The start of the school year, the presidential elections, food, confinement… The front pages of French Bridge reflect the concerns of the moment, with the particularity of being treated by an editorial team made up entirely of French-speaking adolescents living in the United States. . This new participatory media was born during the pandemic: “Initially, the San Francisco Bay Accueil association created a discussion group to occupy adolescents”, explains Emilie Nolf, vice-president of SFBA. “We had a lot of activities for children and adults, but nothing for teenagers.”The group“ In French please ”was born from this idea: over the course of the conversations, one of the teenagers suggested writing about their experience of confinement, by creating a journal. “We decided to create a website: French Bridge gives these teenagers the framework to write what interests them and to have readers.”
While a few adults, including Emilie Nolf, take care of the administrative and legal considerations related to the operation of the site, the editorial committee is almost exclusively made up of middle and high school students. “Every two weeks, the group, which includes 8 teens and 1 adult, decides what topics to cover, and makes sure the articles are ready for publication. About fifteen participants have produced content since the site was launched.”
French Bridge would like to attract more contributors. To join the group, you must be French-speaking, but without being obliged to write in the language of Molière: cartoons, podcasts, videos are also welcome. “The goal is really to allow these young people to express themselves in French thanks to the media with which they are most comfortable.“, Explains Emilie Nolf. “Some contributors study French at school, others do not, some were born in the United States, others elsewhere, and it is interesting to observe the differences in perspectives compared to the situation we are living. currently.”
Alongside the site, French Bridge offers free monthly workshops on journalism: how to write an article, create a podcast or do an interview are the topics previously discussed. The next ones will be announced on the French Bridge Facebook page.
Born in the Bay of San Francisco, French Bridge hopes to open up to French-speaking teens from all over North America, in particular through partnerships with French schools. With contacts already established in New York, Seattle, Philadelphia, Louisiana, Emilie Nolf believes in the development of French Bridge. “We are open to anyone who is interested in the project, whether parents or teachers. We have nothing to sell or lose, but everything to gain with this project, which is really carried by the teenagers who take part in it.”
