I. Introduction

The Family Literacy Action Group

History
The Family Literacy Action Group (FLAG) was formed in 1993 in response to a need identified at the Roots of Literacy Symposium in Brooks the previous year. That symposium brought together people from across Alberta and beyond who saw family literacy as having great potential for preventing the cycle of low literacy and for strengthening and supporting the family.

Bonnie Annicchiarico, Kathy Day, Yvon Laberge, and Maureen Sanders were among those attending the symposium in Brooks. They saw the need and possibility for an organization which could help network people interested in family literacy. Such an organization could also work to raise public awareness of the importance of family reading, and could inform other agencies who would be targeting the same client group. By 1993 this core group had formed FLAG.

Activities
Since it began, FLAG's activities have included:

• research into family literacy activities, resources, and issues. FLAG is currently also conducting research on evaluation in family literacy programs.
• publication of the Practical Guide to Family Literacy (1995), a biannual newsletter, a position paper on family literacy (1995), and various brochures and information sheets
• networking family literacy practitioners and sharing information on developments and issues that affect Alberta families.
• promotion and celebration of family literacy, including participation in the Premier's Council in Support of Alberta Families, the National Conference on Family Literacy, and various provincial literacy conferences.

FLAG's Partnerships Project
Research conducted by FLAG in 1994/95 identified two key areas of concern for family literacy workers in Alberta. The first is the need for on-going funding sources for family literacy programs. The second is the need for strategies to deliver services to families most in need of this type of support.