Guide to Starting a French Club Tips, Activities, and More

You cant become fluent in French if you dont practice what youve learned, and French clubs are an ideal place to practice. If theres no Alliance Franà §aise or another French club near you, maybe you need to take things into your own hands and create your own. This isnt as daunting as it sounds—all you need to do is find a meeting place and some members, decide on meeting frequency, and plan a few interesting activities.​​ Before you set up your French club, there are two things you need to find: Members and a meeting place. Neither of these is super difficult, but both require some effort and planning. Find Members The best way to find member is to advertise. Get news about your club out there by posting in the school newsletter, on bulletin boards at your school or in your community, or in local paper. You can also inquire at local French restaurants if they will let you post something. Another tactic is to recruit from French classes. Ask teachers at your school and others in the area, including schools geared towards adults, if they will help tell students about your club. Decide on a Meeting Place Where you have your meetings will depend a little on who your members are. If your club is made up only of students at your school, you can request permission to meet in the school cafeteria, an unused classroom, or the library or community center. If you have members from the community at large, you might suggest meeting at a local cafà ©, restaurant, or bar (depending on ages) or at members homes (take turns). In fine weather, a local park is also a good option. Plan Meeting Schedule At your first meeting, agree on a day and time for future meetings and discuss the types of meetings youll be having. Lunchtime Table franà §aise:  Students and people from the community can just drop in when they have the time. Hopefully, French teachers will offer extra credit to their students who attend.  Weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly meetingsOutings to plays, opera, movies, museums Tips There needs to be at least one person in semi-charge who speaks fairly fluently. This person can help everyone feel comfortable no matter what their level, help others with their French, encourage conversation when it lags, and remind everyone to speak French. Asking questions is a good way to get everyone talking.Have a set meeting time and date (every Thursday at noon, the first Sunday of the month) to help keep the routine.Meet for at least an hour, preferably two, to make sure its worth people making the effort to show up.Collect members names and contact info so that you can remind them about meetings. An email mailing list is an excellent way to do this.Stress the fact that all levels are welcome and that its in everyones best interest to talk.Just for fun, you could decide on a club name and get T-shirts made.Be strict about French only. Meeting Agendas OK, so youve figured out your meeting time, place, and venue and youve got a bunch of interested members. Now what? Just sitting around and talking in French is a good start, but there are lots of things you can do to spice up the meetings. Eat Brunch, lunch, dinner at a restaurantCheese tasting  Crà ªpe makingDessert tastingFondue  French-style barbecuePicnicPotluckWine tastingLe monde francophone: Week 1: France, week 2: Belgium, week 3: Senegal, etc.   Music and Movies Listen and/or sing (get lyrics from internet)Rent or stream movies to watch at members homeMake a trip to the theater Literature Plays: Take turns readingNovels: Take turns reading, or copy extracts to discuss at the next meetingPoetry: Read or write Presentations   French culture​​  French-speaking countriesRegions of FranceTrip photosPowerPoint Games BoulesCulture and history quizzesTwenty questionsTaboo: put a bunch of random French words in a hat, pick one, and try to describe it while others guess what the word is. Parties Bastille DayChristmasHalloweenMardi GrasPoisson dAvrilNational French WeekGet together with other language clubs There are no hard and fast rules for French club activities, but these are just some ideas to help you get started.