Your local council executives usually hold meetings on a monthly basis, and are always looking for interested council members to join them. Don't be shy - find out when and where your executive meets and join in!!

North Thompson Laubach Literacy Council

An interest in family literacy is leading Clearwater tutors to learn more and spread the word in any way they can. Student tutor co-ordinator, Joanne Wright is attending a workshop designed mainly for primary teachers on "Balanced Early Literacy". The group has been distributing copies of Ben Wicks' "Born to Read, Write, and Count" and word about the Laubach Family Literacy Workshops, "Creating a Learning Culture in the Home", and hope to provide several family literacy workshops in the near future to parents and caregivers in their community.

Ashcroft/Cache Creek

On January 30th and 31st, we held a tutor training session. The response was fantastic and the weekend training resulted in 10 new tutors for the local council. In addition, individuals from Clinton, Lytton and Lillooet were also able to attend. With the addition of several new tutors, the focus of the Council now turns to promoting its existence in the community and encouraging new students to access our tutors.

Richmond/Delta

Richmond participated in a most successful "Word on the Street" held at Vancouver Public Library on Sunday, September 28, 1997. Ten volunteers turned up on a pouring cats and dogs day and had a thoroughly enjoyable time - lots of people and interest. Richmond also hosted a tutors evening on October 22, 1997 to enable tutors to meet each other and the new executive and to exchange ideas and information. Anne Knott gave a most informative talk on the workshops available and provided resource material to peruse. Another tutors meeting is to be held on February 25, 1998.

Vancouver

The Vancouver Council is experiencing lots of changes over the next little while. On the positive side, we have streamlined our meetings and set some useful goals for the coming year. Changes at the executive level are occurring with our beloved secretary Moira-Ann Handford handing over her duties (although she is still doing the newsletter, bless her) to the very capable Jeanette Kuper. We will also have a new student/tutor coordinator and later this summer a new librarian and president. The good news is that current president Banafsheh Sokhansanj will have time to impart some of her vast store of Laubach wisdom to her successor, Sam Fromowitz. Michelle Laschiazza has agreed to be our new student/tutor coordinator and we remain on the look out to replace our librarian. Our biggest challenge for this year is to follow through on our main goal: to find a permanent home for the Vancouver Council (which would also solve the library problem!).

One of the high points of the year for the Vancouver Council was "Word on the Street". In our increasingly high tech world, it was refreshing to spend time contemplating the value of the printed page and the privilege of being able to read it. The event provided us with a chance to work with the Richmond and Surrey/White Rock Councils (a great big thank you to Noreen Finken from Richmond for her awesome organization of the Laubach booth). It was also an opportunity for members new and old to get to know each other and to spread the "word" about Laubach to the public, who arrived en masse despite the drizzly and overcast weather. Word on the Street was especially fruitful for those interested in literacy or looking for help, as it provided a unique forum for many different approaches to literacy issues. The Vancouver Council was proud to represent the Laubach approach and we're looking forward to doing it again next year.

Kamloops

Our office continues to have steady activity and some days it's a real zoo!
A tutor training workshop has just finished with another workshop being planned for March.

We do get quite a few students referred to us by the Ministry because they need to upgrade their skills to get into courses that are offered to them.

We are starting to prepare for the upcoming Laubach Literacy of BC Conference which will take place in Kamloops from March 27-29th. It will be a wonderful opportunity to learn, make new friends and have fun.

Nicola Valley Learning with Laubach

We have found student recruitment to be a slow process. However, one tutor has recently been paired with a student through a referral from a community health service and three tutors are involved in an Integrated Workplace Literacy Program, which is a partnership between the University College of the Cariboo and Social Services.