This post is sponsored by Retraite En Action.
Have you been wanting to challenge yourself and become fully bilingual? Whether you’re a life long ‘francophile,’ or a retiring civil servant hoping to keep your French speaking abilities fine-tuned, Retraite en Action (REA) can help expand your mind, and help you stay connected to a network of people through an online Francophone community. There’s never been a better time to take advantage of online activities and classes offered exclusively in French!
REA is a 1100+ community member-based organization offering a wide range of virtual classes and activities seulement en Français! Classes are specially curated with French-speaking retirees and semi-retirees in mind. REA encourages and welcomes new members who may want to connect with different cultures in the community. There are several members of French African and Maghrebians descent who would love to stay connected with other French speaking seniors — REA offers them a virtual home away from home with its unique online Franco-community. And REA proudly welcomes all French speaking members of Indigenous and LGTBTQ+ communities.
Winter activities to explore
Start your day off right! Sign up for REA’s online exercise classes offered every morning Monday through Saturday, with fun activities to help you stay fit. Whether it’s low-impact cardio sessions to stay fit, or a safe stretching and strengthening you seek for flexibility, you can find it all in the click of a button.
Bring out your inner chef with free “C’est Bon Cooking” classes…en Français, s’il vous plaît! Learn the basics of classic French culinary techniques for staples like Hollandaise sauce and aiolis from the comfort of your own home.
Discover Art History and musicians from around the world in “Musique du Monde.” Learn more about the successes of legendary musicians like Frank Sinatra. Love to dance? Dance to the beat with “Danse Groove” classes!
One class, one ancient society at a time: Learn about ancient civilizations like Greece and Egypt, or the history of charming European regions in Spain, Italy, France.
Feel like you’re in school again with unique, deep dive classes like “Bird Brains” that look at the cognition and memory of animals through online lectures with University of Ottawa. Or how about a writing workshop that encourages immigrants to tell their stories through their own words?
Now, until the end of March, REA is offering free virtual activities for all French speaking seniors in the province through select programs thanks to the provincial 2020-21 Seniors Community Grant Program. The recent funding from the City of Ottawa means even more online activities have been added to the evening schedule throughout the lockdown — bonus! For more information on select free classes for seniors, like “Our Great Explorers:
Cruise in South America and Antarctica,” contact Anne Marie Laurendeau at info@retraiteenaction.ca, or (613) 860 -1099 Ext. 1, or visit retraiteenaction.ca for details. All classes are in French.
Check out the full 2021 Winter Activities Schedule!