Bienvenue à Toulouse - High School Summer French Immersion in France!

  France

Toulouse

Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: 2009 Dates: Session A June 25-July 22; Session B July 10-Aug 6

Description: ECI, a non-profit organization, offers high school students the opportunity to participate in high-quality language classes at the Langue Onze School in Toulouse while living in a dorm (Session A) or with a local host family (Session B). Toulouse is a dynamic university town in southwest France. It is known as "La Ville en Rose" because most of the buildings have been built in red brick for over 2000 years. Toulouse is also France's aeronautics and space exploration capital and the birthplace of the Concorde high-speed airplane. This modern edge, combined with a rich history and diverse population, makes Toulouse an ideal place to study French.

The city has a medieval old town and a great setting along the banks of the Canal du Midi and Garonne River. Known as La Ville en Rose, historic Toulouse is a wonderful location in which to study French in France.

Our Language School Homestay families and dorm are within walking distance or a short metro ride from the school and lively center of Toulouse. This program also includes one week of immersion with a host family. ECI participants are matched with carefully chosen host families who often have a son or daughter of a similar age and who are excited about sharing their homes and lives with an American teenager. Students truly experience the daily life of their host families during this special week. Students are generally placed one per host family during the Immersion week.

The Langue Onze Language School in Toulouse is an ideal place for high school students to study French. The highly professional staff is composed of native French speakers with extensive teaching experience. All instructors have degrees in teaching French as a foreign language and many have experience as well in theatre, literature, and music. Classes are held in a beautiful 19th century air-conditioned building. University Credit is available for this program.

Students are grouped into one of several levels, based on a placement test. Classes are Monday through Friday for two weeks with a maximum of 11 students per class. Courses are comprised of four fifty-minute lessons per day from 9:15 am to 1:00 pm. During their two weeks of study, students write compositions and complete both written and oral comprehension exercises. In addition, issues of current events are discussed using newspaper articles, films, and documentaries.

Group size is limited to 30 or fewer students and include three full-time adults: one trip leader and two additional chaperones. This is an ideal size in terms of student bonding, personal attention, organization, and safety - always our number one priority.

Our chaperones are selected on the basis of language ability, maturity, patience, judgment, enthusiasm, and their ability to earn the respect and trust of our teenage participants. Most of them are teachers who have traveled abroad extensively, and all are committed to promoting intercultural understanding between young people throughout the world.

Whenever possible, we also incorporate Language Partners into our programs. These young people are usually French high school or university students who work to enrich the total experience by providing our group with lots of opportunities for integration into the community and practice in conversational French. Time may be devoted to going to museums, theater and concerts, going out for coffee or dancing, visiting the beach, and meeting local French teenagers.

A variety of activities and excursions, as well as three days in Paris, are also included. Students who have been to Paris previously always have the choice of an alternate itinerary while there.

Highlights:
Les Pyrénées

Excursion to the Pyrénées mountain range, the natural border between France and Spain. The Pyrenees' spectacular landscape, beautiful alpine villages and numerous outdoor activities make it the ideal place for an all-day Saturday adventure. It also hosts a grueling climbing section of the Tour de France. Schedule permitting we might have the opportunity to watch one of these stages.

Carcassonne

Visit to the medieval walled town of Carcassonne. This settlement dates back to the pre-Roman period and served as a major crossroad between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

La Cite de l'Espace

This is a scientific and space adventure park famous for its planetarium and interactive exhibits. La Cite has a prototype of the Russian space station Mir and even an exhibit comparing Russian, French and American space food!

Cost in US$: $6175 without airfare.

Chaperoned airfare from San Francisco and JFK is also available. See out website for details.

This Program is open to American, Canadian and European Participants.

Participants Travel to France Independently Or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently Or in Groups of 30

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit DebriefingAbroad

Edu-Culture International (ECI)'s Mission Statement: To broaden the academic horizons of students and to create well-rounded, culturally aware student leaders. Goals: ECI provides young people with opportunities to embrace new cultures, to improve foreign language ability, and to develop interpersonal skills. We strive to make each program a high-quality, unique, and enjoyable experience. It is also hoped that the programs will engender in students an interest in the pursuit of education, especially in the humanities and acquisition of foreign languages; motivate learning and independent thinking; promote world friendships and cultural understanding; educate students about the culture, language, people, and ideas of other nations and ethnic backgrounds; help students to realize their potentials and become aware of their roles in our global community.

Year Founded: 1998