Teens Language & Adventures Camp - Monte Carlo, Monaco. France

On their arrival at the centre, the students are greeted at the reception for check-inn in order to hand over documents and a part of their pocket money.

We also provide students with their room key, their own personal card fort the centre, a folder containing important information, the rules and regulations for the centre and a timetable listing the programme of events for the following week. They are then allowed to settle into their rooms and they are invited to go on a tour of the centre with a member of staff.

There is a welcome barbecue on Sunday evening on the terrace following an introduction to members of staff, where students are also briefed on important information relating to their stay. After dinner, group games are organised by the facilitators to encourage communication among everybody.

Each student is also offered the chance to meet with a team leader individually on Monday following the French test to discuss any queries or problems and also to give us the opportunity to get to know each and every student personally.

From Monday to Friday

Our team carefully selects activities to suit all tastes. The programme and the choice: sport, culture or tourism! The students are free to enrol with their team leaders using their personal card in order to take part in the activities. Mode of transport depends on the destination: on foot (Cap d’Ail, Monaco), by county bus, 9-seat minibus, private bus licensed for school transport.

Sports

Accompanied by our staff, helped by qualified specialists when necessary, sporting activities are organised in Cap d’Ail, Monaco and the Nice region:

• Catamaran
• Paddle
• Banana boat
• Surf rescue (successful swimming test required)
• Tree climbing
• Rock climbing
• Tennis
• Beach volleyball
• Cycling
• Segway
• Rollerblades

Cultural and Touristic Activities

Discover the French Riviera in the company of our staff (Monaco, Nice, Menton, Villefranche, Eze, Beaulieu, Le Cap Ferrat, Roquebrune, etc..) : walks and/or museums visits…But you can also relax at the pool of the port of Monaco or the prettiest beaches (supervised) between Nice and Menton: Mala and Marquet beaches in Cap d’Ail, Larvotto in Monaco, etc.

Group Games

And for those who prefer to stay at the Centre with friends, the staff regularly organise water games at the large terrace and under the shady pinewoods: fun and refreshment guaranteed !!!

They are specially prepared and organized by our entertainment staff and are practised collectively or individually on the “grand terrace” with a space measuring 400 square metres overlooking the sea. Young people move, participate in activities according to their preferences and according to what their friends are doing. If they just want to relax in small groups, the “lounge” corner is there to welcome them.

Every night at least 3 different activities are offered, such as:

• Sports tournaments
• Team games
• Cooking
• Fine arts
• Fitness
• Songs
• Dances
• Introduction to circus
• Pottery decoration
• Folklore
• Casino
• Quiz
• Olympics
• Karaoke
• DJ competitions
• Disco
• An accompanied outing to Monaco by night is regularly scheduled throughout the summer.
• Finally, at the Jean Cocteau amphitheatre there are some great performances by young entertainers (talent evenings!)
• In August there are classical music concerts and an evening of theatre.

Saturday Excursions

It is optional (except the one on departure), with your team leaders:

• Cannes
• Grasse the world capital of perfume
• Antibes
• Frejus
• Agay Bay
• The Italian Border
• Sail in a schooner between Monaco and Cap Ferrat.

These trips include a touristic/cultural tour followed by free time in the city and/or a relaxing time at the beach.(Mode of transport: private bus company approved for school transport or schooner approved for coastal navigation).

Teens programme

• From complete beginners to B2 level in French.
• Written and oral level test on arrival, and distribution of students into classes by level.
• 15 students per class maximum.
• Full 15 hours per week.

Schedule

8:45 to 10:30 a.m.: general French to develop comprehension, oral and written expression.

30-minute break.

11:00 to 12:15p.m.: creative expression workshops (role playing / stage sets, editing a newspaper, writing poetry or literature, French music, short films, photo story and workshops by level, speciality or student preferences).

