L'Alliance Française de Paris est une association reconnue d'utilité publiqueThe Alliance Française de Paris is an association of public utility. Our actions towards refugees are part of an affirmed vision of our mission and our role in society. It is represented by the construction of a plural, diversified and peaceful world where the French language and Francophone cultures constitute an alternative and an opportunity for openness to others, cohesion and social and professional inclusion.

In an increasingly uncertain environment, with ever-growing population migrations, the Alliance Française de Paris is taking an active part in the social and professional inclusion that is more necessary than ever. Competence in the French language is the primary means of integration in France. It allows enables people to become independent in everyday activities such as shopping, going to school, finding their way around in transport, but also to find their way around in order to obtain health care or to complete administrative procedures. Refugees who can communicate in French have better prospects. They have access to a wider range of employment opportunities and are better equipped to study and to get access to training.

The Alliance Française's action for the benefit of refugees is based on 3 axes : partnerships with social and solidarity economy (SSE) actors, refugee reception programmes with own funds and actions supported by individual or corporate sponsors.

The establishment of partnerships with SSE actors is one of the key areas of development for the Alliance Française de Paris. The Alliance Française de Paris, for example, is a key partner  Simplon.co is an inclusive school that trains for digital professions throughout France and worldwide.  EU nationals who are part of the #Welcode programme in the Ile-de-France region have the opportunity to take up to two months of intensive French as a Foreign Language (FLE) courses before embarking on training for digital professions. This high-quality language training enables them to make rapid progress in French and to be linguistically ready to join the technical training course as part of a mixed class. 

The Alliance Française de Paris and the Alliance Française de Bordeaux also collaborate with the association  Action Emploi Réfugiés dont la mission est de faciliter l’accès à l’emploi des personnes bénéficiant d’une protection internationale en France. Ce partenariat repose sur des valeurs communes : l’égalité des chances, le respect des droits fondamentaux de chacun à une vie décente, l’intégration par le travail, les nouvelles technologies et l’accompagnement au service du développement humain, d’une société inclusive et solidaire. Le partenariat s’articule autour du projet commun de créer un programme global d’insertion professionnelle des personnes réfugiées, dédié à divers secteurs et métiers.  Ce programme inclut des formations de français sur objectifs spécifiques (FOS) qui sont mises en œuvre et accueillis par l’Alliance Française de Paris. Les 15 réfugiés accueillis chaque année bénéficient des activités culturelles de l’Alliance Française sur site ou en ligne ainsi que l’accès à la bibliothèque et à tous les avantages offerts aux étudiants de l’Alliance Française.

Recently, the Alliance Française entered into a partnership with the association  Toutes à l'école and is training a dozen Afghan refugee women who benefit from intensive courses. The aim is to bring them up to B2 level and to accompany these single women in their reconversion and training projects.

The war in #Ukraine has had a huge impact on our refugee programmes. In 2022, the Alliance Française welcomed in its classes dozens of Ukrainian students on an individual basis or from partner institutions such as the Camondo School, Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques - IHES / Campus France, the UKRAINIAN CULTURAL CENTRE in Paris...

The Alliance Française de Paris must be a haven and a support for refugees. Openness, tolerance and solidarity are among the values promoted by the Alliance Française network. Contributing to their integration in France through general or vocational French courses and cultural mediation within the framework of programmes financed by sponsorship is one of the top priorities at the present time and in the future.

Support the Alliance Française de Paris :  click here