Literacy Partners of Manitoba - e-bulletin

e-bulletin

December 2009

Mark your calendar: Our offices will be closed from December 24^th to January 4^th.

LPM welcomes a new Executive Director
Wendy Bulloch, the current Board Chair of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba, will be taking charge of LPM in January. Wendy brings with her the understanding that strong literacy skills can improve individual lives, community networks and business potential. She appreciates the effort and passion that practitioners bring to the field and brings new ideas for supporting and promoting their work. Wendy looks forward to meeting with practitioners, learners, agencies and industry to shape the direction of Literacy Partners of Manitoba into the future. Wendy has a degree in home economics and a Certificate in Adult and Continuing Education from the University of Manitoba, a Certificate in Leadership from the University of Saskatchewan and a Business Retention and Consultant Certificate from the University of Minnesota. She was a participant in the Intercultural Training Program for facilitators with the Department of Labour and Immigration in 2008.

Literacy Lovers: Join us on flickr with your “I am literate because…” message Click on: http://www.flickr.com/groups/iamliteratebecause/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Once your are there… Grab some felt-tip markers and something to write on. (Paper, cardboard, etc.) Finish the phrase: “I am literate because…”. (Example: “I am literate because of Canada’s excellent teachers!”) Pose with your “I love literacy because…” poster. Have someone take your picture. (If you are camera shy, take a picture of your poster in an interesting place, such as your home library or your office.) Upload your picture onto a computer. If your aren’t already a flickr member, go to www.flickr.com and sign up. It is just like signing up for an email account or something like that. Most people who use computers frequently can do it in a few minutes. Once you are a flickr member, join the Literacy Partners of Manitoba flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/iamliteratebecause/ When you are there, click the “Add photos or video” button. Choose your picture. (The pictures can be enlarged, shown in slideshow mode, commented on, and admired.) Within a day of submitting your photo, it will be up with the other pictures. (We check every picture for familyfriendliness before posting it.) Once your photo is up on flickr, click the “slideshow” button and witness yourself and fellow Canadians making our commitment to literacy – it is an impressive thing to see. And don’t forget to invite your friends and family: The more “I am literate because…” posters there are, the more of an impact it will make for literacy in Manitoba and across Canada. We look forward to reading your literacy message on: http://www.flickr.com/groups/iamliteratebecause/ What will your “I am literate because…” statement say?

Good-bye dear friend (and beloved librarian)!
Debra Litkowich is moving on. Debra came on-board as LPM’s Resource Centre Coordinator. She recently added Administrative Assistant to her duties. Debra helped put our, library catalogue on-line, ran several contests, and generally kept things humming. We at LPM will miss Debra and wish her the best!

Literacy Partner’s Annual General Meeting, 2009
Nicole, Manuel, and Nariman Ayed Edward Kidd and Rob Sarginson Volunteers, board members, staff and other friends of LPM.	Here are some of the highlights: Three new board members signed on to help govern in 2010. We welcome Anita Martens, Linda Lalande, and Nadine McCaughan to our board of directors. Linda LaLonde holds a Master’s Degree in Business and has worked as an executive in the non-profit sector for 33 years. She is currently the Executive Director of the Immigrant Centre of Manitoba. Anita Martens is a founding member of the Manitoba Learner Advisory Network and is the liaison to the national Learner Advisory Network. Anita attends Elmwood GOAL Literacy Program. Nadine McCaughan is currently working on her Master’s of Library and Information Science. Nadine also works part-time as a teacher for Children’s Services and as a education program developer for the Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberties (MARL). We thanked two board members, Monika Feist and Donald Fourier, learner representative, for their contributions to Literacy Partners. Both Monika and Don were presented with Awards of Appreciation to acknowledge their contributions. Sylvia Provenski, Director of Student Programs at Assiniboine Community College, spoke about Literacy Partners of Manitoba, its historical relevance and current service to literacy in Manitoba. Sylvia, a past LPM board president, received an Award of Achievement to acknowledge the exemplary work she has done in the field of literacy in Manitoba. Lorraine Kaczer was presented an Award of Achievement to thank her for her outstanding service at LiteracyWORKS and her contributions to the literacy community. Two learner-speakers Nariman Ayed, Manuel Uris, and Nicole Baker (speaking for Leesa Sinclair), gave a short narrative which entwined their three separate literacy stories. Thank you to everyone who attended!

Peter Gzowski Golf Invitational 2010
I recently sat down for a chat with Rob Malo, Chariman of PGI Manitoba’s planning committee and asked him some questions about the early planning stages of PGI 2010 and the recent PGI conference in Toronto. Q. I remember you saying right after PGI 2009 that the planning committee had already scheduled it’s first meetings. Now that you’ve met a couple of times, what are some of your goals? A. We are dedicated to making it a terrific event. When summer comes around, one thing individuals like is to get out and support charity with a round of golf. We’re also committed to generating good sponsorship packages to get the different levels of commitment. Q. You recently attended the national PGI conference in Toronto. What was the special occasion? A. This was the 25 year anniversary of the Peter Gzowski Golf Invitational, so PGI Canada invited all the committees from the PGI provinces. The meetings, overall, were very good. People came away with the sense that, nationally, PGI is doing well. Q. What did you bring back from other PGI organizers that will help your committee? A. You definitely gain an uplift from meeting people with successful tournaments in other parts of Canada. Q. Can you tell us about any plans in particular, or would that let the cat out of the bag? A. There are some new things that we want to do in 2010, but I want them to be a surprise. Q. Why is literacy such an important issue for business people like yourself, Herman Hansen (Chairman of LPM’s Board of Directors), and others? A. As small businesses, as corporations, as government organizations, we all strive to have well trained employees. It’s good business. Successful organizations make sure that their employees have an attitude of success. And I think that adult literacy programs help many people get a new lease on life and the skills they need to succeed.

Tis’ the season for learning:
10 family literacy tips and activities to warm the winter holidays ABC CANADA offers the following activities to encourage family literacy over the holidays and throughout the winter months: Make a list, check it twice: As a family, write out lists together – wish lists to Santa, shopping lists or even New Year’s resolutions! Watch a book: Many classic holiday stories have been adapted for the big screen. Read these stories with your kids first, then watch the movie equivalents. Click HERE to read the entire list.