La Bressola () is a cultural association founded in Perpignan,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in 1976 to promote a network of community-run

schools A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsor ...

engaged in

Catalan language Catalan (; autonym: , ), known in the Valencian Community and Carche as ''Valencian'' (autonym: ), is a Western Romance language. It is the official language of Andorra, and an official language of three autonomous communities in eastern ...

immersion programs in

, particularly in the comarques of North Catalonia. The first center was opened in Sant Galdric (Perpignan) in September 1976. Subsequently, other centers have been opened in Pessillà, El Vernet, Pontellà, Prades, El Soler, Canet and Sant Esteve del Monestir. Since 1983, the schools of La Bressola have hosted students from two to eleven years. In 2005, they maintained eight educational centers for nursery and primary school children, one of them (El Soler) being, since 2003, the first to impart secondary education in Catalan in France. With seven

primary schools A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

and two high school, some 1100 students are currently being taught. Together with the

Calandreta A Calandreta () is a bilingual school in Southern France where the Occitan language is a medium of instruction, alongside French. These schools are based on the same principle as the '' Diwan'' schools of Brittany, as well as the '' Gaelscoileanna' ...

s, the Diwan schools, the Seaska (the Ikastolas of the

French Basque country The French Basque Country, or Northern Basque Country ( eu, Iparralde (), french: Pays basque, es, País Vasco francés) is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitu ...

) and the ''association ABCM-Zweisprachigkeit'' ( French- AlsatianABCM School Website
(in French) bilingual schools), form a confederation of immersive schools in France.

Centers

* Pessillà, Roussillon * Nils (in the

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

of Ponteilla, Roussillon) * Prades, Conflent * Saint-Estève, Roussillon * Perpignan-Sant Galdric, Roussillon * Perpignan- El Vernet, Roussillon * Le Soler, Roussillon * Col·legi Pompeu Fabra del Soler, Roussillon (High school) * Col·legi Mas Rosselló, Canet, Roussillon (High school)

Educational system

The

pedagogy Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

that is practiced is the so-called "active pedagogy" and it maintains a comparable level to its French-language counterparts. The administration's relations with the association, which since 1982 has tried to obtain government subsidies, have been difficult because of pressures for the introduction of bilingualism in equal parts. In 1995, the introduction of bilingual education at the end of primary school was agreed to. In 1987, the

Generalitat Generalitat (, literally in English 'Generality') is the name of two major medieval and early modern political institutions and their modern-day analogues in Kingdom of Spain. The ancient Principality of Catalonia and the Kingdom of Valencia were ...

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...

awarded the Honor Award to Lluís Carulla and the

Creu de Sant Jordi The Creu de Sant Jordi (, in English ' St George's Cross') is one of the highest civil distinctions awarded in Catalonia (Spain), surpassed only in protocol by the Gold Medal of the Generalitat de Catalunya. It was established by the Generalit ...

in 2007. In 1981, a split led to the creation of the association Arrels, directed by Laura Manaut and Pere Manzanares. The general director is Joan Pere Le Bihan.

Public support

In March 2007, the players of

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Found ...

, Lilian Thuram and

Oleguer Presas Oleguer Presas Renom (born 2 February 1980), known simply as Oleguer, is a Spanish former footballer. Primarily a central defender, he could also operate as a defensive right-back. During his career he was mostly associated with Barcelona, wit ...

participated in the reading of a manifesto in defense of the

and of these schools at a ceremony in Perpignan. The manifesto has been further supported by club president

Joan Laporta Joan Laporta Estruch (; born 29 June 1962) is a Spanish politician and current president of FC Barcelona. Laporta is a lawyer (he graduated from the University of Barcelona) with his own firm, Laporta & Arbós, which has a number of notable Sp ...

, the coach of the

France national football team The France national football team (french: Équipe de France de football) represents France in men's international football matches. It is governed by the French Football Federation (FFF; ), the governing body for football in France. It is ...

Raymond Domenech Raymond Manuel Albert Domenech (; born 24 January 1952) is a French football manager and former player. He managed the France national team from 2004 to 2010, reaching the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final. He was dismissed after their elimination from ...

, and the singers

Manu Chao Manu Chao (; born José-Manuel Thomas Arthur Chao on 21 June 1961) is a French-Spanish singer. He sings in French, Spanish, English, Italian, Arabic, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, Greek, and occasionally in other languages. Chao began his mu ...

, Cali, the group

Zebda Zebda is a French music group from Toulouse, France, known for its political activism and its wide variety of musical styles. The group, which was formed in 1985, consisted of seven musicians of diverse nationalities, and the themes of much of ...

, and I Muvrini.

Notes

External links

Website of the La Bressola schools
.
Association of Friends of La Bressola
.
The director of La Bressola, Joan-Pere Le Bihan y Rullan a Association des Cadres Catalans de Toulouse
{dead link, date=December 2017 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes Education in France Catalan advocacy organizations Minority schools