ABC’s Journey to Learning Passport (available for download at www.FamilyLiteracyDay.ca) shows families how easy and fun it is to share these moments and start learning together. It offers suggestions for family learning activities such as following a recipe, counting items in a load of laundry and finding things that begin with each letter of the alphabet at the grocery store.

Many literacy-learning centres across Quebec are also marking the occasion with activities to encourage adults to read to their children including:

• The Centre for Literacy will again collaborate  with the Lire/Imagine/Read program at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. Parents and children, who visit certain pediatric clinics on Wednesday January 25^th, will receive books and information about the importance of reading and the role of libraries.

• In South-West Montreal, RECLAIM Literacy Learning Centre will be cooking up ‘alphabet pancakes’ for children participating in the Club des petits déjeuners du Quebec program at Verdun Elementary School. Children will also receive a can of Heinz Alpha-Getti as well as suggestions for fun reading activities they can do at home.

• Literacy Unlimited in Pointe-Claire will be hosting a drop-in for families at Riverdale High School where they can visit various stations and get their Journey to Learning Passports stamped while doing activities such as participating in a treasure hunt and making paper airplanes.

• The Western Quebec School Board and Western Quebec Literacy Council have joined forces by inviting parents and grandparents to share some special time with their children in reading activities at the Onslow Elementary School in Quyon Quebec.

• The Littoral School Board’s St. Theresa School will have a series of stations for the children and their parents to rotate through including cooking, crafts and games, music and reading together.

Taking time every day to read or do a learning activity with children is crucial to a child’s development. Remember just 15 minutes a day of reading, playing a game or writing a grocery list can improve a child’s literacy skills dramatically, while helping parents keep their own skills sharp.

For more information on family and adult literacy programs in your area call us toll-free 1.866.942.7352.

Statistics Canada:

Literacy for Life, is the second report from the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey. It presents additional results on the nature and magnitude of the literacy gaps faced by OECD countries and how these gaps have evolved over the medium term.

It offers new insights into the factors that influence the formation of adult skills in various settings – at home and at work – for the eleven countries participating in the first and last round of data collection between 2003 and 2008. The study offers comparative evidence on the impact of various factors on the supply of skill. The study offers a special focus on numeracy skills and problem solving skills. It explores the relationships between numeracy and key socio-demographic factors as well as labour market outcomes and earnings.

It highlights the importance of problem solving skills by defining this foundational skill and by exploring its determinants as well as its relative role in influencing important labour market outcomes.

The report offers also an analysis of performance across multiple skill domains. It investigates the skill profiles of various population groups defined in terms of the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of those who score at levels deemed to be low in one or more skill domains and explores the resulting consequences.

The report concludes by investigating the issue of skill mismatch in the labour market and its relationship to adult learning. The extent and distribution of mismatch between the day to day literacy related requirements of workers and the literacy skills they have obtained is an important issue that is being explored in this study.

Resources:

Complete Report – Literacy for Life: Further Results from the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey

Learning a Living: First Results of the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey

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Recently QELA distributed sets of newly released Good Reads books to member organizations across Quebec.

ACCESS – Riverside School Board’s Continuing Education and Career Centre – was very pleased to receive the Good Reads books. The centre has incorporated the books into their reading program and for reading practice.

Next semester ACCESS plans to start a reading club that will focus on the development of reading skills and encouraging the habit of reading regularly.

Thanks to ABC Life Literacy Canada for the great Goods Reads initiative and providing QELA with the opportunity to distribute books to learners and teachers throughout Quebec.

For more information on Good Reads books, watch author videos or to download reading and teaching guides click on the following link http://abclifeliteracy.ca/goodreads

On the first day of Christmas my teacher gave to me
The gift of literacy

On the second day of Christmas my teacher gave to me
Two books to love
And the gift of literacy

On the third day of Christmas my teacher gave to me
Three fountain pens
Two books to love
And the gift of literacy

On the fourth day of Christmas my teacher gave to me
Four jolly words
Three fountain pens
Two books to love
And the gift of literacy

On the fifth day of Christmas my teacher gave to me
Five new skills
Four jolly words
Three fountain pens
Two books to love
And the gift of literacy

On the sixth day of Christmas my teacher gave to me
Six tapes on training
Five new skills
Four jolly words
Three fountain pens
Two books to love
And the gift of literacy

On the seventh day of Christmas my teacher gave to me
Seven sites for searching
Six tapes on training
Five new skills
Four jolly words
Three fountain pens
Two books to love
And the gift of literacy

On the eight day of Christmas my teacher gave to me
Eight coins for counting
Seven sites for searching
Six tapes on training
Five new skills
Four jolly words
Three fountain pens
Two books to love
And the gift of literacy

On the ninth day of Christmas my teacher gave to me
Nine thoughts for planning
Eight coins for counting
Seven sites for searching
Six tapes on training
Five new skills
Four jolly words
Three fountain pens
Two books to love
And the gift of literacy

On the tenth day of Christmas my teacher gave to me
Ten lines for learning
Nine thoughts for planning
Eight coins for counting
Seven sites for searching
Six tapes on training
Five new skills
Four jolly words
Three fountain pens
Two books to love
And the gift of literacy

On the eleventh day of Christmas my teacher gave to me
Eleven writers writing
Ten lines for learning
Nine thoughts for planning
Eight coins for counting
Seven sites for searching
Six tapes on training
Five new skills
Four jolly words
Three fountain pens
Two books to love
And the gift of literacy

On the twelfth day of Christmas my teacher gave to me
Twelve numbers summing
Eleven writers writing
Ten lines for learning
Nine thoughts for planning
Eight coins for counting
Seven sites for searching
Six tapes on training
Five new skills
Four jolly words
Three fountain pens
Two books to love
AND THE GIFT OF LITERACY!

