Community Literacy of Ontario

Ontario's Community Literacy Agencies :
Telling It Like It Is!

Committed staff, dedicated volunteers and eager learners are the heart of Ontario’s community literacy agencies. Agencies strive to make a difference in their communities and the following quotes collected by CLO from students, staff and volunteers are a rich testimonial to their commitment and success.

• “The Centre has helped me to read and write…until now, I never thought I could!” (learner)
• “Building a literate community, one person at a time.” (staff)
• “We support learners in their life goals by helping them to read and write.” (volunteer)
• “We know this thing we call literacy is as vital as the air we breathe and the food we eat. How do we know this? We know because in our successes we have saved lives, we have put people to work, we have removed shame and embarrassment and we have replaced them with pride. Look at our learners’ smiles! (staff)
• "I read everyday now just for the enjoyment of it." (student)
• “This program has helped me a lot with my self-esteem and to help fill in the gaps that I missed as a child in order to accomplish my goal of getting my diploma and beyond. For without that stepping stone, I would surely get frustrated and quit myself.” (learner)
• “I’m not sure how other volunteers feel, but I can honestly say that working with a learner has more ups than downs for me.  It really feels great when you see “the light go on” on your student’s face and you know you helped flip the switch!” (volunteer)
• “It is an enjoyable experience to come to the learning centre and work on my reading and writing skills.” (student)
• “It is rewarding to help someone improve their reading and writing skills.” (volunteer)
• “I truly feel honored to be involved in a program and sector that demonstrates such passion, dedication and energy on a daily basis! Even after all these years, I’m still learning. It just goes to show, that LIFELONG learning applies to every one of us. “ (staff)
• “I like the social aspect, I like learning new things and I like helping others.” (learner)
• “I feel more confident about myself and speaking out and to me that is a good feeling.” (student)
• “People make positive changes in their lives because of enhanced self-esteem.” (staff)
• “Thanks to my new found skills and self-esteem, I feel more capable to go out and find a great job that I am worthy of.” (learner)
• “We offer our students the ability to learn, think critically and make decisions.” (staff)
• “It has opened doors.” (student)
• “I have more confidence in my reading and writing. It makes it much easier to cope with life and I don’t know how I survived with the education that I had. I don’t have to ask so many questions anymore.” (learner)
• “My teacher’s patience and knowledge made learning so much easier.” (student)
• “I wanted to see the difference I was able to make and have an effect on that person’s life, rather than donating money to a good cause.” (volunteer)
• “Literacy means more than simply knowing how to read; it also means having the necessary mathematical and verbal skills to be functional and productive citizens.” (staff)
• “The staff make you feel ‘understood’. They go out of their way to help and guide me in the right direction.” (learner)
• “Literacy is an agent for social change rooted in the community. It is about local people working together to empower their fellow citizens and improve their communities. “ (staff)