ColibriSupport for students and researchers in exile
Co-FormER was not conceived in an office, but in the field. For years, volunteers from the RUSF38 association have been assisting foreign students with their administrative procedures, often in urgent situations. Their efforts have revealed a need: to offer migrants a structured, sustainable, and academic learning environment.
At the same time, more than 10,000 km away, the Federal University of Paraná (Brazil) is developing an inspiring approach to integrating migrants through education. This model, known to the teams at the FLE (French as a Foreign Language) section of the UFR LLASIC and the LIDILEM (Laboratory of Linguistics and Didactics of Foreign and Native Languages) thanks to a long-standing partnership, became the spark for the Grenoble project.
At the heart of the program is a simple yet powerful idea: learning by teaching.
UGA student tutors receive training in teaching French, mathematics, English, digital tools, and university methodology to new arrivals.
This experience has a twofold benefit:
- for learners, access to skills that are essential for their integration;
- for tutors, a first immersion in teaching and a concrete civic engagement.
Here, everyone progresses thanks to each other. Reciprocity structures everything: learning becomes a shared act.
The Co-FormER program now brings together many components ofUniversité Grenoble Alpes IM2AG, INSPÉ, LLASIC, ARSH, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Economics of Grenoble, etc. It is coordinated with the work carried out by the Colibri team of the UGA's Directorate-General for International Relations and the DU Passerelle program of the CUEF of Grenoble.
Co-FormER has received funding from UGA's IDEX, Campus France's Bienvenue en France program, and theAIMES program of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie.
In 2019-2020, this program trained nearly 50 learners. In 2024-2025, there were more than 180. Demand for courses has therefore more than tripled.
The number of trainers has remained stable at 20 per semester. They currently provide between 150 and 200 hours of training per semester.
Co-FormER is run in collaboration with numerous associations working with migrants. This regional network ensures that actions are tailored to local needs and strengthens the links between the university and society.
The program is currently co-financed by Campus France's Bienvenue en France program, Audiclair, and the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie's AIMES program.
UGA's IDEX, Call for Projects "Social and Cultural Impact 2019-2020," helped launch it.
