Voyage au Québec: An Inspiring Journey of Birthright

Because of the Québec diaspora between 1840 and 1930, around one million French-Canadians left Québec for New England. With industrialization booming in the United States, they set out for opportunities in the mills. 

Despite the discrimination they faced in their new home, their fate in Québec wasn’t promising with the lack of work. Some stayed in New England, and some went back.

But is this diaspora a reason to support a “birthright trip” to Québec for the descendants of these French-Canadian immigrants?

The idea of a Birthright Trip comes from the Jewish community. In response to their diaspora, Jewish philanthropists made it possible for students and young adults aged 18-32 to experience Israel. The goal of these trips is to strengthen their Jewish heritage and culture.

But according to Forward, a news site for Jewish-Americans, there are other countries that offer similar birthright trips. So Americans of other backgrounds can experience their ancestral roots from the source.

The countries listed also state a diaspora as the reason for the trips that they offer. These countries are Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Armenia, Cuba, and Ireland. 

Of course, Québec is a province and not a country but the general idea remains the same. 

Is It Too Late to Start Something New?

Very few people have the motivation to create a new tradition if it doesn’t have a cultural history. But consider this: Birthright Trips to Israel have become a large part of the Jewish-American experience. Yet the organization didn’t begin until 1999. 

So the idea of a “Birthright Trip” for the descendants of New France doesn’t seem that unimaginable. 

These trips all have the same idea: connect descendants of a cultural group whose ancestors left their homeland.

Some historians say that economic reasons forced many French-Canadians to leave Québec. The “Old World” was struggling to keep up with the times.

For those emigrants, this was the deciding factor that their best shot was to take on New England’s industrialization. And so, they found work in the mills to make a living. 

With that in mind, why shouldn’t descendants of French-Canadians get the opportunity of a lifetime to experience their heritage firsthand? 

Imagine Receiving Sponsorship for Voyage au Québec

You’ve been approved as one of many to attend a tour of your ancestor’s stomping grounds.

To receive the honor, you built up credits by volunteering for a Franco-American or French-Canadian cultural program. Or you chose to intern with a podcast, newspaper, or blog that focused on the local Franco-American and French-Canadian scene. Maybe you even successfully completed 2-4 years of French language classes in school. 

Whichever outlet you chose to commit to, you earned your way to travel through Québec as a rite of passage. Would you go on the trip in exchange for your dedication to the community? 

How to Get Approved for the Voyage

Think about how much our culture could grow if we had a way of introducing it to our children. They would know when they turn 18 years old, they could discover their roots in Québec.

During high school or college, they would need to volunteer their time to equal enough credits to be approved. As imagined above, this could be in the form of an internship with a Franco-related organization. Their role could be to create fresh content to share their passion for the culture.

If that doesn’t sound interesting, there would be many other options! Taking French classes in school would be another great way to discover their culture. Maybe these students could also teach younger kids simple phrases in French.

Other ways could include writing news articles in French or volunteering for special events throughout the year.

The intention would be to make it accessible for everyone interested in going. It wouldn’t take blood, sweat, and tears to get approval for the trip, but students should put in some work.

Volunteer opportunities would help them discover their culture, so the Voyage au Québec would be viewed as a journey of cultural connection. 

A Quick Franco Checklist

Speaking about what would qualify someone for the trip, it should also be clear that this would never be a purity test. So put away the DNA kit. Those varied percentages don’t equal passion.

Of course, the focus of this specific idea is on U.S. descendants of French-Canadians from Québec.

Here’s the check list:

• Evidence of ancestry from Québec (even a little bit counts)
• Consider yourself as Franco-American or French-Canadian

And…that’s it! Welcome to the club.

Let’s dance to that on the streets of Old Québec!

Travel, Location, and Seasons

Those of us in New England are lucky to be within hours of where our ancestors lived. Unless someone would have to fly in across the country, most of us could easily take a drive up.

We already have a huge advantage being closer to the border. We just need a solid plan to put this idea into action. 

Another factor to think about is…which season should this trip take place?

Summer time may be the most popular time to travel, but there are also cultural experiences during Québec winter.

Could this trip be available in summer and winter? This would create an interesting dynamic: you could experience the same place two different ways!

On any tour, there has to be plenty of interesting places to visit. After all, this would be a grand tour of the whole province!

Here’s some travel suggestions from members of the Franco-American and French-Canadian community. Would you go to any of these locations in Québec? Do you have any to add?

How to Generate Interest for Voyage au Québec

First off, the name Voyage au Québec was created by me to illustrate the point. So if you have a name suggestion, put it in the comments below! 

Think of potential sponsors that may support this trip by donation. 

• Are there Québécois philanthropists with an interest in supporting the American descendants of Québécois and French-Canadians? 

• What about American philanthropists that are of Franco-American or French-Canadian heritage? Should we start in New England and later expand across the country? 

• Sponsorships should also be in the form of high school and college credits to support an individual on their trip. This could be an internship with a Franco-American or French-Canadian program in the form of a non-profit organization, podcast, newspaper, blog, etc. 

• The original Birthright Trips require payment for travel expenses, but the rest of the trip is covered by small donations and larger contributions by philanthropists.

Tell your family and friends. 

• Ask in your circle of family, friends, or even coworkers, what they would think of a Voyage au Québec. 

• Is it something they would participate in? Would they be interested in seeing their children go on the trip once they are 18 years old (or older)? 

• Would they be willing to give a small donation towards themselves or their child going on this trip? 

Teach yourself or your children about being Franco-American or French-Canadian. 

• Spend time thinking about why you would participate in this trip (or get your children involved). 

• Think about why this trip would be beneficial for discovering (or rediscovering) your cultural background. Or why it would be beneficial for your children.

The best way to ensure the revival of Franco-American and French-Canadian culture is to pass it down. It doesn’t matter how much or how little you already know, any amount helps. 

Consider how many of us never learned French or had difficulty relating to our heritage for a number of reasons. It only takes three generations to lose a language. In my personal experience, this rings true for language and culture. 

If we don’t start reviving now, who knows if anyone ever will.

There’s more than enough fiery passion in our community to rekindle our heritage, culture, and language. However, as Franco-Americans and French-Canadians of today, it’s up to us to create something worth passing down the line.