Canadian Parents for French presents Concours 101!
Canadian Parents for French is hosting two preparatory workshops for the Concours d’art oratoire 2024 season. These workshops are in partnership with Speech and Debate Canada and will be presented bilingually by our two subject matter experts, Jordan Burg & Richard Picotin. They are best suited for students grades 7-12 and are free to attend!
Speech and Debate Canada Foundation is a national not-for-profit Private Foundation that brings debate and speech clubs to Canadian schools. It is our mission to help spread debate literacy across the country. By partnering with schools and communities across Canada, we work to teach as many students as possible how to participate in formal debates. It is our belief that every Canadian child should have the opportunity to learn how to advocate for themselves and others. Learn more here: https://www.speechanddebatecanada.com/
Workshop #2: Delivering your Speech
Date & Time: Thursday, January 18th – 7:00-8:00 PM EST
Description: In this workshop, students will learn the importance of posture, eye contact and speed as they deliver their speech. We will discuss techniques to effectively deliver the speech and tips for preparing in French. There will be a Bilingual question period following the presentation.
Zoom links will be sent to registrants one day prior to the session. Kindly direct any event inquiries to mhawley@cpf.ca or dlabas@cpf.ca
Please note that this workshop will be recorded and then shared on our Concours d’art oratoire page here on the CPF website.
Facilitated by: Jordan Burg & Richard Picotin
Jordan Burg
A retired administrator, teacher, and a longtime speech and debate coach. He has been associated with the Canadian Student Debating Federation since 1992, and is currently the Outreach Facilitator for the Manitoba Speech and Debate Association and an Instructor for Speech and Debate Canada. He is active in the promotion of public speaking and debating across the country, with a focus on the development of these skills, in both official languages, in rural and Indigenous communities.
Richard Picotin
After seven years teaching in an elementary school, Richard Picotin became vice-principal, first at the elementary level and then for the next twenty-seven years he served as vice-principal at the high school level. Being in charge of the student activities, he got involved in a Ministry of Education group developing a leadership program called Acti-Jeunes. Through this involvement he was elected French Director at large for the Canadian Association of Student Activities Advisors, developing student leadership programs across the country. In 1998, he founded the Association des débats et discours étudiants du Québec and became the Directeur des débats français for the Canadian Student Debating Federation. Since then, he has been traveling across the country, sharing his knowledge and doing workshops in French schools and immersion groups.
Après six années d’enseignement au niveau primaire, Richard Picotin devient directeur-adjoint, toujours au niveau primaire. Par la suite, il devient directeur-adjoint au niveau secondaire pour les vingt-sept années suivantes. Pilotant les dossiers de la vie étudiante, il devient membre d’un groupe de travail au Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec pour le développement du programme Acti-Jeunes visant le la structuration d’activités de leadership et des conseils étudiants. C’est ainsi qu’il deviendra le French Director at large de la Canadian Association of Student Activities Advisors. En 1998, avec un groupe d’enseignants et d’animateurs à la vie étudiante, il fonde l’Association des Débats et Discours Étudiants du Québec et siège toujours sur le conseil d’administration. En même temps, en 1999, il est élu Directeur des Débats français de la Fédération canadienne des Débats étudiants. Depuis, il continue de parcourir le pays pour donner des ateliers sur le techniques de débats, tant aux enseignants qu’aux élèves, dans les écoles secondaires francophones et dans des classes d’immersion française.