BCFFC SHOPWhat is a BCFFC Moniteur?
Q. What Is It?
It can:
- paddle a kayak, scale a mountain, bungee jump a canyon
- bring the language and culture of Quebec alive through stories, songs, and improv
- inspire youth and adults alike by relating incredible life experiences past, present, and future
- entertain you with juggling, drumming, and hilarious improv
- encourage parents to sing silly songs, dance silly dances, and enjoy it all
- keep a smile on its face, and have a joyful heart from sun-up to sundown, rain or shine
It will not:
- allow anyone to feel left out
- let our children come to harm
- let any activity or camp experience be anything other than fun, French, adventurous, and unforgettable
- give up until it has stolen every child’s heart and bewitched every parent
A. It’s a BCFFC Moniteur of course!
Past campers will tell you that the Moniteurs are the #1 reason they return year after year. These young adults are hired for their spirit, enthusiasm, love of working with children, and ability to share all things French Canadian with us.
Each year, the Program Director, or Programme Directeur, hires and then molds the team of Moniteurs from a huge number of applicants, mostly from Quebec. By showcasing the Moniteurs’ individual talents (e.g., music, dance, theatre, adventure skills), the Program Director creates programs that are energetic and zany.
Skits, games, and activities are all pulled from this huge mixed bag of talent. With the addition of the camp’s thrift store bargains, costumes and props are created and a theme developed. It is improv at its craziest, and they do it magnificently.
The Program Director keeps all the Moniteurs contributing positively to the camp energy. The joy that the Moniteurs feel delivering the program they have all helped to create is evident. The Program Director is the Moniteur liaison between the local committees and all the camp parents. You seldom see a P.D. that is not busy chatting with children or parents, attending a parent meeting, or preparing the Moniteurs for the next day.
Each Moniteur chooses a camp name for the summer, so don’t be surprised if your children want to be called Zazou or Geronimo after camp. The anonymity of us never knowing their real names is what keeps the magic going, wondering if Ragga or Sierra will return next summer — just saying their names can bring it all back….
“The Moniteurs make the camp great!”
At each camp, the Program Director selects a number of specialists from the Moniteurs. These positions are usually earned by returning to work for us for a number of years. These would include a Water Specialist to design and deliver a kayak or canoe program, an Adventure Specialist to be in charge of the teen campers and their off-site activities, an Arts Specialist to create a program for on site teens, and a Junior Mentor.
The Junior Mentor is just that, a mentor to our Junior Moniteurs. These Juniors are hired by each local camp, and help in the Regular Program groups. They are French immersion students (grade 10+), often past campers themselves, who have excellent French skills and love to work with children. These Juniors spend the week living with a volunteer camp family, and working with the regular Moniteurs in all camp activities. If you are interested in hosting a Junior Moniteur, please note it on your application. The Junior Moniteur Agreement describes their responsibilities. If you have an older teen who would like to become a Junior Moniteur, please have them apply to the Co-ordinator or the camp(s) they would like to work at.
No matter what their position, each Moniteur works to deliver a first-rate program. These fun-loving, adventurous, talented, and dedicated individuals are the type of person any of us would be proud to have our own children grow into. They all go on to do incredible things with their lives. They become doctors, dancers, teachers, artists, world travellers, and sometimes parents to incredibly lucky children. Their “joie de vivre” is what makes BCFFC work!
