophonie des Amériques and the Quebec Government Office in Boston. Educators explored ways to support French heritage programs across Maine communities.

As one of the only French immersion experiences in the country on a university campus that includes middle and high school students, as well as heritage and native speakers and French teachers in the country, Â鶹APP event continues to be a celebration of connection, linking language learners with heritage speakers and classrooms with community. 

Hosting the French Immersion Weekend reflects Â鶹APP commitment to connection, community, and lifelong learning. By meeting students, educators and heritage speakers where they are, UMA helps keep Maine’s French traditions vibrant while fostering understanding across cultures.

Once there, you can click on the images for their captions.

°Őłó±đĚýÂ鶹APP (UMA) is pleased to announce it will co-sponsor with the Maine Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French the annual French immersion weekend virtually on January 14 and 15, 2022.  This year’s theme is “Intersections,” and participants will watch the newly released film Carrefour, “”  The immersion weekend will celebrate the intersections of language, culture, and community in the Francophone community in Maine and in the broader Francophone world.

UMA Professor Chelsea Ray is the coordinator of this program, which is one of French at Â鶹APP signature events.  It is co-sponsored by the Maine chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French. AATF Maine Chapter President Nathalie Gorey plays a key role on the planning committee.  This is a continuation of a program begun by the Penobscot Bay Language School in Rockland in 1991, and an extension of the successful Le Français au Bord de la MerĚý˛ą˛Ô»ĺĚýLe français dans les bois.

Last October, Le Français au Bord de la Mer was held virtually with over 50 participants of diverse backgrounds, a variety of locations, including Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Minnesota, and France, and varying levels of French. The entire immersion day took place on Zoom, with the same vitality and enthusiasm as previous in person immersion camping trips. The theme was “Le Français branché” (“French plugged in”) to emphasize that French is “plugged into” many cultures, many continents, and translates across virtual platforms.

During the January 2022 immersion weekend, highly skilled and experienced volunteer instructors, many of whom are French teachers, as well as native-speaking exchange students attending UMA from l’Université de Bretagne in Brest, France, will lead online group activities.  The highlight of Friday will be the viewing of Carrefour, followed by a group discussion. Saturday will be comprised of the daylong immersion, including the participation of renowned singer/performer  for a concert that crosses languages, cultures, and continents.

Additional details about the program are available on the French Immersion Day webpage.

This weekend event is open to intermediate and advanced speakers of French, whether they are high school students, college/university students, French teachers, or interested community members who are seeking the challenge of a 100% French-speaking environment. Participants must be able to speak French for the entire immersion experience.

To be eligible, high school students should have completed two years of French study or the equivalent and college students should have completed one year of French study or equivalent.

For additional information about the weekend and to register, please visit: uma.edu/frenchimmersion. This event usually fills quickly, so early registration is encouraged.

The Â鶹APP sponsored its third French immersion weekend in October 2020, in the tradition of Le français au bord de la mer. Due to the pandemic, the entire immersion day took place on Zoom, with the same vitality and enthusiasm as previous in-person immersion camping trips. The theme was “Le français branché” (“French plugged in”) to emphasize that French is “plugged into” many cultures, many continents, and can translate across virtual platforms.

UMA Professor Chelsea Ray coordinated this program, which is one of ’s signature events. It is co-sponsored by the Maine chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French. The chapter’s President, Nathalie Gorey, plays a key role on the planning committee. It aims to bring a diverse group of French speakers together to practice and expand upon their language skills, make new friends, and learn more about the French-speaking world.

There were over 50 participants, and they came with diverse backgrounds and varying levels of French: high school and university students (some attending with their French teachers), French teachers, and adult community members participated. They attended via Zoom from a variety of places, including Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Minnesota, and France. Participants filled out an evaluation and regarded the weekend as a great success. According to Professor Ray, “It was exciting to see the workshop leaders and participants come together on Zoom, all for the joy of learning French and connecting with each other. Although the format was different, we still were able to make lasting connections and see old friends as well.”

Special Workshops for Intermediate and Advanced Speakers

Participants could register for workshops that suited their interests and language level. The volunteer workshop leaders included four UMA students on exchange from the University of Western Brittany (Université de Bretagne Occidentale, UBO) in France. The workshops were wide-ranging. Two students from UBO taught the group how to make crêpes. Jean-Claude Redonnet, professor emeritus from the Sorbonne University, taught an advanced workshop on memory and reading, using his own creative writing piece on Acadian culture. Other topics included: online exchanges with Quebec, a conversation with a former UMA student currently living abroad in France, North African dancing, and games such as Kahoot or trivia.

