01 Nov Canada Life Literacy Innovation Award honourable mention winners
Earlier this year, ABC Life Literacy Canada awarded five organizations with the Canada Life Literacy Innovation Award. The top winner was Pacific Immigrant Resources Society, whom we profiled in an earlier post. The four honourable mention winners are also doing great work that we would like to acknowledge.
Canada Learning Code, Toronto, ON
Program: Digital Skills for Entrepreneurship
The Digital Skills for Entrepreneurship program is designed to teach learners basic digital skills that will allow them to pursue their business idea or grow their existing business. By the end of the course, learners are able to apply foundational skills in their everyday life, create an online presence for their business, and become a part of a network of small businesses in their community. The objective is to support learners with digital literacy basics; from opening a web browser, understanding social media, to using collaboration tools like Google Sheets to manage a budget. Learners are introduced to digital tools for branding and marketing their business.
Centre for Family Literacy, Edmonton, AB
Program: Family Book Club
The Family Book Club aims to encourage families of all literacy levels to take part. Centre for Family Literacy provides families with Literacy Kits filled with books, craft materials and learning activities – everything they’ll need to take part in the Family Book Club program. Facilitators guide participants through the shared reading of a book, and everyone is encouraged to read a part of the book out loud. Following this is an open discussion about the book, crafts and writing activities. The goal is to foster shared literacy experiences between family members, focusing on the adult, and using content that is relevant to all the families in the program to help them reach their goals. The adults become co-developers in their learning and it really becomes meaningful to them.
Construction Association of PEI, Charlottetown, PE
Program: Youth in Trades
Youth in Trades provides cohorts an eight-week classroom experience followed by a 14-week on-the-job work placement in a trade profession of each participant’s choice. Over the course of the eight-week class, cohorts are tasked with honing a select group of key employability and life skills by way of an array of both individual and group-oriented exercises that emphasizes the necessity of document use, numeracy and literacy. Participants engage in activities that underscore the significance of Essential Skills. Acquiring exposure is a vital step in preparing participants for the day-to-day realities of the work world.
Project READ Literacy Network Waterloo-Wellington, Kitchener, ON
Program: Get Set Learn Family Literacy Peer Program
Get Set Learn Family Literacy Peer Program is designed to engage adult learners who are parents on a peer-to-peer level to further program outcomes and to provide an opportunity for adult learners (peers) to learn and gain valuable skills. In the peer position, former program participants are trained to take leadership roles to support families and enhance literacy activities which help to raise the literacy levels of both parent and child. The program gives peers, who receive Ontario Works and/or live in poverty, the opportunity to build the skills and experience they need to go on to further education and training and/or employment.
The Canada Life Literacy Innovation Award is generously sponsored by Canada Life.
“We’re proud to help ABC Life Literacy Canada recognize these dedicated community organizations for the work they’re doing to improve adult literacy skills and equip learners across Canada for future success,” said Debbie Down, Director, Community Relations at Canada Life. “The Canada Life Literacy Innovation Award is about recognizing the need for these programs and the positive impact they make in their communities. Congratulations to Pacific Immigrant Resources Society and each of the honourable mention winners.”
If you weren’t able to attend our virtual awards presentation and roundtable discussion, which featured a discussion with staff from all winning program, you can watch the recording.