1998 was a very good year. October 25th marked the 80th birthday of Dr. Robert Laubach (left), son of Laubach Literacy International's founder, Frank C. Laubach.

To mark this happy occasion, Laubach Literacy of Canada (LLC) established the Dr. Bob Laubach Student Fund Committee. Annually, a total of $2,500 would be available to student groups who submitted project ideas (following funding guidelines) to this committee.

Every May, at LLC's biennial or regional conferences, the winning submissions would be announced. In the first year, May 1999 (Ottawa, ON), three projects were selected for funding awards. They were:

• Laubach Literacy New Brunswick's "Signs for City Buses" project ($ 1,000.)

• Greater Moncton Literacy Council's "Story Time" project ($ 750.)

• Laubach Literacy New Brunswick's "Public Speaking" project ($ 700.)

In the second year, May 2000 (Gander, NF), the two winning projects chosen were:

• Laubach Literacy NB Student Advisory Committee's "Stress Buster Workshop" ($ 850.)

• RECLAIM (in Montreal, QC) for their "Speakers to a Student Support Group" ($ 1,500.)

At LLC's biennial conference this past May in Charlottetown, PEI three very worthwhile projects were selected:

• Yamaska Literacy Council's "Resource Library" in a penitentiary ($ 600.)

• Greater Moncton Literacy Council's "Scrabble Tournament" ($ 750.)

• Barrie Literacy Council's "One-Day Regional Student Conference" ($ 1,100.)

REPORT
from the Barrie Literacy Council

The Dr. Bob Laubach Student Fund made the 1st Regional Student Conference possible. It was held on June 23, 2001 in Barrie, Ontario. This funding has been set up in support of student project ideas and-BOY!-do we have big ideas here in Barrie!

Our day started with an icebreaker of having students get signatures from other students from as many different towns or cities as possible. This was simple and got students up, moving and talking to each other. A prize was awarded to a shy, inspired classmate from Barrie.

One of the primary purposes of the student conference was to show students what a conference is like and that they are not alone-our goals were magnificently reached.

As registrations came in, we noted that all topics seemed to be of interest. Six workshops were selected along with a guest speaker and small group discussion. The six workshops were: Self-esteem; Public Speaking; Internet Intro; Writing Resumés; Learning Disabilities; and Portfolios. Our guest speaker was Arnold Stewart and the discussion group was on T.R.E.E. (Teamwork to Raise Education and Equality). The feedback from all participants was positive.

The day was topped off with a wonderful boat cruise around Kempenfelt Bay. This gave students time to mingle informally with new friends and to reflect on their first conference experience. Students left feeling inspired and motivated and said they felt part of a larger student network. The experiences of the students might be summed up in one student's comments: "This was the best day of my life-one I will always remember!"

Laubach Literacy of Canada looks forward to supporting many more student projects in the years ahead!