Côte à Côte Program
In 2025 La Cité Universitaire Francophone at the University of Regina is launching the Côte à Côte Experiential Student Mobility Program. Offered in partnership with Campus Saint-Jean Université d’Alberta, Université de Moncton, Université de l’Ontario français and Université de Montréal, the program is a two-month immersive experience focusing on experiential learning and exploration of francophone communities in Canada. It takes place in May and June and students have the opportunity to learn through course study or internships. studying. The Carillon spoke with Chidi Igwe, manager of marketing and communications at La Cité, to get his insights about the program and what students can expect.
Can you explain what the Côte à Côte program is about and how was it developed?
Côte à Côte is a joint initiative between La Cité Universitaire Francophone and other Francophone institutions across the country. These francophone universities are partners within the Association des Colleges Universitario Francophone. They decided to offer more opportunities for students in a collaborative way. That is why, a couple of years ago, they produced Côte à Côte. It is a student mobility program that allows students to travel across Canada, participate in academic research and gain community-service experience.
What makes this program unique compared to other student mobility initiatives in Canada?
Côte à Côte is a nationwide program in which francophone universities provide opportunities for students to discover the cultural richness of different francophone regions across Canada. Students from Regina can go to a partner university in Alberta, Ontario or New Brunswickand are integrated into a francophone community. The program is unique because of the community aspect. At the University of Regina, we prioritize experiential learning and this program provides students opportunities for community- engagement . Students will receive transferable skills by engaging in community association projects and supporting community organizations in their work.. Students not only gain experience but also employability.
Who can participate in this program?
I want to highlight that this program targets undergraduate students. They must be enrolled in a participating university and be willing to travel to another participating university. In addition to that, students must be French-speaking .
What is the impact that this program is expected to have on students and the francophone communities involved?
This is a program supported by both federal and provincial governments.Any student participating in Côte à Côte gets about $5000 to cover travel and living expenses during the program. In addition, we offer the program in collaboration with community organizations. For example, if you travel to Campus Saint-Jean at the University of Alberta, we will collaborate with francophone community organizations there to see what opportunities are available for students and communicate that with them . We are walking directly with the students once they have been selected to participate to make sure that they are comfortable when they go and that they benefit from it.
We have three options in the program. The first is an academic-course option. You can take up to six credit hours of courses at the partner university you attend. A second option is a community internship where you will be placed with a francophone community organization and earn up to six credit hours. The third option combines three credit hours of internship and three credit hours of course work, . This year La Cité is only offering the community internship for those who visit e Regina as part of their program. The credit hours earned at the partner university can be applied for transferred credit at students’ home universities.
What advice would you give to students who are interested in applying?
The deadline for this year’s program was January 24, 2025. But if anybody is still interested, they can reach out to us and we can figure out a way to make it work. Our webpage is lacite.uregina.ca/en/cote-a-cote.
How do you see Côte à Côte evolving in the future,?Are there plans to expand the program further?
I see excitement. We are excited to offer this opportunity in collaboration with universities and with community organizations. One exciting collaboration we have going is with the University of Regina’s Student Success Centre so those who complete the program at the U of R receive recognition for their internship and the support that they need. This is a program that I think will continue in the future,especially since we have the sponsorship of the federal and provincial governments.
