| CASP
Adult Literacy Network Meets with by *Dianne Fitzpatrick The CASP (Community Academic Services Program) Adult Literacy Network is a newly formed organization of highly trained and committed practitioners and committee members with a vast wealth of experience in the field of adult literacy and education in New Brunswick.
On Tuesday, October 7th, 2003, representatives of the Network, which included facilitators, committee members and a former CASP student, met with Minister of Education, Madeleine Dubé, in Fredericton to acquaint the minister with various CASP Adult Literacy Network Meets with Education Minister Madeleine Dubé kinds of CASPs operating in NB and the issues that the CASP Network is currently discussing. Minister Dubé made an effort to put everyone attending the meeting at ease as soon as she entered the room. She greeted everyone individually with a smile and a handshake. She later explained that she knew a great deal about CASP from her background in social work. All present were pleased to hear that she was aware of the challenging conditions under which some of the CASPs must work. Others in attendance with Minister Dubé were: Deputy Minister, John Kershaw, Assistant Deputy Minister, Jocelyne Roy-Vienneau, Executive Assistant, Lise Bourgoin and Acting Director - Literacy Secretariat, Rowena Brooks. Professionals, learners, and community volunteers from rural, urban, English, French, and First Nations communities each gave brief presentations to the Minister. They represented a diverse group of learners who, besides struggling with literacy, face additional challenges in life: poverty, abuse, learning disabilities, criminal histories, and the list goes on. The purpose of the meeting was to express to the Minister a sincere desire to create a positive and collaborative partnership with the Provincial Government as an essential component of its Prosperity Plan, and as a participant in the implementation of the Quality Learning Agenda. The network expressed their hope to be included in every phase of the decision-making process for fulfilling the guidelines of the agenda. The meeting was very positive in nature, and the delegation left feeling optimistic about the possibility of having a productive working partnership with the provincial government. CASP continues to be an effective, professional, cost-effective and highly adaptable vehicle for the delivery of literacy and academic upgrading services to the adult learners in New Brunswick. The recent Landal Report praises the CASP model, but indicates that it needs to be rejuvenated. After 12 years, even a successful program like CASP requires both redefinition and recommitment in order to keep current and to be prepared for technological and other challenges in the future. These challenges include the continuing concern that New Brunswick’s working age population still falls below international standards of literacy required if our province is to compete successfully in an increasingly aggressive and complex global economy. Within our own provincial economy, demands for skilled workers, trades workers, and even service sector workers are often unmet due to the academic limitations of a significant portion of our workforce. The Network believes that CASPs continue to be a valuable tool of social and economic policy in New Brunswick. They also believe that this newly formed CASP Adult Literacy Network, along with their sister Francophone CASP Network, can be a helpful partner in the achievement of the provincial government’s objectives. They ask that the N.B. Provincial Government, through the Minister of Education, recognizes their Network as a partner in this process and begin an ongoing dialogue with CASP teachers and volunteers. *Dianne Fitzpatrick is a teacher/facilitator at A Second Chance CASP in Miramichi, New Brunswick. You can reach her my email at: asccasp@nbnet.nb.ca
|
