FRENCH
ADVOCACY EVENTS


Midwestern French Advocacy Project, including "Illinois Speaks French"
Organized by AATF Past President Margot Steinhart
French Consulate, Chicago
April 25, 2008, with a second round scheduled for from June 24-26, 2008


Jayne Abrate, presented "AATF and French Embassy Promote French


ACTFL Session San Antonio, 2007


Advocate and Collaborate To Promote French
Scheduled Time: Fri, Nov 16 - 10:45am - 12:00pm, Building/Room: Convention Center / 003
Presenters:

Description:
All K-16 French teachers need resources to advocate and promote French in their institutions and communities. Strategies, activities, and ideas for events, including National French Week, will be offered by the presenters and other attendees, who will describe how they take full advantage of collaborative opportunities to build French programs.

Content:
This presentation responds to the need of French teachers at all levels for ideas and resources to sustain and build their language programs. The presenters approach this topic by identifying ways they have found through advocacy and collaboration to promote French and to make French more visible in their communities.

Promotion Session


Jayne Abrate, Marie-Christine Koop and Catherine Petillon (Fr. Embassy)
presented a session: "Promoting French in the 21st Century"
San Antonio, TX, Fri, Nov 16, 2007



40th Annual Conference of TFLTA
Cool Springs, TN, Fri, Nov. 2, 2007
Will Thompson (AATF vice yresident)
Saralee Peccolo-Taylor (TN AATF president),
Alyssa Villarreal (World Languages Coordinator, Memphis City Schools)
TennesseeBob Peckham (AATF advocacy chair)
presented the panel "Vive le fran¨ais au Tennessee"



11/17/2006 10:45:00 AM - 12:00:00 PM
Hilton Hotel, Ryman 1
during the ACTFL 2006: Annual Convention and Exposition in Nashville


Down to the Wire to Save a Program: The End Game in Advocacy.
How-to... plus Q&A with the AATF advocacy team. Extend your state fact pack data with pertinent local information. Gather and work with students, parents, French alumni, local business people and leaders. Use district profiles and official remarks as a context for advocacy letters and speeches instead of generalities and truisms.

Robert D. Peckham, University of Tennessee at Martin
Brenda B. Benzin, Buffalo State College (SUNY)
William J. Thompson, University of Memphis
Marie-Christine Koop, University of North Texas
Anita Alkhas, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee



David Graham and Brenda Benzin, "Saving Your French Program." NYSFLT at Saratoga Springs, NY. October 6-8, 2006

Murle Mordy, "Highlights of the Milwaukee Convention." annual meeting of the Kansas Chapter of AATF, University of Kansas Edwards Campus, October 27, 2006.


79th AATF Annual Convention
Hyatt Regency Hotel
July 5-8, 2006, Milwaukee


S326: What Can One Person Do? Your Best Chance of Saving a French Program

Intervenants: TennesseeBob Peckham, University of Tennessee at Martin, Vice-Président de l'AATF, Brenda Benzin, Buffalo State University, Présidente de la Commission de l'AATF sur les Lycées, Margot Steinhart, Northwestern University (IL), Présidente de l'AATF, et David Graham, Clinton Community College (NY), Délégué régional de l'AATF pour l'état de New York

A survival course to show French teachers with advocacy needs how to spot relevant information about their own schools and districts, how to use AATF state advocacy fact packs, how to recruit an army of powerful allies, and how to wage effective political battles to save their programs.


Jayne Abrate & Margot Steinhart, "Advocating for French"
The 2006 Northeast Conference (NECTFL)
New York Marriott Marquis
March 30 - April 2, 2006



Jayne Abrate & Margot Steinhart, "Advocating for French"
2006 Central States Conference Meeting
Hyatt Regency Chicago
March 9-11, 2006



AATF - KY Chapter: Advocacy Workshop (TennesseeBob in Lexington)
University of Kentucky
304 Whitehall Classroom Building
March 4, 2006
11:00 am - 3:00 pm



Jayne Abrate, "Advocating French"
at "Languages for Today's World" Joint Meeting of
The Southern Conference on Language Teaching & The Florida Foreign Language Association
Double Tree Hotel (Orlando, Florida)
February 16-18, 2006



AATF Advocacy Workshop in Baltimore
November 17, 2005

TennesseeBob Peckham, AATF Vice President will lead a second national advocacy workshop in support of the American Association of Teachers of French's nation-wide, state and local program, outlined in its French Advocacy website:

Time: Thursday, November 17, 2005, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Place: We begin in 444 Maryland Hall, on the Campius of Loyola College, about 5 miles from the 2005 ACTFL Convention site in Baltimore

Learn how to mobilize members and non-members in your chapters to defend and expand French programs. Hear and tell battle stories about defending the study of French. Find out how to locate and work with language advocacy organizations already operating in your chapter and region. Understand why and how public recognition of our nation's "Year of Languages" can provide promotional and advocacy momentum for French. Get started making an advocacy web site and discuss how it can be used.

