Photo: Ryan Blau

One of the most difficult challenges facing new immigrants is acquiring the language skills that are the foundation for success. It is doubly difficult in Montreal because our society functions in two languages, simultaneously.

The French Conversation Club at Jewish Immigrant Aid Services (JIAS) Montreal is one of the places where new immigrants come together to improve their fluency in French. The Club is run by Maurice Alloun, a contractor who came to Montreal from his native France with his wife and two children in 2001. Having looked to JIAS for assistance when he first arrived, he quickly offered to give back to the community by helping others improve their French language ability.

“It is very satisfying to be able to give back and to help others who are just settling in Montreal, going through the same things I experienced not so long ago,” he says.

Alloun is well respected at JIAS for being a dedicated and diligent volunteer who takes his responsibility to his students seriously. The club meets weekly, with just a short break during the summer. There is a core group that attends regularly, and others who participate whenever they can. On average, between six and a dozen people attend each session. Those who have taken advantage of the Club give it a lot of credit for enabling them to communicate in French.

“We talk about all sorts of subjects, whatever the group wants to discuss,” Maurice said. “The point is to converse, whether about current events, philosophy, movies, anything.”

Through general conversation, vocabulary expands and the complex rules of French grammar are learned.

JIAS sees it as an ideal activity to promote the integration of new immigrants. Not only does it help people adapt to life in Quebec, but it helps them to develop a network of friends within the Jewish community that makes them feel more comfortable.

The French Conversation Club is held every Monday evening, beginning at 6:00 p.m. JIAS is looking for a volunteer to run an English Conversation Club on Wednesday evenings, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Natasha Sosunov at 514 342-9351 ,ext. 217 or natasha.sosunov@jiasmontreal.org.