Hamilton's francophone centre celebrates 50 years of 'the joy of living in French'
The centre is a resource and advocate for local French speakers
Read a separate French-language version of this article here.
Every summer, francophones and francophiles from across Hamilton gather in Gage Park to see concerts, comedians and vendor booths. But Steeltown's French presence wasn't always so prominent.
In the 1970s, French speakers from Quebec flocked to the area for manufacturing jobs in the steel and textile industries, and formed the Centre Francophone Hamilton, says Julie Jardel, the centre's current executive director. And this year, that centre is 50 years old.
When those workers arrived, Jardel says, there was a dearth of French schools to attend, and few basic services for them to access in their language. Now there are schools, a francophone health centre, and conversation circles for anyone interested in learning the language. And there's the annual festival in Gage Park, FrancoFest.
"The centre started mostly as an organization meant to ensure francophones who chose to settle in Hamilton mostly for economic reasons," Jardel said in an interview last week. But FrancoFest in particular "has brought the organization great visibility with our francophone community."
"The face of the francophone community has been growing."
The centre has served as an advocate and resource for that community since Nov. 1, 1971. About 30 years ago, it led to Centre de santé francophone de Hamilton, a health centre at 1320 Barton St. E. that serves French-speaking communities in Hamilton and Niagara.
While Centre Francophone Hamilton initially focused on Quebecois French-speaking people, Jardel says, as French speakers come from elsewhere in the world, the centre's focus has broadened. At the June festival, for example, there was an African culture and identity workshop, as well as a celebration of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, a public holiday in Quebec.
Right now, the centre's coordinating team is three people, says Lisa Breton, who's twice served as the centre's executive director. But it's a centre whose beating heart is its volunteers.
The centre's human resources team, she says, exceeds 20 people depending on the project, and that team is made up of volunteers. The centre has about 100 volunteers overall, she says, and they're key to making the festival happen.
Lanciné Koulibaly is one such volunteer. He's says he has been involved with the centre for four years — nearly as long as the Ivory Coast man has been in Hamilton — and is now involved in a leadership project that focuses on youth. He currently works at Centre de santé francophone de Hamilton.
"The centre brings me the joy of living in French," Koulibaly said. "It is important for me to volunteer at the francophone centre to help the Francophonie flourish."