The Alliance Française de Lyon has joined the 250 clubs affiliated with the French Federation of UNESCO Clubs (Fédération Française des Clubs UNESCO). Since 1956, when they first appeared in France, UNESCO clubs have been encouraging the diffusion of UNESCO’s values. The clubs are characterized by the international and intercultural dimension of their thinking and are places offering lifelong education with international solidarity and cultural heritage.
This fresh Alliance Française de Lyon affiliation is generating new energy. Future actions developed will combine Alliance Française de Lyon missions with those of UNESCO in order to:
■ promote and spread local and international francophone cultural practices and expressions,
■ encourage dialogue among cultures, particularly by setting up international artistic projects through the Alliance Française network covering 136 countries,
■ promote a culture of peace, democracy, and human rights through exchanges and cooperation with the network of UNESCO clubs present in 80 countries.
This label will bring the Alliance into a synergy with the city of Lyon, which is celebrating the 15th anniversary of its inclusion on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Through its linguistic and cultural actions, the institution is recognized as a player in creating the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures, and peoples based upon respect for UNESCO’s values.
Situated at the heart of the cosmopolitan district of la Guillotière, the Alliance Française de Lyon is one of the cradles of cultural and linguistic diversity in Lyon. The institution advocates dialogue, tolerance, and respect between cultures. These essential values perpetuate the long local tradition of humanism that was born in Lyon in the 16th century and echoes the spirit of UNESCO, in which culture and education are seen as the best ways of “building peace in the minds of men and women everywhere.”
Believing that learning a language goes beyond being in class with an instructor, that we learn through social actions, Alliance Française de Lyon is offering online learning tools so as to discover the UNESCO missions and values through self-learning methods.