Continue to track developing information about the workshop and other AATF advocacy events on this page, or look at the Baltimore workshop page

http://www.utm.edu/staff/globeg/loyolawork.html

The cost of the workshop, including lunch and materials, is $50. Checks should be made payable to AATF and mailed with the attached form to

Dr. Margaret Haggstrom
Maryland Hall 458
Department of Modern Languages and Literatures
Loyola College
4501 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21210

Email: mhaggstrom@loyola.edu

AATF Annual Convention in Quebec City
Hyatt Regency & Baltimore Convention Center (Baltimore, MD)
November 18-20, 2005

AATF-sponsored session "The Inter-organizational and Inter-professional imperative for Language Advocacy (exemplified by French)"

Moderator: Robert D. Peckham (University of Tennessee at Martin) Presenters: Jayne Abrate (executive Director, The American Association of Teachers of French Joyce Beckwith (Wilmington High School), Barbara P.Ransford (Camden Fairview High School)

Foreign language teachers have somewhat insular positions, even when most successful, what they do is rarely understood, and their highly proficient graduates use their skill in areas generally not associated with languages. For these reasons, advocates of one language must be general advocates of foreign language learning, to work with other language organizations, and exploit common ground between them and all who benefit from foreign language and culture expertise. This session explores how these necessary horizontal connections are being made in the case of the AATF's national advocacy program.


AATF Annual Convention in Quebec City
July 7-10, 2005

Mercredi (6 juillet)
J. David Edwards will address the afternoon session of the Executive Council Meeting JNCL/NCLIS issues.

Jeudi (7 juillet)
Heure: 15h30-16h30
Salle: Panorama Plaines

S1308: Languages and the National Interest

Intervenant: J. David Edwards, Joint National Committee for Languages/National Council for Languages and International Studies.

The presenter will talk about the role of the 60 member organizations of JNCL/NCLIS in shaping language policy at the national level and in lobbying for increased support for the study of languages at all levels. Current legislation pending in Congress regarding languages will be discussed as well as initiatives in the Department of Defense for promoting language acquisition.

Animatrice: Jayne Abrate, Southern Illinois University, Secrétaire générale de l'AATF, Présidente du Joint National Committee for Languages/National Council for Languages and International Studies.


Vendredi (8 juillet)
Heure: 10h15-11h30
Salle: Panorama Plaines

S2308: Advocacy Depot: Building Tomorrow's Language Advocacy Centers with Lessons from Today's Crises

Intervenants: Robert Peckham, University of Tennessee at Martin, Vice-Présidente de l'AATF, Joyce Beckwith, Wilmington Public Schools (MA), Présidente de la Commission de l'AATF pour la Promotion du fran_ais, Brenda Benzin, Buffalo State College (NY), Vice-Présidente de l'AATF, Présidente de la Commission de l'AATF pour les lycées, Barbara Ransford, Camden-Fairview High School (AR), Vice-Présidente de l'AATF, Jacqueline Thomas, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Déléguée régionale de l'AATF pour le Sud-ouest

The difference between promotion and advocacy, the variety of crises producing advocacy needs, differences between problem school districts, district profiling strategies, mobilizing allies inside and outside a school district, harnessing and systematizing advocacy strategies, elements for centralization, regional modularization and local use, progress toward an AATF-sponsored national advocacy system.


Samedi (9 juillet)
Heure: 8h00-9h15
Salle: Belair

S3103: Advocacy: Dynamic Connections of Man and Machine in Making the Case for French

Intervenants: David Graham, Clinton Community College (NY), Délégué régional de l'AATF pour l'état de New York, and Robert Peckham, University of Tennessee at Martin, Vice-Présidente de l'AATF.

Promoting French at Your School: Strategies to Recruit Students
#68 at 2005 SWCOLT Conference, April 9, 2:00-3:15 pm

Presenters: Dr. Marie-Christine Koop, University of North Texas, Denton, TX; Helen Lorenz, The Hockaday School, Dallas, TX; Dr. Jacqueline Thomas, Texas A & M University at Kingsville, Kingsville, TX

This session will describe various strategies and activities designed to promote the study of French at all levels and targeting students, parents, and administrators. The presenters will provide a wealth of materials including documents prepared by the AATF Task Force on the Promotion of French such as flyers, a letter to convince administrators, videotapes, posters, testimony from former student of French, etc. Strategies to organize National French Week will also be addressed. Attendees will receive handouts with ideas for strategies and sources on documents that will help them promote the study of French.


Friday, April 1 at 4:15 to 5:30 pm
The 52nd Annual Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
March 31 - April 3, 2005
New York Marriott Marquis Hotel on Broadway


Session 137: "SOS French". Panelists: David Graham, Clinton Community College; Brenda Benzin, Vice President, AATF; Robert Peckham, Vice President, AATF

To reverse the trend of declining French enrollments and the elimination of French programs across the country, the AATF is conducting a grass roots advocacy campaign. French teachers from all levels should attend this important workshop. We will discuss internal and external strategies for both advocacy and promotion of French programs and the development of community resources among parents, administrators, school boards and business groups. In English with examples in French and of interest to high school & college/university educators. Some familiarity with topic needed to benefit fully from session.