Merry Christmas from the staff at QELA

Literacy Volunteers of Quebec’s Freda Hudson Volunteer Recognition Award is presented annually to a volunteer making a “remarkable” contribution to literacy. The award was established in 2007 in memory of Freda Hudson, a longtime literacy volunteer who made a unique and lasting contribution to the lives of adults with low literacy.

This year there were two award recipients, Ed Chaffey from RECLAIM Learning Centre renowned for his long time volunteering spirit and desire to help people and Lillian Hartley from the South Shore Reading Council who has given generously to the SSRC, over the years, as a tutor, a coordinator, and volunteer board member.

Congratulations to this year’s award winners!

Good Reads are original books by best selling Canadian authors, written for adult literacy learners.  The books are approximately 75 to 90 pages and are written in plain language in large type. They are available for purchase at Chapters and Indigo.  Good Reads is a joint project of ABC Life Literacy Canada and Grass Roots Press.  For more information go to www.goodreadsbooks.ca

Alpha Plus:

AlphaPlus’ most recently published research paper, Social Networking Sites (SNS) and Adult Literacy Learning, advocates for the integration of SNS in adult literacy teaching and learning, taking into account learners’ perceptions, feedback, and factors such as social and civic engagement, marginalization, the digital divide, digital citizenship, and other important issues. Click here to download the paper in PDF.

Are your employees trapped behind roadblocks?

Your employees may know your product and your customers, but what they don’t know may surprise you.

Nearly half of adult Canadians struggle with essential skills such as working with numbers, navigating through documents or using a computer. Many are forced to adopt sophisticated coping techniques to remain undetected, while others would contribute more in team meetings but lack the confidence to speak up. This reality costs Canadian businesses millions of dollars every year.

The good news is that with as little as 40 hours of essential skills training, most employees can improve their skills by using tools and resources that are either free, or available at a nominal cost.

The Quebec English Literacy Alliance (QELA) can help you identify your employee training needs. We will coordinate literacy and essential skills practitioners to work with your management to customize a training program that can be incorporated in your day-to-day operations. If a more focused approach is required, QELA can connect you with resources that offer training on- or off-site.

Where do you start? Click on the Organizational Needs Assessment tool below to determine whether essential skills gaps are affecting your company’s performance, then contact QELA toll-free 1-866-942-7352 for support.

Boost performance with literacy and essential skills training today.

RESOURCES:
What’s_in_it_for_you - What are the Benefits of Investing in Essential Skills? (PDF, 306 KB)
Organizational Needs Assessment – a framework for conducting a basic Essential Skills needs assessment in your organization (PDF, 320 KB)

The Canada Interactive Fund (CIF) aims to support the creation of digital and interactive Canadian cultural content, developed by official-language minority communities (OLMCs), Aboriginal and ethnocultural organizations, and other non-profit organizations.

User experience is a key element of the CIF. To be eligible, projects must:

· Propose interactive digital cultural content and/or applications;
· Ensure that content and/or applications are available in at least one
official language;
· Involve the clearing of all applicable copyright;
· Commit to adhering to the Technical Standards and Guidelines for the
Canada Interactive Fund;
· Request funding for no more than 60% of the total cost of the
project, up to a maximum of $500 000;

The CIF will provide funding to projects that are based on interactivity and innovation, offering users unique, personalized and enriching experiences through cultural content.

Who can apply?

· OLMC, Aboriginal, ethnocultural and other-not-for-profit cultural organizations;
· First Nations Tribal or Band Councils, Inuit organizations and Métis organizations;
· Canadian educational institutions; and
· Provincial/ territorial or municipal government institutions, e.g. museums, cultural associations.

The 2012-13 Canada Interactive Fund Guidelines are available on our Web site below. Please note that the application deadline is January 9, 2012.

If you require additional information, please contact our office at:

Telephone: 1-866-811-0055 (toll free) or
819-997-0055 (National Capital Region)
E-mail: cif-fic@pch.gc.ca
Web site: http://www.pch.gc.ca/eng/1273769820147/1273769914568

Thank you in advance for helping us make this initiative a success.

Yamaska Literacy Council:

Our stories – the first 30 years, 1981-2011

This document (link below) was prepared to mark the 30th anniversary of the  Yamaska Literacy Council (YLC), which serves English-speaking adults in the western part of Quebec’s Eastern Townships. The organization was established initially as the Townshippers Reading Council and was one of the founding members of Literacy Volunteers of Quebec.

The document contains many personal narratives from learners and tutors, as well as accounts of milestones in the YLC’s history. The authorshave also included newspaper clippings about the council’s work.

There is also material about the organization’s literacy work within the local penitentiary, including personal recollections from a tutor and several inmates.

http://www.nald.ca/library/learning/yamaska/30years/30years.pdf