The Victoria Forum is almost here!

See you on Tuesday, April 28, on the University of Victoria campus for the Victoria local forum. From grades 9 to 12, students will participate in a day that is 100% in French. The program includes a panel discussion on linguistic security, cultural, sports, and educational workshops, a live interactive show, and meetings with Francophone professionals and students.

This event is free, but reservations are required.

SCHEDULE

Discussion panel 

- Elizabeth (EJ) Rush (they/them) teaches in the public sector, is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of the FrancoQueer Committee of Western Canada, works in queer-affirming translation, and explores intersectional and solidarity-based approaches to Francophone identity construction. Elizabeth works with Francophone students in British Columbia to combat the stigmatization of their practices and to foster their agency, creativity, and the recognition of their knowledge. Their two main subjects are:
- Linguistic security implies a vision of the Francophonie that proudly makes its queer members visible and audible.
- Young people must recognize themselves as a group with the political weight necessary to transform language assessment systems whose discriminatory principles perpetuate linguistic insecurity.

- Anastasia Trudel is gender fluid and uses the pronouns "she/him" but "she" by default. An active member of the CJFCB's Linguistic Security Committee and 18+ Committee, she is passionate about French and deeply committed to she Francophone community. Originally from Victoria, she is pursuing an academic path in linguistics at the University of Victoria, with a minor in French. This year, she served as Vice-President of ÉquipeUvic, the undergraduate student association for the university's French and Francophone Studies program.

- Vincent Deslauriers (DLO) is a teacher, artist, and creativity and wellness facilitator based in British Columbia. A writer, poet, and performer with roots in the spoken word and rap scenes, he has been developing a writing practice as a tool for expression, transformation, and connection for nearly 30 years. Deeply involved in Francophone educational circles in British Columbia, he is particularly interested in issues of linguistic security, promoting a vibrant, embodied, and pluralistic Francophonie where every voice can emerge unfiltered and unjudged. His approach emphasizes trust, creativity, and the power of language as an experience to be lived, both individually and collectively.

- Pierre-Luc Landry is a writer, queer activist, professor, and researcher based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Their work explores the connections between literature, media arts, and social justice from a queer and unconventional research-creation perspective. Author of novels, essays, and hybrid texts, he also creates collaborative artistic projects—performances, podcasts, photography—that question contemporary forms and practices. A non-binary sexual dissident and gender pirate, Pierre-Luc Landry uses the pronouns il or iel in French, and he or they in English.

Jordan Hanson