National Adult Literacy Database

On March 6, Bay Street's sharpest minds will compete against one another to raise money for Frontier College, Canada's original literacy organization. Frontier College President Sherry Campbell is inspired by the continued growth of the Scrabble Corporate Challenge, now in its ninth year. "It's a wonderful reminder of the value that the corporate community places on literacy," she said.

James Bridle, a London, UK-based editor, publisher and self-proclaimed book futurist, thinks digital technology could be used to enhance one-on-one relationships between author and readers, which he thinks will be just as valuable in the future as social online reading and writing.

The ESL Literacy Network has launched Education Opens Doors, a video featuring the Bridge program at Bow Valley College. Funded by the Government of Alberta and Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the Bridge program is designed for immigrant youth ages 18 to 25 with interrupted formal education. This innovative program opens doors and provides pathways to further education for this unique and resilient group of learners.

This plain language newspaper is designed in the U.S. for literacy students, English language learners, immigrants and basic readers.

Rose Hip Press, "the small press with a big interest in literacy," wonders if your organization or others you know could benefit from its Activity Calendar. The calendar is now even more affordable.

The Adult Basic Education Association of British Columbia will host its Conference 2013 May 2-3, 2013, at Harrison Hot Springs. Practitioners, researchers and others involved in the field of Adult Basic Education are invited to submit proposals for 90-minute presentations reflecting the 2013 Conference theme 'The Education Jigsaw - Fitting Adults into the Puzzle.' The deadline is February 28.

The premier of New Brunswick has highlighted his government's $2.5 million investment in Elementary Literacy Inc., a non-profit foundation, to support its Elementary Literacy Friends/Communauté-littératie-enfants-francophones volunteer tutoring programs. This private-sector-led initiative was created to raise literacy levels among children in elementary schools across the province.

As ABC's new executive director, you will "provide leadership to a Canadian culture of lifelong learning by helping to make the connections between literacy and a productive economy, personal fulfilment and a better standard of living for everyone."

Each month NALD releases Library user statistics in a feature known as the Top 20 downloads. The report examines the number of NALD Library documents which are viewed and downloaded by visitors to the NALD website.

The Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick is holding its third annual writing contest in celebration of Adult Learners' Week, April 6-14, 2013. They invite adult learners from across the province to share inspirational messages for adults who may be considering joining an adult literacy program.

In honour of Queen Elizabeth’s 60-year reign as the British Monarch, 30 individuals have been selected to receive a Diamond Jubilee Medal for their contribution to improving literacy and skills levels of adult Canadians.

Vulnerable children in Africa and persons with disabilities in South Asia will see their lives improved thanks to a partnership between the Government of Canada and York University.

But while more and more people are talking about embracing failure, the status quo has a powerful hold on the institutions charged with educating North American children, experts say.

“Over the past number of years, the Provincial Government has introduced a number of initiatives to support families, schools, and communities to access enhanced literacy resources and programming,” said Education Minister Clyde Jackman. “That work continues, as we are now partnering with public libraries to develop and deliver enhanced early childhood literacy programs and resources in a variety of settings, including libraries, schools, family resource centres and regulated child care settings.”

The Manitoba government is helping children develop strong reading and writing skills by investing $250,000 in additional funding for the Early Literacy Intervention Initiative, Education Minister Nancy Allan announced before reading to Grade 1 and 2 students at Greenway School to kick off I Love to Read Month.