On April 29th, at Hart House on the University of Toronto campus, TFS students from the Senior School joined 24 other schools from around the GTA for a day filled with workshops and talks focused on the rewards of bilingualism.

The occasion for all this activity was the yearly meeting of the local forum of French for the Future. French for the Future, which was co-founded by John Ralston Saul and Lisa Balfour Bowen in 1995, is a not-for-profit organization that supports and motivates high school students on their path towards bilingualism.

The forum, conducted entirely in French, allows students to have access to interesting mentors, attend creative and inspiring workshops, participate in cultural events, and share their thoughts and ideas about bilingualism.

The students heard from bilingual professionals in areas such as the media, education, healthcare, international aid and the arts, including from TFS alumni Nicolas van Burek, ’93, a Shakespearean actor.

And they also had the opportunity to listen to the keynote address given by TFS’ very own Head of School, Dr. John Godfrey. Dr. Godfrey calls his speech “very personal,” adding “it was about how French changed my life.” He described how learning French at Neuchâtel Junior College in Switzerland directly influenced all the developments in his higher education and in his many illustrious careers – culminating in being named Head of Toronto French School, of course!