SASKATCHEWAN

The following letter was received from SASKATOON REGION COMMUNITY COLLEGE.

Dear Audrey,

August 17, 1977

I am enclosing a copy of the report which was written for the participants in our conference on adult literacy which was held last spring. . . .

We have managed to get together a little activity for International Literacy Day. The group of us who planned the conference last spring have written to city council requesting the declaration and one of the aldermen is going to speak on behalf of that request at the meeting. We also have prepared a letter to the media and have included in it a list of four names of people who are willing to be interviewed. The material that we are sending out is being copied to the directors of the public and separate school boards and the Dean of the College of Education in a hope that they may give some attention within their own system to the day.

In other ways, things in Saskatoon seem to be building up slowly but surely. The Public Library has put $3,000 in their budget this year for the purchase of basic learning materials and are setting up a special area of the library to house this collection in the adult section. They are also providing space for our volunteer program for next year which will mean that volunteers can meet in a quiet and private place in a public building if that seems to be a choice that makes sense for the volunteer tutor and student. The responsibility within the college for the volunteer program will be taken over in September by a teacher- coordinator who will be responsible for our Learning Resources Centre. His name is Roy Bourke and the Learning Resources Centre is an attempt at a drop-in upgrading program. Roy worked two nights a week on this kind of concept last year working with G.E.D. students, people doing correspondence instruction, and others who just wanted to work on a particular skill at the grade 5-10 level primarily. Two volunteers assisted Roy in the classroom with particular students and he will be taking the responsibility for co-ordinating and for training volunteers this year. . . .

. . . By the way, I meant to tell you that I really enjoy receiving your newsletter. It is a great way of keeping in touch with what is going on elsewhere.

Sincerely,
Joanne Orton, Counsellor

* Thanks Joanne for your letter, and for the report of the Conference. You certainly explored many of the issues and questions relating to adult illiteracy/literacy and we're impressed with the follow-up as outlined in your letter. Keep up the good work! Ed.

An outline of the Conference held in Saskatoon and its co-sponsors were given in the Summer issue of Literacy (Newsletter No.3). The following points were raised in small group discussions:

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The Manpower Department needs to be more humanized. - Manpower Centres

should be smaller.
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There should be easier access to the library. - Library should do more visual advertising.

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Other community organizations should improve their information dissemination.

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Agency inter-relationships should be developed on a more ongoing basis.

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Funding should be available for women to learn in the home. Cable television could be used.
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The problems created when a person has reached a level of readiness to re-enter the

education stream, but then has to be put on a waiting list for 6 to 12 months.
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University Extension might be able to do some work on preparing people to

develop materials.
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Criticism of the lack of real life experience in most educational programs.

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A collective need to work on follow-up and to offer continuing support to students.

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The importance of utilizing all of the human resources in the community in the service of

adult learners. The need for more creative ways of advertising to reach people.

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