“Education must be obtainable on the farm, in the bush, on the railway, and in the mine. We must educate the whole family wherever their work is, wherever they earn their living; teaching them how to earn and at the same time how to grow physically, intellectually, and spiritually....This is the real education. This is the place of a true university.” Alfred Fitzpatrick-1920
by Dan Khimasia, National Coordinator

This year, 1999, marks a milestone in Canadian education history as Frontier College celebrates its centenary. Founded by Alfred Fitzpatrick and a group of university students in 1899, Frontier College’s original aim was to make education accessible to the labourers in the work camps of Canada. Instructors or Labourer-Teachers were trained and sent out to work alongside labourers by day and teach reading and writing by night. The Labourer-Teacher program continues to this day.

Frontier College was founded on the premise that education should be available to all people. The initial name of the organization was The Reading Camp Association, in 1919 this name was changed to Frontier College. For a short period from 1922-1933 Frontier College was given degree granting status. During this period workers in the field were able to work on university courses through correspondence. A large number of labourer teachers were placed in the 1930s to work in relief camps and other settlements. A number of prominent figures served as Frontier College volunteers in the first thirty years, these included: Dr. Norman Bethune, Dr. Margaret Strang and Dr. Benjamen Spock. After WWII the College began to work with labourers on the two national railways, this continued until the early 90s.

In the early 1970s Frontier College recognized that the geographical frontiers were diminishing and that the literacy needs in urban ‘frontiers’ were more pressing. As a result, the College developed a series of programs that addressed the more specific needs of people living in urban and rural communities. In 1999 our volunteers are drawn from across the country. In 1992, the Students for Literacy program was launched. This initiative trains university students to be tutors in their specific communities, campus based programs now exist at 35 campuses across the country.

To celebrate our 100th Anniversary we have a number of events planned across the country. Some of the events include:

September 11, 1999 100th Annual General Meeting
Featuring: afternoon and evening events including a labourer-teacher reunion, a concert with John McDermott, and speaker Stephen Lewis. This event will be held at Convocation Hall, University of Toronto.

September 24, 1999 – Frontier College Day
Rallies will be held at all of our campus sites across Canada. We will produce a bilingual chain-story with each campus program contributing two paragraphs. The chain will start at 8:30 a.m. at Memorial University (NF) and finish at 9:00 p.m. at the University of Victoria (BC). The completed story will be published and distributed.

To support our 100th Anniversary celebrations we are receiving support from Canada Post and the CRB Foundation:

Frontier College / Canada Post Commemorative Stamp
This stamp will be issued in September.

Frontier College / CRB Heritage Minute
This spot was filmed on February 25, 1999. The Heritage Minute will begin airing in September.

For more information on the above, please visit our site: http://www.frontiercollege.ca

For a detailed history on Frontier College, please refer to: Morrison, James H. (1989). Camps and Classrooms: A Pictorial History of Frontier College. Toronto: Frontier College Press

Frontier College, 35 Jackes Ave., Toronto, ON, M4T 1E2, Toll Free: 1 800 555 6523, Tel: 416 923 3591 Fax: 416 323 3522 information@frontiercollege.ca

Directory of Literacy Research in Canada

The University of Alberta's Center for Research on Literacy is developing a comprehensive directory of adult literacy research. When the directory is completed, you will be available to access it through NALD. We are actively seeking names and addresses of practitioners and academics who are conducting research in adult literacy. Please contact Pat Campbell at Patty.Campbell@ualberta.ca or phone (780) 492-2984 or fax (780) 492-0113 for more information.