FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 6, 2021
Contact
Maria Sanguinetti
(508) 991-5096
msanguinetti@umassd.edu
The Boivin Center for French Language & Culture
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
285 Old Westport Road
Dartmouth, MA 02747-2300
A UNIQUE ONLINE EARTH DAY EVENT
Seeing the Forest for the Trees: How Diversity is unlocking solutions for our future.
// DARTMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS USA // On Earth Day (April 22, 2021) at 7:00 pm, the Boivin Center for French Language and Culture will partner with the Rhode Island Historical Society’s Museum of Work and Culture, and the Québec Government Office in Boston to present an online roundtable featuring the founders of CarbonConnect™ (Institutional Carbon Offset Scaling Solutions, https://carbonconnect.io/) speaking on preserving our global forests through advancements in forest carbon sequestration and trading.
There is perhaps no place in the world where the forestry industry and the French language are more intertwined than Quebec and Canada From this lens, innovative approaches to the threat of climate change and biodiversity loss are arising, including advancements in carbon offset production and trading to unlock the true strengths of the world’s forests and First Nations peoples who reside in them. This unique event will provide valuable insight into new ways to incentivize people and governments alike to preserve forests and biodiversity.
This one-of-a-kind free webinar will demonstrate how foreign language proficiency opens a world of opportunities to those who embrace innovation through diversity. Students, professors, and life-long learners will gain insights on the importance of working together on a truly global scale to develop solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss.
“Foreign language study is vital in today’s global community; it is not enough to rely on translators to introduce them to the world outside of our region. By learning a foreign language, students will be introduced, not only to the language they study but also to the cultures where that language is spoken,” said Dr. Mel B. Yoken, professor emeritus of French, UMass Dartmouth.
«CarbonConnect’s nature-based forest management will build back biodiversity over large tracts of forest land, fight climate change and strengthen the resilience of indigenous landowners» - Michael Brent Tolmie, CEO, CarbonConnect TM
Topics and speakers
• Forests servicing the people – Gaston Déry (Strategic advisor and trainer in sustainable development, social responsibility and biodiversity conservation)
• Quebec and Canada’s champions of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development – Jacques Prescott, M.Sc., Biological Sciences
• The convergence of cultures at the origin of an innovative company –Martin Prescott
• Towards a new forest economy –Michael Brent Tolmie (CEO, CarbonConnectTM)
This program will provide:
· Awareness into new ways to incentivize people and governments to preserve forests and biodiversity.
· Valuable insights into the latest approaches to humanity’s most pressing problems.
· Understanding of the value of multi-lingual skills in the global economy.
About the Boivin Center for French Language and Culture
The Boivin Center for French Language and Culture promotes the teaching of, and appreciation of French language and culture and acts as a catalyst for French studies at the university and regional levels. The Boivin Center was founded to be an enduring symbol and constant testimonial to the interest of Omer E. and Laurette M. Boivin in the study, promotion, and preservation of French language and culture throughout the region. Its director, Dr. Mel Yoken was awarded the French Legion of Honor award for dedication to the study of the French language and literature and named “Officier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques” by the French government.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 6, 2021
Contact
Maria Sanguinetti
(508) 991-5096
msanguinetti@umassd.edu
The Boivin Center for French Language & Culture
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
285 Old Westport Road
Dartmouth, MA 02747-2300
More information is available at www.umassd.edu/boivincenter
About the Museum of Work & Culture
The Museum of Work & Culture presents the compelling story of immigrants who came to find a better life in the mill towns along the Blackstone River. Visitors recreate this journey, beginning in a Quebecois farmhouse before making their way to the workday world of Woonsocket at the turn of the century. Guests explore the lives of immigrants at home, work, and school through nine immersive exhibits.
More information is available at www.rihs.org/locations/museum-of-work-culture
America's First Ally
The Boivin Center for French Language and Culture at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth proudly announces its first program of the 2019-2020 season featuring Norman Desmarais, author of the newly released, America’s First Ally. The event will take place on Monday, September 9th at 4 PM in the Grand Reading Room of the Claire T. Carney Library. A Q&A and book signing will follow the talk. The program is free and open to the public with parking available on campus in lot 13.
