Interlake Family Literacy Conference hits a home run
The
first ever regional Family Literacy conference sponsored by Literacy
Partners of Manitoba took place in Gimli on Saturday, May 6. More than
125 adults and 34 children under the age of 8 attended.
Everyone agreed that it was the best one yet! And, why not? The conference was organized by LPM’s regional rep Carol Goossen and her capable assistant Heather Lair, and besides, one like it had never been held in the province before.
The day was opened by Mr. Peter Bjornson, the MLA for Gimli and the Minister of Education.
At noon, a special celebration honoured IALA’s hardworking dynamo, Margaret Chambers. Speakers including Shirley Skogan of the Selkirk Adult Learning Programs, Elaine Elliot, the Literacy ambassador of the Rotary Club of Western Canada, and Lorri Apps, the executive Director of LPM, praised Margaret’s contribution to the development of literacy programming across the Interlake.
Above, Margaret Chambers (left) is pictured at the conference with long-time friend and colleague, Shirley Skogan. (Photo: courtesy Grant Fleming)
The day of activities centred on the importance of literacy-based activities for kids and families. Workshops brought new ideas to Moms and Dads while kids had a whole slate of their own learning activities.
This conference shows that there is a need for parents to network on the topic of literacy in the home and allows practitioners and participants to share ideas and strategies for raising a generation of readers and improving skills of adults at home. Evaluations of the day were so positive that a second Family Literacy Conference is already in the works for next year.