Having grown up between a number of different Franco-Ontarian communities, including in Timmins, Kingston and Orillia, she experienced a wide range of linguistic realities. “The reality for Francophones was very different in each city, but I really noticed a difference in Orillia,” she says. In Orillia, Francophones are a very small minority.
“I was lucky that I could immerse myself in my language at home, but when it came to getting an education, making friends or participating in extracurricular activities in French, it wasn’t easy. That situation really stayed with me. It made me realize just how much being a Francophone in Ontario was a choice.”
This personal reflection became the foundation for her research, including as holder of the Research Chair on Digital Thriving in Franco-Ontarian Communities. “I want to create digital spaces where youth can play, laugh and build an emotional connection to their language,” she explains.
Understanding the role of French in cyberspace
Cotnam-Kappel is conducting research on youth in several school boards across northern, southern and eastern Ontario to get a better understanding of their thought process when they post on social media or do tasks online.
Her work has shown that young people carefully consider the content of posts, from text to visuals and target audiences, but the language they actually use often isn’t part of those considerations. “Unless they’re talking to Francophone relatives or they’re in explicitly Francophone environments, like at school, they don’t think in French,” she says.
For Cotnam-Kappel, that observation speaks volumes. “It tells me that Franco-Ontarians’ choice of language is all the more noteworthy now,” she explains, emphasizing the key role social media and digital spaces play in forging young people’s identities.
“Young people lack spaces where they can feel confident speaking, creating and sharing digital content in French,” she says. “Wanting to promote online engagement in French is all well and good, but we need to recognize that the digital ecosystem and the cultural references are largely dominated by English.”
This reality echoes Cotnam-Kappel’s work on digital equity, which is measured across three dimensions: access to technology, digital skills and empowerment — or the ability to express yourself and exert influence in digital environments. “Young people report that they have enough access and skills, so it’s clear that I need to focus my efforts on empowerment,” she says.
Equipping youth through community projects
Since school is a space where youth speak more freely and confidently in French, Cotnam-Kappel is working with schools across Ontario to help students get into the habit of choosing to use French in the digital world.
“Teachers often tell me there’s a lack of digital teaching tools that are in French and tailored to the context,” she says. “I saw an opportunity to create partnerships with my students in the Formation à l’enseignement program at uOttawa.”
With support from the broadcaster TFO, Cotnam-Kappel issued an invitation to pair teachers with teacher education students so they could co-develop digital teaching tools. This collaboration helped create a better experience for everyone involved, including the students who use the resources.
“The practice of developing digital teaching tools isn’t new, but this partnership allowed us to be more rooted in the realities of Franco-Ontarian communities,” says Cotnam-Kappel. As an example of this, she cites a digital treasure hunt for Grade 1 students in northern Ontario. The activity shone a spotlight on the river running through the community as well as local French expressions.
Building digital spaces where Franco-Ontarians can thrive
Cotnam-Kappel stresses that it’s important to see beyond the challenges and consider the opportunities the digital world brings, including through emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.
“The digital sphere is a powerful tool for our community to raise its profile, showcase accent diversity, promote open sharing and fully embrace the Francophone identity,” she says.
One promising use that she highlights is the INNOVA Space, a facility dedicated to French-language research and innovation in minority communities. She’s one of INNOVA’s researchers in residence. “It’s an innovative space that promotes French-language education, from kindergarten to university, through the use of cutting-edge technologies,” she says. “I can proudly bring my research partners, my colleagues in school boards, my students and community members there to promote their projects, show them the facilities and allow them to explore various ways of leveraging technology to disseminate research.”
“I strongly believe that being a Francophone in Ontario is a daily choice,” Cotnam-Kappel reiterates. “Spaces like INNOVA and uOttawa, which shine a spotlight on Franco-Ontarian perspectives, help empower youth and our community to fully assert their existence in the digital world and make their voices heard — in French.”