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Special Concert with Brice Kapel

Singer/songwriter Brice Kapel gave a midday concert to the group. He is originally from Togo and now lives in France, so songs were in Mina (a native language to Togo), French, and English. His latest album, “Eteignons les écrans” (“Let’s Turn Off the Screens”) underscored the theme of the day, “Le français branché” (French plugged in). Participants had access to the words and translations for many of the songs, so that even less advanced speakers could fully appreciate the depth and meaning of the songs. In addition, Kapel gave a special afternoon workshop in which participants helped to create a new song.

Participant evaluations made it clear that the group greatly appreciated the diversity of ages, French language abilities, and cultural origins represented. When asked what they liked best about the weekend, one replied, “French in Maine!! Meeting Bénédicte and the other [people from the Democratic Republic of Congo] was cool, too. I liked the knitting circle as well; we had a great time talking and knitting!” Another wrote that her favorite workshops were Hatha Yoga, Theater Games, and a session meeting Professor Ray’s host family (attending from France via Zoom).

Julia Schulz, who founded the program at the Penobscot Bay Language School in 1991, described the purpose of the weekend: “Our experienced and dedicated instructors create a safe and fun learning environment for students of French, whether they are adolescents or senior citizens, or any age in between. Engaging together in activities like singing, games, crafts, cooking, and theater, all conducted entirely in French, creates a lively and cohesive learning community, much like daily life in a French-speaking country!”

Scholarship sponsors for the weekend included the University of Maine and the Maine Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF). A Small Grant from the National AATF helped to support the weekend. French at UMA (current for this year)

The UMA Faculty Development Center (FDC) supported the Immersion Day on Zoom by providing additional training to Professor Ray. She then helped the teaching team gain confidence and better understand how to utilize the technology for an optimal learning experience. Greg Keneborus provided technical support throughout the day to help those who experienced issues. Professor Ray also held a training for all participants the week before the immersion day to give everyone a chance to try Zoom and meet each other before the actual day.

Due to uncertainty about the pandemic during the planning period, the next French immersion will be on Zoom as well. It will take place January 14-15th 2022. Participants will do ice breakers and watch and discuss a short film on Friday night and then participate in the day-long immersion the next day.

More information about the weekend immersion program.

Every year she helps put together a French Immersion Weekend where students and people of any age can spend a weekend at Blueberry Cove Camp in Tenants Harbor, Maine and participate in various activities all while speaking only French. In this episode, Jesse asks Dr. Ray about growing up in California and how she ended up in Maine, what it’s like taking 20 college students to France for two weeks, and how some of her classes might relate to the overall theme of the podcast.

]]> /news/french-immersion-weekend-scheduled-for-september-2019/ Wed, 29 May 2019 15:38:21 +0000 /?p=3172 … Read More]]> UMA and the Maine Chapter of American Association of Teachers of French to co-sponsor, “Le Français au Bord de la Mer”, a French immersion weekend

Blueberry Cove Camp, Tenants Harbor | 9/27–9/29

The Â鶹APP (UMA) is pleased to announce it will co-sponsor with the Maine Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French the annual French immersion weekend, Le Français au Bord de la Mer, at Blueberry Cove Camp in Tenants Harbor, site of prior immersion weekends.

UMA French Professor Chelsea Ray and Julia Schulz, co-founder for the Penobscot Language School, are co-coordinators for the weekend.  This is a continuation of a program begun by the Penobscot Language School in Rockland in 1991, and an extension of the successful Le Français au Bord de la Mer and Le français dans les bois that has run for nine years.

During the immersion weekend, highly skilled and experienced volunteer instructors, many of whom are French teachers, as well as native-speaking exchange students attending UMA from l’Université de Bretagne in Brest, France, will lead group activities.  On Saturday, participants have a choice of workshops targeting intermediate or advanced language skill levels.

“Our theme this year is French North America, with a focus on French-Canadian, Acadian, and Franco-American culture, music, and food,” stated Chelsea Ray, UMA Associate Professor of French Language and Literature. “One of our aims is to explore together the rich diversity of the French-speaking world.”

This weekend event is open to intermediate and advanced speakers of French, whether they are high school students, college/university students, French teachers, or interested community members who are seeking the challenge of a 100% French-speaking environment. Participants must be able to speak French for the entire weekend.

To be eligible, high school students should have completed two years of French study or the equivalent and college students should have completed one year of French study or equivalent.

For additional information about the weekend, UMA student testimonials, videos of various weekend activities, and to register, please visit French Immersion Weekend.

This event usually fills by August and it is filling even more quickly this year, so early registration is encouraged.