News
From online banking and appointment booking to staying connected with family, technology has become part of almost every aspect of daily life. However, for people who have limited experience using digital devices, completing even seemingly simple online tasks can feel confusing and overwhelming.
As Cybersecurity Awareness Month takes place across Canada this October, ABC Life Literacy Canada is highlighting the connection between digital literacy and consumer protection.
For parents navigating the early years of raising a family, financial stress can add another layer of difficulty to an already demanding time. For families who are new to Canada, living on a low income or raising children without a strong support network, learning how to manage money and navigate Canada’s financial system can be especially valuable. At Vita Centre in Ontario’s Peel Region, financial literacy has become an important part of helping parents build the skills and confidence they need to support their families.
Health literacy is the ability to find, understand and use health information and services to make informed decisions about your health. You don’t need to be a health expert to have good health literacy. In fact, there are many small, everyday moments when these skills can make a difference.
Financial decisions are part of everyday life. From reading a paycheque to comparing prices, understanding a bank statement or planning for an unexpected expense, adults use financial literacy skills every day. For adult learners who are also developing reading, writing and numeracy skills, financial literacy can provide meaningful, real-world opportunities to practise those skills.
While technical knowledge and job-specific expertise remain important, employers increasingly need people who can communicate effectively, solve problems, work with others, adapt to change and continue learning throughout their careers. These are often called “soft skills,” but they are anything but secondary. They are essential skills for navigating the modern workplace.
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.