Start a student organization

Grants of $250 are available to councils which start a local TREE committee. TREE stands for “Teamwork to Raise Education and Equality Student Committee”. TREE was created to provide students with the opportunity to participate in leadership development and the promotion of literacy awareness.

How do you start a TREE committee? Begin by asking your student if she/he would like to work with other students from your region on a new national initiative. It is up to the students, but tutors can help.

Fieldworkers’ report
by Jan Seedhouse and Jerry Horne

There is a new council in Shalalth, which is between (sort of) Lillooet and Whistler. We plan soon to have a new council in 70 Mile House and perhaps one in Chetwynd.

Merritt Council has folded due to lack of interest in the community — despite valiant efforts on the part of Gwen Davis.

Darcy Allen in Prince George is busy working with the new literacy coordinator from the Friendship Centre. In Valemount they’re planning a day of additional training. Jan will present a three hour Voyager workshop and three hours of tips and techniques for ESL tutoring.

Kamloops Laubach and the classroom program, now called The Academy, have moved to a smaller location in Kamloops. Jan has moved with them and has her own office for the first time. The new address is 614 Tranquille Road on the North Shore. If you who are in Kamloops and would like to stop by, we’d love to see you.

A number of councils have received a draft of a brochure that can be redesigned to contain local information. Contact us for more information.

Jan will present the Student Recruitment workshop this fall. It would be a three hour workshop. Clearwater or Kamloops are possible presentation sites. We need to know if anyone is interested enough to attend. Student recruitment is more of a problem in small communities, but some councils have been having some success and brainstorming always produces new ideas.

Richmond Council has been one of British Columbia’s most successful Laubach councils over the years, with 40-60 active tutor/student pairs at any given time. This success has been due in large measure to the organizational skills and hard work of Dave Hogg.

Dave is retiring from his position of student/tutor coordinator for the Council. In concert with fellow council members Lawrence Price, Andrew Lyall and Joseph Sequira, Dave has worked hard to build a strong council base. The group is in the process of recruiting a student/ tutor coordinator for Richmond. The Council won’t be doing tutor training this fall, but Council Librarian Joseph Sequira is available to assist Laubach tutors who are currently working with students in the Richmond area.

Special thanks to Jan Church, who is retiring as a trainer. Jan became an Apprentice Trainer in 96, a certified trainer in 99, and participated in 24 Literacy Tutor Workshops around BC, including Prince George, Logan Lake, Chase, Lillooet, Barriere and Kamloops. She also helped Eloise Welch with the Kamloops Council’s library, and received her advanced tutor certificate. Thank you, Jan, for all your cheerful help. We’ll miss you.

Councils in Surrey/Delta and North Vancouver are also experiencing growing pains, and will need some new volunteers to help to direct development and administrative projects. If you live in one of these communities, think about how you can help. Also, Vancouver Council and Tri-Cities Council will be holding council meetings in the coming weeks. We may be calling you. If we don’t, please call us!

Laubach was at Word on the Street. The annual book fair at Vancouver Public Library again attracted thousands of visitors. The event took place under sunny skies on September 30. Many Vancouverites and out-of-town visitors passed by our table and over thirty signed up with an interest in tutor training. Special thanks to our volunteers, who pressed the flesh and chewed the ears of passers-by: Rob Goodell, Mernie Jacobsen, Lynda McMillen and Fiona Playfair.

PREVIOUS COVER NEXT