Hughie has been a sought-after motivational speaker performing nationwide for the past 20 years. A uniquely engaging individual, Hughie’s enthusiastic and humorous presentations always leave his audiences wanting more. He shares his inspiring story of failing grade 9 Core French and later becoming one of the most in-demand speakers on the importance of Bilingualism in Canada. He has a knack for drawing in his young audience through humorous storytelling. His passions for languages, culture, comedy, mental health, and connecting with others are truly infectious. He has presented to more than 100,000 people, leaving them laughing and reflecting at the same time. Hughie has been featured in MacLean’s Magazine (2013), 25 Years of Challenges and Success (Canadian Association of Immersion Teachers- 2000), and The State of Education in Canada (2004).
Hughie is a former Public-School Teacher and University Lecturer who has completed his Masters in Education with action/research in ‘’Humour in the classroom’’.
En plus de travailler à son Alma mater à l’Université Sainte-Anne, Hughie ouvre en tant que conférencier de motivation. Ses présentations humoristiques et inspirantes font de lui un individu très convoité, ayant présenté à travers le Canada . Sa prestation porte sur l’avantage d’inclure l’humour dans la vie professionnelle et personnelle. Hughie a adressé la parole à plus de 100 000 individus et il était le sujet d’article dans : 25 ans de défis, 25 ans de succès (ACPI-CAIT 2004), The State of French Second Language Education in Canada (CPF 2000) et MacLean’s Magazine en 2013. Hughie est un ancien enseignant du système scolaire publique et professeur universitaire qui détient une Maitrise en éducation, et sa recherche porte sur le sujet de l’humour en situation de salle de classe. Hughie est également lauréat du Prix Camille-Antoine Richard , décerné par la Société Nationale de l’Acadie aux individus qui inspirent la jeunesse acadienne.
- "I Gave Myself the Gift of Bilingualism!"
Hughie Batherson (BA,BEd, MEd)
Comedian and Motivational Speaker
Hughie has been a sought-after motivational speaker performing nationwide for the past 20 years. He is a very engaging individual whose enthusiastic and humorous presentations leave his audience wanting more. He shares his inspiring story of failing grade 9 Core French , and later on becoming one of the most in-demand speakers on the importance of Bilingualism in Canada. He has a knack of drawing in his young audience through humorous story-telling. His passion for languages, culture, humour, mental health, and connecting with others is infectious and he shares this passion in both English and French. He has presented to more than 100 000 people and has left them laughing and reflecting at the same time! Hughie has been featured in MacLean’s Magazine (2013), 25 Years of Challenges and Success (Canadian Association of Immersion Teachers- 2000), and The State of Education in Canada (2004).
Hughie is a former Public School Teacher and University Lecturer who has completed his Masters in Education with action/research in ‘’Humour in the classroom’’.
Comedy- Hughie, on a whim, stepped on a stage for a Juste pour rire (Just For Laughs) amateur competition and walked away the winner despite it being his first time on stage doing stand-up comedy. The next night he performed in front of a sold out crowd of 800 people at the Hubcap Comedy Festival Gala in Moncton, NB. He was quickly invited to join the `Juste pour rire` comedians for parts of their National Tour and has performed in Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. He does shows in both English and French.
Workshop
-intro/mini ice-breaker (5 min)
-In person or virtual conference ; Through interactive story-telling, Hughie gives concrete examples of the advantages of continuing in French (Sports, Science, travel, social benefits, education and employment opportunities) Hughie uses his personal and professional experience as a Public School Teacher, University Professor, University Vice-President , and Comedian to take the students on an awakening hour long information session, laughs included! (30 min)
– Quiz ; ‘’Am I heading in the right direction?’’ participants will do a quiz to measure their linguistic et personal pathway. (10 min)
-Questions (10 min or more)
Testimonials;
‘’Je tiens à remercier Hughie pour tous ses bons conseils et son enthousiasme envers le bilinguisme. Il a partagé son histoire et sa passion pour la langue tout en ramenant les élèves à leurs propres expériences vécues en Immersion française. Il a présenté une foule d’information sur le bilinguisme au Canada et j’ai vraiment apprécié sa façon d’encourager la participation active des élèves. J’aimerais souligner la qualité de son accueil, son niveau de respect pour les jeunes, et le professionnalisme qu’il a démontré lors de chaque session. Ses présentations étaient de grandes sources de motivation pour nos élèves et les enseignants n’avaient que de bonnes choses à dire.’’ Suzanne Aucoin, Consultante du Français langue seconde, Cape Breton Regional Center for Education
“Hughie’s strength is his capacity to connect with young second language students as they can identify with his experiences learning French. He uses his ‘’grand talent’’ in humour to deliver an important message on the importance of bilingualism. I strongly recommend Hughie Batherson for Youth conferences!“ Jean-Marc Arsenault , Coordinator of the French for the Future Forum in Moncton
‘’I’ve taken my class to the French for the Future Conference in Calgary each year for the past 10 years. Hughie is, by far, the most engaging and inspirational Speaker I’ve seen. The students loved him!’’ (Enseignante, Calgary 2014)
‘’Hughie Batherson is a rising star who represents the dynamism in ‘’ la Francophonie canadienne’’. While using his ‘’grand talent’’ in standup comedy, he leads FL2 students through waves of laughter while sharing his story and the importance of bilingualism in Canada’’ Maxime Bourgeois, CEO Synergie Fr, Memremcook, NB.
