For parents trying to find French-language summer camps on Prince Edward Island, the search can be difficult. A Charlottetown non-profit is working to change that.

STEAM P.E.I. runs summer camps focused on science, technology, engineering, arts and math. In recent years, the organization has expanded its French-language programming to meet growing needs.

“The demand is huge on the French side,” said Haifa Vernet Augustin, the group’s director of French programming. “I would say right now, a third of our numbers of reach are in French.”

The non-profit partners with P.E.I.’s French-language school board, La Commission scolaire de langue française, using French schools on the Island as camp locations.

The organization also partners with Canadian Parents for French, helping provide discounts for students attending the camps.

“We’re a non-profit. Any opportunity to subsidize our camps are huge, and it allows us to be able to deliver more programs and bring the right staff on and properly roll out our programming,” said Angela Lawlor, the CEO of STEAM P.E.I.

Immersion beyond the classroom

School alone isn’t enough if children don’t use French outside the classroom, Vernet Augustin said.

Many students spend their entire K-12 education in French programs, she said, but struggle to use the language later in university or the workforce because they stop practising.

STEAM P.E.I.’s camps aim to address that by offering fun, activity-based experiences in French during the summer.

“It’s a good way for them to keep practising and then keep their French fresh,” she said.

Lawlor said her own children, who have come through French immersion, struggled to find French-language camps in the past.

“It’s a worry for sure, because eight weeks or nine weeks of summer is a long time to be away from French immersion.… They’re strong leaving school in June, and that eight or nine week period can really put them behind,” she said.

“I’ve tried different tools throughout the summer to keep my kids engaged in French, but there’s nothing like being in an environment where they’re immersed in it.”

Vernet Augustin said STEAM P.E.I.’s camps help fill that gap.

Because the camps are held in CSLF schools — which also serve as community hubs with libraries, theatres and French-language signage — children are surrounded by the language.

“Everything is in French … and because it’s a community centre, it’s not empty during the summer,” Vernet Augustin said. “Other people are in the space, and they still hear a lot of people speaking French.”

Getting the right staff

French daycares and schools across the Island often struggle to recruit enough French-speaking staff.

But Vernet Augustin said STEAM P.E.I. has been fortunate so far, thanks in part to returning camp leaders who come back each summer.

Lawlor added that when it comes to hiring, the organization maintains high standards.

“We don’t rush into hiring just to fill a spot. We make sure that we’re making the right decisions,” she said. 

“For our French [programs], if we don’t have the staff then we just can’t offer them. But we really try and be thoughtful when we’re making our schedule for the year and ensuring that we have the proper staffing to deliver.”

As demand for French-language camps continues to grow, Lawlor said the organization could hire more staff, but that depends on available funding and grants.