"You develop a relationship with the other campers, so you WANT to learn their language, and they also want to learn yours.”
— Zoe T, Camper for 9 years
How it works
Ouareau creates a safe environment, creates friendships and provides tools for language learning.
Ouareau's language program is uniquely suited to our powerful community, encouraging campers to build their language skills as part of their everyday life. Celebrating mistakes, encouraging friendships and helping others are just a few ways campers are motivated to simply try.
A little more about the language program
Our staff work on a cycle where two days are spent speaking entirely in French, and the next two days are spent speaking entirely in English.
On Sundays, all instructions are given in both languages, to allow campers the chance to make links between their vocabularies.
Bunk groups have a mix of French and English speakers, and the small group environment allows campers to form friendships and work together to develop their second language.
Why does our language program work? Because campers learn by doing – the new vocabulary terms will stick because they physically have a paddle in hand or they want to communicate with their new friend that isn’t fluent in English. The experience of living with francophone campers that are also trying their best, combined with the immediate practical application, is a successful formula when it comes to not only learning but retaining a new language.
Campers are evaluated on the basis of their ability to understand and speak their second language. If their language skills need a little boost campers are assigned to a daily language class as one of their activity periods.
However, not all campers are assigned to language classes. Once you have the basic skills, a great place to learn language is participating in everyday camp life.
Our meals family-style meals allows for multilingual conversation! The seating around the table alternates by language, so an Anglophone is seated between two Francophone campers, encouraging conversation between languages. The dining room is the main location where campers are asked to speak the Language of the Day to the best of their ability (asking for help from their neighbours beside them!).
Language classes
Language classes are a launch pad to camp life. These classes provide a base knowledge to continue their language learning journey throughout camp.
Understand, Speak, Conversation, Extended
Our Understanding classes aim to get campers to comprehend the instructions and day-to-day conversations that happen at camp. Once they are capable of doing so, they go on to Speaking classes, which teach campers how to answer general questions, express their needs, and converse with others. Conversation classes are designed to serve the campers who have been at camp for a few years, have mastered the vocabulary covered in the Understand/Speak levels, but still are struggling to speak in full sentences at a functional level.
If they are considered proficient enough to start communicating with their peers, they may choose to sign up for the optional Extended classes, which are project-based. All language classes are aimed to empower campers to function and develop relationships in a bilingual environment, by emphasizing practical and immediately applicable content.
A safe environment to make mistakes
Having an accent, missing pieces of your vocabulary, or not knowing the right tense of a verb to use should all be badges of honour! It means, "I'm brave enough to try," and bravery is celebrated at Ouareau, whether it's with a high five, a smile, or simply the moment when you realize that someone else is trying as hard as you did.
Our staff aren't all perfectly bilingual either — we hire them this way on purpose! Having role models that are equally "in progress" when it comes to their second or third language is a powerful example for campers to feel comfortable in demonstrating their new language skills.
Beyond the classroom
Regardless of the language of the day, learning your second language happens everyday.
While campers are encouraged to speak the Language of the day in order to create an immersion environment, don't be fooled that English days equals speaking only English. Part of a staff’s role is to speak the language of the day as well as create connections between campers so that they may translate for each other. This has two very powerful results:
Friendships are formed between french and english campers.
Translating provides practice... lots and lots of practice!
Learning goes beyond grammar
Approximately 35% of our campers are bilingual. Though their learning is no longer grammar-based, growth takes shape in the form of leadership, compassion and inclusion. True camp magic is about how we help each other and how we embrace a diverse community.