It's a big world out there, and local students are getting the chance to experience it.
Every year, Lakeland Catholic School District (LCSD) students spend three months in either France, Belgium, or Spain as part of the local French exchange.
The program is in partnership with Organisme de Séjours Educatifs Francophones (OSEF), a student exchange program that works with schools to promote learning and experiencing other countries and their cultures.
Jeff Cey, vice-principal at Notre Dame High School (NDHS), said they have been working with OSEF for several years.
A representative from the organization comes to the school to present the experience to students. In fact, it's a former student from France who participated in the program. She shares her story and her experience to entice youth to get involved.
“It's good, because there is a personal connection between her and the experience and the benefits that can come from it, because she knows it first-hand,” Cey said.
The way the program works is students from France, Belgium, or Spain will match-up with one of the locals. They come to Canada first from August to October.
This year, three local students are taking part in the program, which meant three exchange students, two from France and one from Spain, spent the fall in Bonnyville.
“We got to watch them as their English improved and they got to make new friendships, learn a bit about Canada, and experience our culture and our geography,” Cey said about the experience.
The exchange program is giving youth the opportunity to travel abroad.
Cey believes it's important to instill the love of learning about other countries early on.
“It really gives them the opportunity in a short window to experience a lot of things, where once you're an adult and are committed to those things, it's really hard to get away and enjoy these opportunities,” he expressed. “I think it's important to open their eyes up to the world when they're young so they have a better understanding of the world around them.”
In order to prepare for the trip, the students will have to work vigorously to ensure they're well ahead in their classes, because they will be missing three months of school.
Students who have participated in the past have come back with positive experiences.
Sarah Teixeira, Grade 11 NDHS student, took part last year, and would recommend the program to anyone.
“It was good. I loved experiencing the culture. The school was different, their marking system was different, and their school days were longer than ours, but they had longer breaks, their homework was more strict, and they had more classes” she expressed.
Hearing other students share their stories, and the fact that she has family in Europe, all enticed her enough to sign up for the exchange to France.
This year, Amelya Layne, a Grade 11 NDHS student, will be spending three months in Spain.
She decided to take part because of the opportunity to learn another language and experience another culture.
“I have Hispanic heritage, and that was also a big part of it. I want to explore my family history while taking part in the language and culture,” Layne expressed. “I will be staying in one of the big cities. That really excites me because I'm more of a city person. The fact that I will be staying in a city in Spain is exciting for me. I'm also excited to see the beaches and how different houses, food, and music are.”
Her match was in Bonnyville from August to October.
“She loved it. She didn't want to leave. It was a lot of the little things like coming to school and having a locker or going on the school bus, because they don't have those things there,” said Layne, adding her exchange student fell in love with snow.
“It's neat, because there are so many parallels to what those kids are doing growing up in those countries to what they're doing here. There's way more things that they have in common with students here than you would actually expect. Some things are so foreign to them, like cold weather, just things that they aren't used to,” Cey noted.
The opportunity to take part in the exchange comes once a year, and two students from École des Beaux-Lacs also wanted to hop on board.
They will be travelling to France for their exchange after their two matches spent three months with them at NDHS.
“Canada is a very diverse country as it is. If someone were to go on an exchange somewhere foreign, if you have an open mind, it can be a really great and enriching experience,” Layne said.
