Provincial Poster Contest Launch
To mark International Literacy Day this year, LPQ launched an exciting contest.

The message of the contest is "Get involved; Stay involved" and is intended to encourage the joy of reading.

Participants are invited to enter in one of three categories, each with its own theme. The first category is Primary/Elementary School and the theme is "Read to Explore." The next category is Secondary School, and the theme is "Free Your Mind-Read." The last category is Adult Basic Education, and the theme is "Discover Yourself--Read. "

Entries are to be submitted by December 1, 1997, and there will be on one winner in each category. Winners will be notified March 31,1997. Winners will be announced and their posters launched on International Literacy Day 1998. Winning submissions will be reproduced as posters as well as commemorative stamps to be distributed across the country.

Referral Research Completed
A report, commissioned by LPQ, sponsored by The Zeller Family Foundation and Golf Day for Literacy '96 and written by Mandie Aaron entitled Student Services in Adult Literacy - Increasing awareness for successful outcomes - Referral systems in Quebec has been completed and will be launched on October 20.

The report is the outcome of research carried out in response to the English language LEARN campaign in the Montreal area. Soon after LEARN ads began running in 1994, LPQ noticed a significant increase in calls requesting information about services. This led to questions about what happened after callers made the initial call and about long-term results.

Our findings indicate that while the LEARN campaign generates a large number of calls in the Montreal area relative to the size of the English population from which we draw, only a small percentage actually take the next step in the process and make a second call to a provider.

The research has answered some of our questions, and it raised a series of additional issues:

• The need for encouraging callers after the initial contact
• The plaœ of ESL in literacy
• Standards of recruitment for tutors and tutor support
• Prevention, as is evidenced by the number of parents who call for help for their children

The report will be launched at a public information session at the Fraser-Hickson Library where the researcher will discuss the report and answer questions.

Copies of Student Services in Adult Literacy - Increasing awareness for successful outcomes - Referral systems in Quebec are available at a cost of $10.00 from the Literacy Partners of Quebec. To order, please call the LPQ office.