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ABC Life Literacy Canada is proud to unveil the recipients of the 2026 Canada Life Literacy Innovation Award (LIA), celebrating three organizations that are advancing adult literacy through creative community-driven programming.
Georgian Bay Native Women’s Association recently introduced the Money Matters for Indigenous Peoples financial literacy program to their clients.
Adult literacy rarely receives the same attention, urgency or investment as K–12 education. It is often treated as a niche issue, a social service or something that should be addressed by community organizations and volunteers. This shouldn’t be the case.
Today, being literate means more than being able to read a document or write a message. Canadians are increasingly required to understand, evaluate and use information in new ways every day.
Adult literacy programs create outcomes that are often personal, gradual and difficult to measure. Confidence, independence and improved quality of life don’t always translate into standard measures of impact or return on investment. Yet these outcomes are often the very reason literacy programs matter. The good news is that demonstrating impact doesn’t require collecting endless amounts of data. It requires collecting the right information and telling a compelling story with it.
Kids aren’t the only ones heading back to class in a few weeks; many adults are as well! Here are some tips for preparing your classroom for new adult learners this fall.
While helping learners build foundational literacy, numeracy, digital and communication skills remains at the heart of our work in adult literacy, creating a culture where learning continues long after a program ends can have an even greater impact.
While no one can predict when the next recession will occur, Canada can prepare for economic challenges by investing in one of its most valuable resources: its people. When Canadians have the skills to learn, adapt and participate fully in the workforce, everyone benefits.
Adult literacy has always evolved alongside society. As technology transforms how we work, communicate and access information, the way adults develop literacy skills is changing too. Today’s learners have different needs, different schedules and different expectations than they did even a decade ago.
By incorporating financial literacy into adult learning programs, practitioners can help learners develop practical skills that support both their personal and professional lives.
For many adult learners, improving their literacy skills isn’t the end goal — it’s simply the pathway to another goal. Whether they’re pursuing a high school equivalency diploma, an industry certification, apprenticeship training, post-secondary education or a new career, literacy plays a critical role in helping learners achieve their ambitions.
Digital literacy today means much more than knowing how to use a computer or create a strong password. As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more advanced and accessible, the internet is becoming harder to navigate safely, especially when it comes to scams, misinformation and online exploitation.
Amanda Hunsaker is the Volunteer and Learning Centre Manager at RECLAIM Montreal, a community-based literacy organization offering one-on-one tutoring to adults who want to improve their literacy skills. Recently, RECLAIM introduced several UP Skills for Work workshops into its programming. The experience demonstrated how workplace skills can benefit learners at every stage of life.
The best way to combat the summer slide is to ensure children spend time every day learning, in order to practise their literacy skills.
Attracting and retaining adult learners is not just about offering quality instruction. It is about creating programs that are accessible, relevant, flexible and welcoming.
Incorporating Indigenous Ways of Knowing into your teaching can help create a more inclusive classroom environment.
When people think about literacy programs, they often picture adults enrolling to improve their own reading, writing, math or digital skills, typically for employment purposes or further education. But for many adult learners, the biggest motivation isn’t career advancement alone, it’s family.
Voice of English-speaking Québec (VEQ) partnered with ABC Life Literacy Canada to deliver UP Skills for Work, a free program that helps adults develop key employability and life skills through workshops and downloadable workbooks. VEQ has long been a vital support system for the English-speaking community in the greater Quebec City region.
Digital skills are no longer optional. From applying for jobs and accessing healthcare to communicating with family and managing finances, much of daily life now happens online. Yet for many adult learners, especially those with low literacy, language barriers or interrupted formal education, navigating the digital world can feel overwhelming.
While this learning loss is sometimes thought of in terms of kids coming back to school with rusty reading and math skills after summer break, it can actually happen to anyone.
Digital literacy is more than just using smartphones, social media, or navigating the Internet – it’s also about staying safe online.