The Alliance Française makes a difference in the lives of Chicagoans tout le temps (all the time)!
Chaque jour/Every day…
Six days a week, we offer classes to a diverse Chicago population united by a common desire to explore another language and culture. With us, cultural immersion and language mastery transforms from a distant dream to a present reality.
Sixty times a year we host events, such as film screenings, talks, concerts, and wine and food workshops. Our most popular event series is the yearly Festival de la Francophonie/French World Fest, which brings together Francophone nations around the world — from Benin to Belgium, and from Canada to Cambodia — for a month of food, fun, and fraternity. Our programming is unparalleled in its abundance, diversity, and depth.
Deux fois par semaine/Twice a week…
Twice a week we welcome to our classrooms CPS students as part of our Educational Outreach program. More than 60 students from diverse neighborhoods participate in this enrichment class each year, and at the end of their second year, may be selected for a summer trip to France or Concordia Language Villages. This program increases students’ mastery of the French language and culture, positively impacts their overall academic achievement, and even changes lives — more than 90 percent of students go on to pursue higher education, most of them first generation.
Chaque été/Every summer…
Each summer, we offer a full-day summer camp for children with a penchant for language-learning and a sense of curiosity about the world. The camp is an immersive language experience, so campers will learn the language while enjoying a day full of arts, crafts, games, and outings.
Chaque année/Every year…
Every year, we welcome more than 3,000 students into our building for classes and activities. Our building is a hub for French education, bringing together beginners and experienced speakers in a warm, friendly, open environment.
Despite the myriad activities that take place within the walls of the Alliance each day, the institutions remains a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit, and not a French government agency. If French, French culture, exchange, and educational enrichment mean something to you, please consider contributing to the Alliance.
Upcoming Events
- April 13: Ciné-Samedi — “Le samouraï”
- April 25: Film Retrospective — “la cérémonie”
- May 2: John Shedd Reed Lecture — L’histoire de France, maintenant
- May 8, May 22, June 5: Symposium on the Arts of France — Passion and Art in the Lives of Three Parisiennes
- May 15: Eyes of Morocco Fundraiser: An Evening with Photographer Sandro Miller
