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Watch your language
Quebec camps offer students the chance to fine-tune their French
published 2005
By Mary Lamey
Campers listen to a story at the Odyss?e Camp Minogami in Quebec. Odyss?e camps have seen increased enrolment from Ontario.
For most kids, summer camp means swimming, games and campfire singalongs. For Samantha Simmonds, it also translates to grammaire and vocabulaire.
Simmonds, a 16-year-old from Toronto, has spent four summers at the Bishop's College School Language Camp, sharpening her skills in Canada's other official language. She enjoyed the experience so much she hopes to return as a counsellor-in-training.
Bishop's, in Quebec's Eastern Townships, is just one of several camps in the province that offers campers the chance to acquire a second language. Programs are available for every taste, from formal classroom instruction, to informal bilingual camps, to full French-immersion experiences.
Each session, Bishop's offers enriched language programs to 180 coed campers between the ages of 11 and 16. These include morning classes, 90 minutes of evening study and weekly written tests. At the end of each four-week session, campers get a written report card.
"Don't call it school. That makes it sound too scary!" laughs Denise Addona, the camp's co-ordinator. "We make sure the kids run around and blow off steam. It is summer vacation, after all."
Bishop's welcomes students from around the world and, during each session, about 115 campers will be registered for English and 65 for French. Over the years, Simmonds has made friends with campers from Spain and shared a room with a girl from Taiwan.
"That's what makes camp fantastic. You get to know people you might not otherwise have met. You learn about where they come from and you get to help them with their English," she says enthusiastically.
Both her written and oral French quickly improved in Bishop's structured environment. The ultimate compliment came when a Parisian camper called Simmonds' accent "tr?s bon."
Camp Wilvaken takes a more laid-back approach to language learning. Every two days, campers switch from speaking French to English and bilingual staffers lead activities in the language of the day.
Wilvaken, a traditional sleep-away camp on Lake Lovering in the Eastern Townships, accommodates 100 coed campers at a time. Half speak English and half speak French.
"The kids get mixed together and off they go," says Maya Willis, co-owner of the camp. "The first step is to make the kids feel at ease and to create an environment where they feel comfortable expressing themselves, whatever their level of ability."
Willis and her staff aren't there to play police. They use the language of the day, and campers are encouraged to follow suit. "They have to want to learn the second language, because we aren't going to force them to try."
Friendship is a great motivator. If two youngsters begin to click, one French and one English, language has a way of working itself out, she says.
The Odyss?e family of camps offers campers a chance to become truly immersed in Qu?b?cois culture and language. The four camps provide a wide range of outdoor activities, overnight trips and leadership training, and emphasize both science and the arts.
In recent years, the camps have seen increased enrolment by Ontario kids. Part of that growth comes from the private schools that hold one-week French-language camps at the Odyss?e facilities. Some students enjoy camp so much they want to come back on their own. Others are from French-speaking families and eager to explore an all-French environment.
"If the kids already have good basic French skills, our camps can be a wonderful experience," says R?jean Roy, Odyss?e's director. Sharpening language skills becomes a natural outgrowth of hanging out, digging in together and developing friendships.
"The feedback we get from parents is that their kids don't often get a chance to be fully immersed in French. Here, they learn songs around the campfire, hear stories and jokes," Roy says. "It goes beyond learning to living in a different culture."
When it comes to language camps, options exist for every age group, level of fluency and area of interest. Before choosing camp, sit down and discuss your child's expectations for the summer. As Willis says: "At the end of the day, you want the kids to have a great summer. And hopefully, their French improves along the way."
Campers listen to a story at the Odyss?e Camp Minogami in Quebec. Odyss?e camps have seen increased enrolment from Ontario.
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