Norman Desmarais, a Professor Emeritus of Providence College, is a board member of the Boivin Center. He has written extensively on the American Revolutionary War including his six-volume, The Guide to the American Revolutionary War, and The Guide to the American Revolutionary War at Sea and Overseas. He is a member of the Regiment Bourbonnais which portrays one of the French Infantry regiments sent to assist General George Washington's army during the American War for Independence. He is editor-in-chief of the Brigade Dispatch, the journal of the Brigade of the American Revolution and has participated in regimental re-enactments and parades.
Desmarais has held leadership positions in French organizations including repeated terms as president of Club Richelieu and serving on the board of directors of Club Lefoyer. In 2015, Norman was inducted into the American French Genealogical Society French Canadian Hall of Fame. He has been involved with traditional French dance and music and has been highly sought for his vocal talents. Since his retirement, Norman has recorded the French voice for a GPS company and is a docent at the Museum of Work and Culture in Woonsocket.
For further information for this program, please contact Maria Sanguinetti at msanguinetti@umassd.edu or by calling her at 508-991-5096.
David Vermette Lecture, May 7, 2019
The Boivin Center for French Language and Culture at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is proud to announce its spring program featuring David Vermette, author of A Distinct Alien Race. The program will take place in the University Club in the Campus Center at UMass Dartmouth on Tuesday, May 7th, 2019 at 4 PM. The lecture, Q&A and book signing are free and open to the public. Parking is available on campus in lot 5.
David Vermette, a researcher, writer and speaker on French-Canadian, Franco-American identity, is a descendent of Franco-Americans from Massachusetts. His book, A Distinct Alien Race, tells the story of the French-Canadians who crossed the border between Canada and the U.S. between 1840 and 1930 and settled and toiled in the textile mills in the New England states. His heavily researched book relates the horrific conditions this group suffered at the hands of ruthless mill owners. From unsafe conditions in the mills to the poor sanitary conditions in the company-owned housing, Mr. Vermette guides us through the trials and tribulations of a group who steadfastly strove to maintain its language, religion and culture in a new found land. He reveals the work of the Ku Klux Klan in New England who intimidated Catholics and in particular, French-Canadians, and who burned a French school in Leominster, Massachusetts.
The topic of Mr. Vermette’s talk will be “Couldn’t Have Done It Without Us: How Franco-Americans Saved the U.S. Economy.” In the 19th century, textiles were the U.S.’s largest 19th century industry. He will address the importance of the influx of French Canadians from Quebec in making this group the largest cohort of employees in the textile industry in New England. He will also discuss how they maintained a special relationship with the cotton industry until the 1920’s and how their contribution saved not only the region but the nation’s economy.
For more information about this program, please contact Maria Sanguinetti at msanguinetti@umassd.edu or by calling her at 508-991-5096.
| Archives | |
|---|---|
| October 2018 | Paris in the Present Tense |
| April 2018 | The Art of Breaking Bread with Ciril Hitz |
| October 2017 | Flirting with French |
| October 2017 | An Evening with Pauline Frommer |
| March 2017 | Alan Hoffman |
| November 2016 | Annie Royer and Les Garçons Musettes |
| August 2016 | A Taste of Senegal |
| November 2015 | Together Again at the Boivin Center |
| September 2015 | An Evening with Kate Betts |
| August 2015 | Laura Morelli |
| April 2015 | Dr. Jeremiah Lowney |
| March 2015 | Kathleen Turner |
| January 2015 | Celebrate 30th Anniversary |
| December 2014 | Mo Willems |
| December 2014 | Sarah Lew Miller |
| October 2014 | Eric Vincent |
| November 2013 | Sophie Michaux & Adam Jacob Simon Concert |
| November 2013 | An Evening in Paris |
| November 2012 | Author Joan Nathan |