Strathmore celebrates International Francophonie Day

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Strathmore Family and Community Support Services, in partnership with Canadian Parents for French, and the Strathmore Library, hosted an event, March 22, celebrating Francophonie month.

Officially, every March 20, is International Francophonie Day. Last year, the Town of Strathmore hosted the first local celebration of the occasion.

“This is the second time the town has been running this under the Settlement, Integration and Language Projects (SILP) grant and it is a Little Taste of Francophonie,” said Tiffany Carlson. “The SILP grant’s purpose is to work with newcomers, community businesses, and social services to welcome newcomers into Strathmore.”

This year’s event was Quebecois oriented, featuring a sugar shack breakfast which was accessible via donation during the event, French stories and cultural insights, traditional French games, and maple toffee. All proceeds were donated to support Canadian Parents for French.

Carlson explained the donations aim to help create more French immersion programs within Strathmore.

For those who were interested, a resource table was laid out for parents who may desire for their children to learn French or attend a French immersion school. The library also maintains a collection of French books.

It was reported that last year, 24 people in total attended the event. No particular fundraising goal was established this year, only that the event be accessible to anyone who was interested.

“The Canadian Parents for French, they really want to increase the French speakers in Strathmore and so this is a way to advertise a little bit for Francophonie Day and also to get more people interested in the French immersion program,” said Carlson. “It possibly could become an annual celebration. That would be up to the library and the French parent board if they would like to continue running it. I do know that the French parent board wants to have other relationships with the library regarding maybe a French book buddy or teen French novel study kind of thing.”

Beyond the Francophonie Day celebration event, parents who are potentially interested or curious about French language and immersion are encouraged to speak directly with Brentwood school to learn more about the option available for their kids.

Additionally, Strathmore Adult Inclusive Learning and the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society both have staff in Strathmore able to provide help, direction and resources.

Each year, should it be allowed to continue, the goal is to feature a different branch of French culture, such that everyone may feel included in the local celebrations.