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 - and especially youth,
but also people from all ages who are curious about different cultures -
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 from a
wide range of activities, among which: playing pétanque, attending a
cooking demonstration, tasting wines in the Wine Garden, eating
delicious French cuisine, admiring beautiful old French cars, and much much more... .
3. Regional Dinners
Twice
or three times a year, FEN organizes French Regional Dinner. FEN invites you to enjoy a delicious meal, prepared by well-known chef
Jacques Boiroux, with fellow francophiles while learning more
about 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. These students who come 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 these students with
the cost of coming to be interns in Seattle, FEN relies on its various
fundraising efforts.
Testimonials
"I
came to the USA as Events Assistant for the French-American Chamber of
Commerce (FACC) and the FACC’s cultural organization, “France Education
Northwest” (FEN). As such, I was in charge of organizing and promoting
all the events organized by the FACC and FEN, including Bastille Day,
Regional Dinners, etc. I also contributed to the development of the “A
l’Ecole” program. I really enjoyed interning within the organization:
each day would bring its batch of challenges, which made my job very
interesting! Besides, I had the opportunity to meet amazing people, from
my colleagues to Board members to FACC members: it was a real pleasure
to work with all of them.
This internship taught me a lot, both
professionally and personally speaking. I markedly improved my skills in
communication, design, negotiation, management of budgets, team work
and English! On a more personal level, I am glad I had the chance to
live those 10 months in Seattle because I made new friends, increased my
ability to live abroad by myself and discovered that I very much like
it! Finally, my in-depth knowledge of the American culture and business
community is a great asset on my resume and definitely much appreciated
by employers.
This is an experience I would highly recommend to all
students who seek to gain some experience in an international
environment: you will be completely different when you come back!"
Céline Tardif - Intern at the FACC / FEN from March to December 2010
"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 at the FACC/ FEN from August 2006 to August 2007
5. Board of Directors and Officers
President: Jacques Boiroux - Jacques & Company
Vice-President: William K. King Treasurer: John Walsh - US Bank
Executive Director: Jack A. Cowan - Honorary Consul of France
Kathleen Brunner - Wilson Sonsini Goodrich Rosati
Michel Robert - LBA, Inc.
Marie-Ange Wood - Alliance Française de Seattle
Sylvie Gaillard - Alliance Française de Seattle
Secretary: Aline Allonas