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Fondation Alliance Française |
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On ne résiste pas à l'Alliance
française !
Charles de Gaulle, 1958
The
Alliance Française was
founded in 1883 in Paris as
an “Association nationale pour
la propagation de la langue
française dans les colonies et à
l’étranger” under the aegis of
Pierre Foncin and ambassador
Paul Cambon. The Paris Alliance
was created the following year
by a board of directors
featuring illustrious names like
Jules Verne (writer), Louis
Pasteur (chemist and biologist),
or Ferdinand de Lesseps
(diplomat). The first Alliance
Française abroad was created the
same year in Barcelona.
Today there are 1040
Alliances Françaises in 136
countries. From Tierra del Fuego
in Argentina to Canada, from the
furthest tip of Africa to the
North of Europe, across a vast
swaths of Asia and Oceania, the
Alliance truly spans the globe.
About 460,000 students take
classes at the Alliance
Française throughout the world.
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A universal vocation
For over a century, the Alliance
Française has been seeing
through an ambitious project :
Spreading French language and
culture well beyond the borders
of France. A network of
associations set up throughout
the world have been benefiting
from the Alliance’s mark of
quality so as to disseminate the
French language abroad. The
remarkable longevity and
vitality of our institution is
due in part to the strong bonds
we have built with the citizens,
the sponsors of our hostcountry
and with the French State.
However, the Alliance’s mission
does not stop with the work it
does abroad. In Paris, an ever
growing number of students from
around the world attend the
Alliance in heart of the French
Capital. International students
discover French culture thanks
to the Paris Alliance, while
officials from Alliance
committees across France welcome
French-learners throughout the
country. All of the Alliance’s
activities (cultural or
otherwise), as well as its
status as a non-profit
association account for some
of the ingredients of the
Alliance’s current success.
An Alliance is the outgrowth of
community-based initiatives and
reciprocal adhesion, which have
been central to its long term
success. The Alliance Française
attributes its success to the
unwavering loyalty of its public
who are impassioned by the
French language. Known the world
over, the Alliance is present in
136 countries where it has
adapted its recipe to over a
thousand local committees, each
with its very own personality. |
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A Multicultural Crossroads
A leader in teaching French to
foreigners, the Alliance
Française has pioneered
pedagogical methods that take
into account the mother tongue
and the learning style of all of
its students. Alliance teaching
methods combine a classic
approach to language acquisition
and an open-mindedness to new
modes of communication.
The Alliance is adopting new
technologies and has created
partnerships and has diversified
our course offering : Intensive
and extensive training sessions,
In-company courses, Theme
courses, Semi-independent
instruction, Distance learning,
Teacher-training, etc.
Today the Alliance Française
is incontestably the reference
for teaching French as a foreign
language. The Alliance’s
recognition by the French
Education Ministry as well as by
European organizations such as
the ALTE (the Association of
Language Testers in Europe),
speaks volumes about the
Alliance’s leadership in the
field.
The Alliance’s pedagogical
mission is inextricably linked
to its commitment to culture.
Hence, the Alliances have forged
their identities by meshing
French language and French
artistic creation with a
wonderfully diverse student
body. In short, a language truly
lives when it is shared. |
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The AF and the Host Country
The Alliances Françaises are
independent associations
regulated by local law and
bound by a common purpose to the
Fondation Alliance Française.
The Alliances Françaises are
apolitical and
nondenominational, which
facilitates establishment and
long term continuity in numerous
countries where it might be
otherwise hard to set up shop.
And whereas in many of these
countries the legal framework
concerning non-profit
organizations is sometimes
inexistent, the Alliance is
showing the way. Furthermore,
the Alliance’s unique status
requires democratic governance,
which can serve as an excellent
introduction to democratic
principles depending upon the
country. The establishment of an
Alliance abroad is the sole
expression initiatives taken by
local Francophiles who wish to
share their love of French
language and culture with their
fellow citizens.
Internationally, the
Alliances do not play a role as
a diplomatic representative
of France. However, they may
sometimes act as conduits of
information and help orient
those seeking information
towards the competent persons in
charge at the proper embassy.
Furthermore, we work closely
in conjunction with the city,
region, educational institutions
or the key cultural players,
regardless of the country where
we are implanted. |
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