About France Education Northwest
France Education Northwest (FEN) is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded by people involved in the French American Chamber of Commerce of the Pacific Northwest. Its main goal is to promote French culture.
EIN 26-0392161
UBI 602 732 921
FEN aims to reach its goal of familiarizing people from the Puget Sound area with French culture and traditions, through four main activities:
1. A L'Ecole
France in a Suitcase is a one-hour interactive presentation for elementary school students. Two volunteers (one American and one French) open their suitcase and take the children on a "trip to France". They will be encouraged to participate actively and will learn a lot about French geography, traditions, gastronomy and language.
2. Bastille Day
A two-day festival to celebrate the French national holiday. Held at Seattle Center, this event is a great occasion for all the family to have a weekend
à la française. You will be able to choose among playing pétanque, attending a cooking demonstration, tasting wines in the Wine Garden, eating delicious French cuisine, admiring beautiful old French cars,... And on Saturday night, come for the convivial Bal des Pompiers (Firemen's Ball).
3. Regional Dinners
Twice or three times a year, F.E.N organizes French Regional Dinner. F.E.N invites you to enjoy a delicious meal, prepared by well-known chef Jacques Boiroux, with fellow francophiles while learning more about the France through music, games, food and drink.
4. French Interns
To ensure the success of its activities, FEN depends on the assistance of French interns. Those students, coming from French universities or Grandes Ecoles, will live in Seattle and work full-time for the organization. It is imperative to have a French intern who will bring his/her experience, culture and ideas to the organization. To support the cost of travel and visa, FEN relies on its various fundraising efforts.
Testimonials
"Coming to the US for my internship was a great experience and gave me the opportunity to discover the American professionnal environment and develop many skills. I was rapidly integrated into all the activities of the organization and worked closely with the Board members. People I worked with were all very nice. I started the A L'Ecole presentation about France. The job was very interesting and every day would bring new projects to work on. The working environment was very enloyable and my colleagues became my friends.
Thanks to this internship, I got a good approach to the American business community and culture. I have wonderful memories of this year in Seattle! And after I went back to France, my experience as a trainee in the US was very well considered by employers and certainly helped me rapidly find a job in the field I wanted."
Sophie Lavandier- Intern from August 2006 to August 2007