LIGHTING THE WAY FOR WOMEN
Smith College has had strong ties to Paris since the early 20th century.
In 1924, Smith College created the first-of-its-kind Junior Year Abroad program in Paris, giving adventurous young women the oppoortunity to continue their studies while living in a foreign culture.
Since the 1020’s, The City of Lights has continued to attract Smithies and the Paris JYA program is flourishing. It now attracts numerous STEM students alongside Humanities majors. The Smith College Club of France is also going strong (see Events and visit our Facebook page).
The club brings together Smith alums from across France. We engage and support the JYA program, organize on-line and in-person events, keep the community up-to-date on what’s happening in Northampton, exchange with faculty there and here, maintain and develop ties to our sister-school clubs and the broader group of American Universities Clubs in Paris. We are a member of Smith in Europe network. We will be hosting the 2024 Smith in Europe Reunion and will also be helping the College organize the 100th anniversary of the JYA Paris program!
SCCF NEWSLETTER
The SCCF publishes a newsletter ( 6-8 times a year) to keep SCCF members and non-members of the Smith community here up-to-date on all that’s going on. To view our back issues, follow this Google Drive link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19BidSioFS19tw6Ib_BS6Q9prWtLYUSmT?usp=sharing
SCCF BOOK CLUBS
The SCCF currently has 2 functioning Book Clubs. Both are small groups of 6-10 people and meet once a month. The groups would like to keep their numbers manageable and require a general consensus around each new member. But we also need NEW BLOOD! So please get in touch if you are interested in joining one of the in-person clubs or if you would like to coordinate/mediate an online club.
Afternoon Reading Group: the group meets monthly in a member’s home from 4 to 6 p.m. Members take turns choosing the book from a wide-ranging selection that includes 18th and 19th century English novels, modern history, travel and contemporary US and foreign literature. We invite authors to attend at regular intervals. If you would like to join or for more information contact: Marjorie Lallemand marjorie.lal@free.fr.
Evening Book Club: the group meets monthly over dinner in a member’s home to discuss the month’s book. Every year, we choose a theme and a 10-book reading list. Recent themes include Midwestern literature, Latin American literature, Postcolonial women writers and Mystery and Suspense Novels, German and Eastern European literature, Sex and Sexuality and Mothers and Children. This year’s theme is about the relationship between Humans and Nature. If you’d like to join, please let us know! Just send an email to Robin Silver (robindelou@aol.com) or Sylvie Matthews (sylviematthews@yahoo.com).”
JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP!
Join the SCCF Facebook Group to chat with other Smithies living in France, organize informal networking events and keep up to date on the club’s activities and upcoming events. It’s easy to do: simply click on https://www.facebook.com/groups/SmithClubFrance/ and then on “join group”! It is a closed group, so we will ask you a few questions (Smithie? Graduation year? do you live in France? email address ..) before giving you access. Please do NOT use the page to advertise services (or use us as a travel agency!).
SMITH COLLEGE CLUB BOOK AWARD
The Smith Book award is traditionally offered to outstanding 11th graders who exemplify the academic achievement, leadership qualities and concern for others that characterize the thousands of women who have graduated from Smith College. Through the Book award, clubs all over the world raise awareness for Smith College and encourage applications. Our club supports this tradition, and continue to offer the award to students in France.