Origins of the French Lyceum Clubs

HISTORY OF THE FRENCH FEDERATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL LYCEUM CLUB

 It’s on the initiative of Mrs. Le Bec that the FF was created in 1963, with a view to  grouping together the 3 pre-existing LC: Paris (founded in 1906, formally called Club feminin de Paris), Bordeaux ( 1959) and Fontainebleau ( 1962). Then, from 1967 to 2000, 15 new clubs were added .This remarkable evolution manifests the vitality of our Federation; As a matter of fact, from 1952 to 1985, only 7 clubs were born, whereas 8 new clubs were created from 1992 to 2009, namely within a fifteen-year period.

In 2011, France has a membership of 985.

Structure of the French Federation

The French Federation is managed by a committee, composed of the Federation board, the Club Presidents, together with one representative per club, elected every year. This committee, which meets on the day before each General Assembly, makes sure the federation works properly, and elects an executive board for 3 years.

After each meeting of the ICB, the federation president gathers all the club presidents to inform them of the decisions made by the ICB, and to prepare the Committee meetings and the General Assembly.

This general Assembly is organized in turn by one club each year in October.

In 2010, Mrs Eltje Brill-Meijer, international President, came to Limoges, and chaired the General Assembly. On the day before, the Committee had elected the new board of the Federation.

Outstanding facts of the French Federation within the life of the ILC

On many occasions, the French Federation got involved in the life of the ILC

? Meetings of the ICB

–   In May 1985, this meeting was organized by the club of Dijon.

–   In May 2008, it was the turn of the Club of Limoges to organize it.

? International Congresses

–   In 1989, the club of Orleans, organized the 24th International Congress, with the assistance of  the     Paris Club.

–   In 2007, the Club of Lyon, with the help of Dijon(pre-congress organizer) and Grenoble(post congress organizer), planned the 30th International Congress.

? Link Bulletins

–   In 1991. Hélène de la Baume, initiated the creation of “The Europe of Lyceum Clubs” for all the clubs to be closely and permanently bound together.

–   In 1993 it was decided to publish a “European Link Bulletin”.

? Cultural meetings

–   They originate from the desire of Hélène de la Baume to prolong the Congresses and to discover the cultural and artistic heritages of the different countries.

In 1994, during the International festival of baroque music, Françoise Feuillée and the Club of Dijon hosted the first cultural meeting.

Then, in 2002, the club of Paris organized them at his turn. These meetings are now international.

? Twinning enables fruitful meetings between the French and foreign Clubs:

Bordeaux – Neuchâtel; Britain -Amsterdam; Fontainebleau – Lausanne; Dijon – Geneva; Limoges – Constance; Orleans – La Chaux de Fonds; Paris – Philadelphia and Basel; Troyes – Berlin.

Thanks to the personalities of the successive presidents, the vitality of the French Federation has never failed. (www.lyceumfrance.org)