National Adult Literacy Database

Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax will host a series of speakers, workshops and public events this fall and next winter that will examine the question: “How do we read the world?" Titled ‘Literacy as Ways of Knowing,’ the series will explore the many ways literacy is interpreted, how it is defined, what it looks and sounds like, and how various forms and mediums of literacy affect our lives.

Canada Post has announced the finalists for its 2011 Community Literacy Awards. In two categories, Individual Achievement and Educator, finalists were chosen by a committee of judges from Canada Post from entries submitted from across the country. Literacy advocates from organizations across Canada will determine the ultimate winners.

Twenty-three English schools across Quebec have reinvented themselves as part of the movement in the province’s English education system to become community schools. It’s a concept that involves forging partnerships with community-based groups.

Microsoft Live@edu provides the flexibility of Office Web Apps that include web-optimized versions of Word, Excel, OneNote and PowerPoint. UNB students will now be able to access these essential tools anywhere, anytime, on their PCs or mobile devices.

Canadians across the country have a new opportunity to recognize the exceptional contributions volunteers make in their communities. Nominations for the Prime Minister’s Volunteer Awards will be accepted until September 9, 2011.

Volunteers in the John Howard Society’s literacy program provide one-on-one tutoring to inmates at the Winnipeg Remand Centre. The program aims not only to improve inmates’ reading, writing and grammar skills but also to help educate them on topics of interest including parenting, victim awareness and substance use.

The Centre for Skills Development & Training, through funding from HRSDC’s Office of Literacy and Essential Skills and in partnership with the Halton Industry Education Council, has developed educational video games targeted at young adults aged 15-30 to help enhance their employability.

Frontier College is getting ready for a busy summer of helping children in Aboriginal communities across Canada improve their reading skills. Staff in over 60 camps will work to keep youngsters motivated and improve their literacy skills by preventing reading loss that often occurs over the summer months.

The Assembly of First Nations has released a one-year status report on the national Call to Action on First Nation education, showcasing progress and partnerships in working toward fairness in education for First Nations and encouraging others to join the effort.

Summer slide, the brain-drain that occurs during the holiday months when young people are out of class, can be a problem, especially for those who struggle in school.

Windsor’s job-shadowing program for people with disabilities began 20 years ago, although it was on sabbatical for the past four years, until being revived in 2011.

As summer vacation approaches for school-age children, thoughts for some people veer toward year-round schooling. This educational notion is slowly gaining traction all over North America. In Canada, about 100 schools have modified calendars, shrinking the summer holiday to five weeks.

This is an important resource for a key demographic since more and more baby boomers are deciding to stay in the workforce for longer than they had initially planned, and many over the age of 55, particularly women, are returning to work in greater numbers.

A new report from AlphaPlus suggests that with the help of cloud computing, the future of cyberspace for adult literacy will see a proliferation of new and easily accessible literacy tools such as smartphone applications to help read signs and turn text into voice.

Immigrants landing in Calgary are confused by the dominance of English in that city, and express puzzlement that they don't hear much French spoken on the street or in buses. They wonder, under those circumstances, why Canada calls itself bilingual.