Reports from Across Canada

The MCL Learner Representatives prepare these reports, often with the support of their Coalitions.We have printed the information available by our publication date.

Literacy British Columbia (LBC)

Literacy BC just finished an exciting round of events to celebrate Family Literacy Week. It was kicked off with the annual Breakfast of Champions, a very special occasion that brought together representatives from government, schools, libraries, business and key community and family organizations. Sharon Darling, the President & Founder of the National Centre for Family Literacy in Kentucky, was the keynote speaker.

The Week also included a family event with fun and activities for the kids, a family literacy forum, and training workshops for family and adult literacy practitioners.

— Ellen Szita Ellen_Szita@telus.net

Alberta Association for Adult Literacy (AAAL)

The Alberta Association for Adult Literacy is proud to announce that The Bureau of Learners from Alberta Speakers Team (BLAST) has from Alberta Speakers Team (BLAST) Project has received funding and will start in February, 2002. This is a one-year project that will provide opportunities for nine Alberta literacy students to receive training in public speaking. BLAST will give these students a forum for their voices to be heard, to tell their stories and to make the case for literacy. The project will also produce a video diary of the training and speaking experiences of the student participants. BLAST is based on the very successful Manitoba project, "Learners Speakers’ Bureau”.

The Student Needs Assessment Project (SNAProject) will ensure that AAAL continues to meet the service needs of its student members. A two-pronged approach involving both focus group discussions and mail-out questionnaires will ensure that every AAAL student has a voice in shaping student services. This project started on November 1 with the first focus group meeting held in conjunction with the Alberta Provincial Literacy Conference.

Our Regional Representative team for Region 4 will be promoting AAAL and Resource Fair 2002. The group will be sharing the “Literacy Matters” video and other literacy resources with the participants.We wish them great success at this event.

— Leonard Duby leonard_duby@aaal.ab.ca