Our mission
Gifted in France has always had two objectives:
To raise awareness about the needs of the gifted, talented and twice-exceptional population through meetings for adults and activities for children.
To create and participate in community-wide debates and discussions about the state of education and its challenges for all children.
With our partners in the community, the American Library in Paris, the American University of Paris and other not-for-profit organizations such as AAWE and Message, we have organized presentations such as Happiness and Education - How Do We Get There?, as well as the screening of award-winning documentary Race to Nowhere.
For the community, Gifted in France has also created, organized and supported enrichment activities for children including the annual Paris Spelling Bee, the France Brain Bee, creative writing courses, the Little Mad Scientists Club, photography workshops and much more..
A word from Helen Sahin Connelly, Founder
In 2008, I created Gifted in France, a nonprofit (loi 1901) organization to share the research I was doing with other parents who, just like me, were struggling to find answers to help their gifted and twice-exceptional kids. Over time, through resources from like minded organizations, I structured a series of accessible, informative learning sessions for parents and professionals. I also initiated a wide range of educational events for children, including France’s first English language Spelling Bee and the Paris affiliate of the International Brain Bee.
Ten years later, GiF is running strong. I’m very proud of the support we provide to the community. Yet I remain concerned about the state of education for gifted and twice-exceptional children, and I’m especially frustrated with rote and one-way teaching styles that leads to disengaged and unchallenged learners.
A former journalist, Helen Sahin Connelly is an advocate for gifted children in France and around the world.