Aaliyah Yoga of Mount Pearl was recently named a French for The Future National Ambassador Youth Forum 2024 ambassador. She will represent Newfoundland and Labrador at a national conference in Edmonton in August. Submitted photo
By Mark Squibb
Aaliyah Yoga, 16, of Mount Pearl has been named a French for The Future National Ambassador Youth Forum 2024 ambassador and will represent the province at a six-day youth forum in Edmonton this August.
“An ambassador is someone with very strong leadership skills,” explained Yoga. “In Edmonton we’re going to do activities and workshops to strengthen our leadership skills in French, to then put those skills in practice in our daily lives to encourage the French language and culture in our schools and community."
Yoga said she was excited when she received notice of her acceptance, but also surprised.
“That morning I was telling my mom, ‘It’s mid-way through May and I haven’t gotten an e-mail yet, so I don’t think I’ve been accepted,’” said Yoga. “But I went to school and during class I got the e-mail saying that I had been accepted.”
English is Yoga’s first language, but she is also fluent in French, as her father hails from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the world’s most populous Francophone country, and taught Aaliayh French from an early age. She enrolled in a Francophone elementary school, L'École des Grands-Vents, and then the Francophone intermediate/ high school L'École Rocher-du-Nord. Both schools are located in St.Johns.
“Having both languages in your back pocket instead of just one gives you an advantage in the work force, especially in Canada, a bilingual country,” said Yoga. “It also helps you make more friends and better understand cultures.”
Yoga is also learning Spanish and Korean on the side.
“I think languages are really cool,” said Yoga. “I think everyone should try and branch out, try something new and out of their comfort zone, and try a new language."
French for The Future is a national non-profit organization that aims to promote the French language and Francophone culture among youth.
