If you’re asking yourself this question, my short answer is yes – go for it.

The Explore program is designed for Canadian young adults who are interested in learning Canada’s other official language (in this case French). After a random selection, bursary recipients go to a five-week language immersion featuring classes and socio-cultural activities (a.k.a. fun). It is also a unique chance to live among young adults from across Canada.

Part 1: Why I loved Explore as a High School Student

I always enjoyed learning French, but most school systems don’t focus on oral production. Why learn grammar without also practicing conversation? Explore offers to fix that gap in a fun context. In the summer before grade 11, I decided to take the plunge and headed off to Quebec City for five weeks. The program was hosted at Universite Laval by Saint-Charles-Garnier.

I will skip to the reasons why to explore, with more details later if they interest you.

Why Explore

1) Independence

Explore was my first experience living away from home. I’m close to my family, and honestly hadn’t considered leaving my hometown for university, but after five weeks I realized I could happily do either. As an extrovert, residence life also unlocked the possibilities of living with a bunch of friends down the hall. Adventure to downtown, anyone? Honestly, getting used to bussing and doing my own laundry was also good life experience.

2) Enthusiasm for French

Speaking so much French did wonders for my verbal abilities and everyday vocab. By the end, expressing oneself honestly feels more natural in the other language, and it feels satisfyingly shaky to jump back into English mode. However, honestly, the best thing Explore did for my French was motivating me to start reading more in the language. I’m a fairly visual person, so the stubbornly-reading-with-a-dictionary method really helped my vocabulary. Why? I found myself with a renewed interest in Quebecois culture and French itself. Speaking of which…

3) Exposure to More of Canada

Most of my current knowledge (and appreciation) of Quebec can be traced back to Explore. After experiencing a sample of its sights, traditions and culture, it’s hard not to develop curiosity. We also interacted with an array of animateur/animatrice staff (a couple of years older) who helped bring the program to life.

This exposure is also doubly applicable: each Explore is like a tiny microcosm of Canada. The bursaries are given based on provincial quotas, so you will inevitably meet new friends from provinces you’ve never visited. What a cool feeling.

Why noT?

1) You don’t care if you learn French

Does everyone speak French literally 100% of their waking hours? No. However, the participants who genuinely speak French as much as possible gain a lot more out of the experience. If you switch back to English whenever you’re out of earshot of staff, you’re shortchanging yourself and the progress you could be making. It also makes the environment less immersive for others. A lot of people are willing to help you communicate with imperfect French – that’s why we’re here too.

The strictness of the language enforcement also varies widely between sites. The sites in rural Quebec and Nova Scotia tend to be known for full immersion. Anglophone or less isolated cities (e.g. Saskatoon, Quebec) may make it harder to practice outside the school, but it is certainly still possible.

2) You’re allergic to rules

As a teen, I didn’t really care about this – I was used to supervision on school trips, for instance, and in many cases there was more freedom. However, it’s worth noting that the program for this age group had a couple of strict things designed for safety, like a nightly curfew/check-in. Since we were all underage, the no-alcohol policy was also very strict. If you can tolerate these things fine, perfect. If not, perhaps it’s better to wait for the 19+ program.

Regardless, all Explore locations have a language policy. Another reason to speak French autant que possible. 🙂

Bonus Info: Saint-Charles-Garnier (Laval)

Since there seems to be a woeful lack of posts on which Explore destination to pick, here are a couple of details about this site. As it was geared to younger learners (e.g. 15-16), it was non-credit. Our morning classes involved learning but were also fun – I remember practicing pronunciation with tongue twisters and learning Quebecois idiosyncrasies. As with other sites, oral production was emphasized. Everyone is divided into levels, so don’t worry if you’re high-intermediate or can only say “bonjour”. Of course, it’s ideal to come in with some basic vocabulary – every little bit will help with initial self-expression.

There were about 300 students who attended, and we lived in residence. It was a nice size – you recognized most people by the end, but also developed a friend group with similar interests. Sometimes people in town would insist on speaking English to us, but I appreciated the mobility and the ability to explore beautiful Quebec city. In fact, touring the area was actually one of the possible afternoon ateliers, where we did cool things like exploring Montmorency Falls. By the end, students were generally very positive about the experience and sad to leave.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Explore. I enjoyed it enough to attend a second time: this spring session with University of Saskatchewan. Tune in for more on that later. If you’re considering whether to apply, all the best with your decision.