Priority for spontaneous expression and understanding

We offer interactive teaching, communicative and active, based on simulations, role plays, surveys, while including elements of the extraordinary natural and cultural heritage of the French Riviera.

Our courses also help to develop the skills required when passing:

• The DELF / Junior – diplomas A1, A2, B1, B2. We are licensed for the DELF / junior by the National Academy of Nice.
• Bilingual bachelors’s: EsaBac Franco-Italian, BachiBac Franco Spanish and AbiBac French-German.
  TCF (French Knowledge Test). See our dates of handing over to the School.
• French exams or end of school year cycle, the “Advance Placement” (AP College Board) and IB “French language”.

Certification

A certificate of French studies is awarded at end of stay, evaluating the final language skills according to the criteria of the CEFR (Common European Framework for Languages) and the quality of class participation.

A Methodological Approach

The intensive teaching provided to the international group of teenagers aims at mastery of the structure of the language, and the imparting of knowledge of French culture based on the communicative approach. This approach promotes interactions within the class group and intercultural exchanges. It also systematically integrates action-oriented activities, as prescribed by the European language framework.

In fact, the Centre adopted the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) upon its inception in 2001, in order to change and update our placement test (for summer courses), standardise our teaching programmes, provide a means of monitoring progress, and, upon completion of the courses, confer on each student a certificate of French language studies.

This certificate, created  according to CEFRL criteria, indicates the final level of language competence attained by each participant, including a reference to the student’s degree of participation in class. Our learning materials consist primarily of authentic multimedia materials, occasionally supplemented by extracts from FLE teaching materials.

In addition, our teaching team creates its own activities, documents and educational materials, adapted and designed for different levels, and listed in an internal course reference subdivided into four learning levels: A0 and A1 (for complete beginners and intermediate language learners, respectively), A2, B1 and B2.

Formative assessments are regularly integrated into our lessons in order to verify and consolidate students’ achievements. Due to its on-going interest in maintaining the motivation of students, and adapting to each student’s pace of learning, the team offers activities aimed at stimulating creativity and encouraging participation (role play, simulations, inter-class quizzes, rallies and communication-themed scavenger hunts, both in the classroom and on the grounds, as well as investigations and lessons in real-world contexts in the town of Cap d’Ail), etc.).

While the four language skills (comprehension and expression, both oral and written) are brought into play in our lessons, about 70% of these lessons are predominantly oral/auditory, while 30% are predominantly written. This ratio represents our response to the most common needs, but it can be modified upon specific request (for school groups).

Finally, our fabulous garden, which plays host to one of Jean Cocteau’s major architectural and graphic works in the midst of some 300 plant species, allows for the preparation of activities unique.

The Teaching Team

Our experienced teaching team are university graduates specialising in the teaching of French as a foreign language (Master FLES [Master of French as a Foreign or Second Language]).

The Educational Director, Vladi SINI, is a lecturer at CUEFLE [University Centre for the Teaching of French as a Foreign Language], and occasionally lectures in the Master FLES course at the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis. Sini is also a CIEP-approved marker and instructor for the DELF/DALF examinations, as well as a jury member of the VAE.

She is assisted in her role by Magali FAGGIO, a teacher and instructor, formerly a lecturer in French as a Foreign Language teaching at the University of Nice. Together, these staff members regularly present educational workshops for teachers of French abroad, in partnership with the Alliance Française and Institut Français systems.

More generally, both instructors regularly attend continuing professional development courses for teachers of French as a Foreign Language offered by the CIEP (the International Centre for Educational Studies of the French Ministry of Education), as do all permanent teaching staff; attendance at these courses is on the basis of assessments of the team’s evolving training needs.

Additional fee 95€ / week

Afternoons sessions (2x3h) on Tuesday, Thursday (5 to 10 students groups). This course allows you to improve general language skills and could be useful, if you wish, to prepare the TCF (French language test awarded by the French Ministry of Education) and to take here.

(Please note that places are limited for registering for the separate TCF French Language Test).