This is the fourth AATF-related event on advocacy since July. The participants have been working as a team for over a year, and have prepared the ground for a comprehensive campaign that penetrates to the core of why programs need advocacy, in order to apply the right information, the right persuasive techiques, by the right people in the right place and time.


Saturday, March 12, 2005: 9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. 2005 Central States Conference
Hyatt Regency Columbus (Knox), Columbus, Ohio

Session 106: "Making Promotion a Learning Experience"
Jayne Abrate, Executive Director AATF, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL; Margot Steinhart, President AATF, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL


4th Annual UT Martin Technology Showcase
March 1, 2005
University Center, UT Martin, Martin TN

Presenter: TennesseeBob Peckham. "Tennessee to the Rescue - The Logistics Web-Basing A National Advocacy Campaign from Here" (the technology, the programming and the michine-human interconnect theory behind the AATF French language and culture program.

This showcase drew 2000 vistors from 5 states, and had Casey Green, founder of the Campus Computing Project, as keynote speaker.


Thursday, November 18, 2004 (Chicago)

Tennessee Bob Peckham (foreign-language web pioneer, professor of French at the University of Tennessee-Martin and Vice-President of the AATF) will be leading the AATF Advocacy Workshop on Thursday, November 18, at North Park University, Chicago from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm, outlining a combined local-state-national plan for advocacy, and showing members how they can help their chapters to influence public policy and resource allocation decisions.  The web training portion will include a review of and a guided search for relevant web resources.  There will be some hands-on training to make simple advocacy web pages pertinent to the states of participants, and following a template, which participants will tailor for specific anticipated uses. This is not a workshop for techies, but if you would like to see how technology can be used to pull a campaign together, and you want to try your hand at creating something useful, this should be a satisfying and practical experience. The outline for our overall plan is articulated in

Ideas for French Language & Culture Advocacy in the US
http://www.utm.edu/~globeg/advofr.shtml

Here is a rough set of notes we will use in the web-building portion of our workshop:

AATF Advocacy Workshop
http://www.utm.edu/~globeg/advocwork.html

While this is a good piggy-back activity for ACTFL conference goers, you don't need to register for the ACTFL conference to participate in our workshop.

Workshop location:
North Park University
Caroline Hall – Room B1
3225 West Foster Avenue (campus address)
Chicago, Illinois 60625-4895
(773) 244-6200 • (800) 888-6728
Campus Map: http://www.northpark.edu/about/campusmap/

North Park University Virtual Tour (see Caroline Hall in "our campus")
http://www.northpark.edu/tour/index.cfm

Come help us craft a truly exciting and innovative advocacy program. The cost of the workshop, including lunch and materials, is $40.  Checks should be made payable to AATF and mailed to our AATF President:

Margot Steinhart
2535 Bel-Air Drive
Glenview, IL 60025-4759

m.steinhart@sbcglobal.net

Please indicate if you are driving or coming by public transportation:

_______  North Park University parking sticker for those parking on campus (Check if required.)     Driving directions: http://www.northpark.edu/about/directions/

_______   from Hilton Hotel – Take taxi or take public transportation with group rendez-vous at 7:50 a.m.  North Park University is located at 3225 West Foster Avenue between Kimball and Kedzie Avenues and is served by the Foster, Kimball and Kedzie bus lines. The campus is also three blocks north and one block east of the Kimball/Lawrence station of Ravenswood elevated train station (Brown Line).

Please let Margot know also your state, so we can begin gathering relevant advocacy information, and your email address, so we can email any special instructions.



Friday, November 19, 2004 (Chicago)

2004 ACTFL Annual Meeting and Exposition
11/19/2004 --- 11/21/2004
Chicago Hilton Chicago, IL

Session 106:  Advocacy Depot: Building Tomorrow's Language Advocacy Centers with Lessons from Today's Crisis
Hilton Chicago Boulevard A
1:30 pm - 2:45 pm

Presenter(s): Robert D. Peckham, Univ of Tennessee at Martin
Jacqueline Thomas, Texas A&M Univ-Kingsville
Joyce E. Beckwith, Wilmington High School
Brenda Benzin, Buffalo State College (SUNY)
Barbara P. Ransford, Camden Fairview High School

Panel Discussion: What is the difference between promotion and advocacy? What crises need an advocacy response? What strategies can help to mobilize allies inside and outside of the school districit or institution? Learn how AATF is launching an advocacy initiative to support French programs at elementary through post-secondary programs.

Sponsor: AATF
Examples in: French and/or English
Applicable Languages: French
Applicable Levels: All


Saturday, November 6, 2004
37th Annual Conference, Tennessee Foreign Language Teaching Association
Cool Springs Mariot Hotel Conference Center (Franklin Room)
Franklin, Tennessee


AATF Luncheon
"The AATF's Advocacy Program and Tennessee"
Presenter and recruiter: TennesseeBob Peckham

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