Alliance Française Toronto is a cultural and language institute, part of the

Alliance Française (; "French Alliance", stylised as ''af'') is an international organization that aims to promote the French language and francophone culture around the world. Created in Paris on 21 July 1883 under the name ''Alliance française pour la propa ...

network. It consists of five centres across the

Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the Toronto, City of Toronto and the regional municipality, regional municipalities of Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham, Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton, Regional ...

(GTA), located at Toronto Downtown ( Spadina),

Mississauga Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...

North York North York is a former township and city and is now one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the northern area of Toronto, centred around Yonge Street, north of Ontario Highway 401. It is bounded by ...

, Oakville and

Markham Markham may refer to: Biology * Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia * Markham's grass mouse (''Abrothrix olivaceus markhami''), a rodent subspecies found on Wellington Island and the ne ...

. The Spadina centre houses the cultural centre and a 147-seat theatre. Founded in Paris in 1883 by

Louis Pasteur Louis Pasteur (, ; 27 December 1822 – 28 September 1895) was a French chemist, pharmacist, and microbiologist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, Fermentation, microbial fermentation, and pasteurization, the la ...

Ferdinand de Lesseps Ferdinand Marie, Comte de Lesseps (; 19 November 1805 – 7 December 1894) was a French Orientalist diplomat and owner of Main Idea of the Suez Canal, which in 1869 joined the Mediterranean and Red Seas, substantially reducing sailing distan ...

and

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

, Alliance Française has always embodied the modern values of humanism, respect of linguistics and cultural diversity. Established in Toronto in 1902, Alliance Française Toronto (AFT) is a 100% Canadian non-profit and charity organization. Alliance Française Toronto has grown to become the largest French language school in Canada, the first Alliance in North America and the sixth worldwide with more than 6,500 students enrolling each year on the five campuses.

History

Alliance Française Toronto was founded on October 28, 1902 by Charles Saint-Elme de Champ and his faculty colleagues to help students learn French. The institution was located on the Victoria Campus of University of Toronto and remained there until the end of the 1950s. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the centre offered French courses to Canadian military officers who were about to be shipped away to the French front. Between 1960 and 1970, courses were offered in the basement of one of its teacher's home. Alliance française moved to new premises in 1970 at 60, Charles St West, at the crossing of

Bay Street Bay Street is a major thoroughfare in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the centre of Toronto's Financial District, Toronto, Financial District and is often used by metonymy to refer to Economy of Canada, Canada's financial services indust ...

and Charles St. Since then, Alliance française Toronto has considerably expanded its courses and cultural offerings, especially after the arrival of the director André Petit in 1977 and the election of Bill Graham as a president in 1978. In 1980, Alliance française Toronto settled in Yonge Street. The space consists of eight classrooms over four floors and a gallery space for exhibits. In 1986, the institution moved to a new building with a typically Victorian character at 24 Spadina Road in the Annex. From the 1990s onwards, Alliance française Toronto has opened new schools in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The first one was opened in Mississauga, a few miles away from Toronto in 1991. In September of the same year, a new branch was opened in North York at 1, Elmhurst Ave. The centre moved to bigger premises at 95 Sheppard Ave West in 2004. A new branch opened in Markham in 2010. In 2014, the Spadina Centre renovated its premises and built up a 147-seat auditorium. Nowadays, Alliance française Toronto proposes about 114 cultural events each year including concerts, theatre plays, lectures, movie screenings, dance shows and provides the opportunity to discover the French ''art de vivre'' with regular wine and cheese parties.

Education

Alliance française Toronto offers a wide variety of French courses for adults and children of all ages and levels. Different classes are specifically designed to help adult learn French language through General French courses, Conversation courses but also Specialized courses for those who would like to improve their pronunciation or practise their French by participating in Philosophy Club, Book Club … Furthermore, from 8 months to 17 years old, Alliance française Toronto offers a variety of after-school courses and week-end classes as well as March break and Summer camps which give children an experience in a French-speaking environment through fun-filled activities.

Cultural activities and events

* ''Movie Thursday'': Screening of a French-speaking movie on Thursdays at Spadina Theatre. * ''Concerts'' at Spadina Theatre. * ''Exhibitions'': an exhibition every month by French or French-speaking artists. * ''Events for young audiences'': a show for children once a month at Spadina Theatre. * ''Lectures'': Lectures in French or in English. Alliance Française Toronto is also part of the Bloor Street Culture Corridor.

References

External links

Official website of AFTOfficial website of Fondation Alliance Française
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alliance Francaise de Toronto 1902 establishments in Ontario Franco-Ontarian organizations Organizations based in Toronto Alliance Française