Family Literacy
by Terrie Moar 785-2973

Greetings everyone! There are some very exciting things happening in Family Literacy in Manitoba. It was wonderful to see the commitment of family literacy practitioners and family organizations, as they gathered at our AGM. It was an opportunity to hear about the accomplishments and direction of all these folks. We shared some information about upcoming opportunities for promotion and partnerships.

National Family Literacy Day

National Family Literacy Day is coming up fast – January 27th, 2000! How are you going to celebrate the first Family Literacy Day of the new millenium? Hundreds of posters, bookmarks with buttons, tips sheets, stickers and brochures from ABC CANADA will be distibuted. We need to know your plans so we can ship you some of these free promotional materials. Call my office at 785-2973 and leave a message indicating how many people will be attending your event.

Proclamations

Have you received confirmation of declarations being proclaimed in your town or city? Shirley Skogan has already received word for Selkirk – thanks to her good work in sending out the letters. If you haven’t already done so, please don’t delay. Please send letters to the Family Services and Justice Ministers as well.Their support is essential to the family literacy movement. Please encourage your community partners to submit letters as well. People have requested sample wording for proclamations. See the example in the box below.

Celebrations

Our major thrust this year, due to popular demand, will be local National Family Literacy Day celebrations. In an effort to maintain and strengthen our library partnerships, we are proposing “Under Cover Reading” Events on January 27th, 2000. Please contact your local library with the idea of having parents and children celebrate there. We could encourage children to come in their pyjamas (if it is an evening event). Contact local RCMP and police to be celebrity readers. I will be doing some main contacting from here – but your local partners are more influenced by your personal contact. I will make contact with Winnipeg Public Library, the Manitoba Library Association, Safeway, Coop (for goodie bags to take home), RCMP, and Winnipeg Police. However, I need to know if your program is planning to participate. So please let me know a.s.a.p.

Sun Dog Storytelling Festival

A magical event is happening in time for National Family Literacy Day at the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature. January 22nd and 23rd will mark the first Sun Dog Storytelling festival. The event promises to be amazing – providing families with an opportunity to participate in rhyme circles and story telling. Storytelling workshops are planned as well, an excellent professional development opportunity for literacy practitioners. I will be sending out the promotional materials as soon as they arrive. What a wonderful kick-off for the 27th!

Wish Lists

I am currently working on the Wish Lists that have been submitted. Our goal is to have an attractive package to present to prospective funders and partners. Each package will be program-specific. If you haven’t already submitted your ideas, do it soon, as this effort is time-sensitive. I know it is rather long, but it is all quite essential. Please do not hesitate to call me regarding any of the above. All the best for the holiday season and the New Year. Terrie.


Call for Learners' Submissions

A New Look for the New Millennium

Adult learners are the soul and driving force of the community-based programs and the literacy movement in Manitoba. LPM would like to feature learner stories in each and every issue of Write On. For a one-year trial period, we will replace the publication of the Manitoba Literacy Star with a featured Learner Page insert in the newsletter.

We will showcase submissions in each issue. As a result, learners’ stories will now reach everyone on our mailing list (members, agencies, MPs, MLAs, City Councillors, etc.)

This will provide an authentic audience for learner writing as a motivational tool for instructors. The more frequent publication will allow learners to receive immediate feedback while still in the program.

Links will be available on the NALD website to the Learner Story of the Week.

Send us Your Stories

We will accept poems, personal stories, class compositions, essays, or learner news items by mail, fax, or email. Send us a picture if you have a close-up suitable for scanning, and perhaps a little biographical information about the writer. Please include the learner’s permission, signed name, phone number and program affiliation, in case we need more information. An honorarium will be provided for published choices, to reward this extra effort and motivate more writing!

Call editor Charles Moody for information or ideas at 775-4787, or email cmoody@mbnet.mb.ca. Next Deadline for Learner Items: February 20, 2000

Sample wording for Proclamation of Literacy Day in your town

Whereas a parent/early caregiver is a child's first teacher, and a child learns from this person for longer than from any other person; and

Whereas research shows the strong influence parents have on the literacy development of their children; and

Whereas children who are read to at home, who use reading and writing materials, who have developed oral language skills and who are encouraged to read and write have a better chance to succeed in school;

Therefore (insert name of town ) proclaims January 27th, 2000, Family Literacy Day.