| Reading About Surviving | A Guide to Adult Basic Education in Women's Bridging Progams | Legal Services of the Cowichan Valley | Focus on Family Literacy | Haida Gwaii Needs Assessment & Planning Report |
Memories of Days Gone By
Treasure of Memories
Lil's Story: An
Ordinary Woman
These three books tell personal stories about living in western Canada from the 1920's to the present. The stories were written and edited by members of the Seniors Writing Circle of Kiwassa Neighbourhood House in Vancouver.
The books are the product of a 1995/96 B.C. literacy cost-shared project of Vancouver Community College and Kiwassa Neighbourhood House.
Effie Niemela recalls her one-room prairie school in her story, School Days:
| When my dad was a boy, he went to the same school as I did. It was one room with a porch. We had as many as forty-five kids, one teacher and eight grades ... We had to walk as far as a quarter mile to get our drinking water ... By the time I got to grade seven and eight there were only three of us left. A lot dropped out. Going to school was a lot of work. But we got a good education. |  |
From Memories of Days Gone By
Hannah Gvorchin remembers her childhood during the Depression in her story, East Vancouver When I Was A Child.
Because of the Depression there was hardly any work and no welfare unless you lived in the province for a year so we were poor and hungry... I remember one time when out of desperation ... my father caught crabs in nets and cooked them at home. Our house smelled for over a block away. He shelled the crabs, sold them and was caught and fined.
From Treasure of Memories
Reading About Surviving
I have often wondered why I stayed in that marriage for as long as I did. Perhaps it was because my self esteem was so low, or that I had no support systems... It could have been that I learned to live in a violent situation. It could have been all of these reasons.
It seemed like nobody cared. Often I would look for help, but it was like it was my fault, so I didn't bother. I just kept taking it. I took it for17 years.
These are the words of women who have survived abuse. Their stories are part of a collection of 16 easy-to-read books about violence against women in relationships.
Reading About Surviving was compiled for women with low literacy skills who have experienced abuse. The collection offers these women reading material that reflects their experience.
The collection is the product of a 1995/96 B.C. literacy cost-shared project sponsored by Malaspina University College and the B.C. and Yukon Society of Transition Houses. A copy of the collection has been placed in every transition house in B.C.
The books in the collection are from Canada, the U.S. and South Africa. They include novels, personal stories, non-fiction, and two children's stories. The books range from a literacy to a grade 10 reading level.
A copy of the collection is available on loan from Literacy B.C.
Phone:1-800-663-1293.
A Guide to Adult Basic Education in Women 's Bridging Programs
This is a guide to developing ABE materials that give women in bridging programs the opportunity to experience success as learners.
The guide is the product of a 1995/96 B.C. literacy cost-shared project. The project was sponsored by Atira Transition House Society and Kwantien University College.
The guide presents sample materials for the ABE component of a bridging program. Bridging programs provide a safe, supportive place for women who have experienced abuse to improve their personal skills, explore career options, and upgrade their education. The ABE materials are designed to support the overall program goal of helping these women develop the confidence and self-esteem to effectively participate in further education, training, and employment.
The materials focus on activities and skills which develop a woman's ability to learn and encourage her to take charge of her own learning. The content of the materials is intended to be adapted to the specific needs and interests of different groups of women.
Copies of the guide are available from Literacy B.C. Phone: 1-800-663-1293.
Legal Services of the Cowichan Valley
This is a booklet about how to find legal help for problems that often happen in life.
The booklet was written by students of the Developmental Education Department at Malaspina University College in Duncan, B.C. It was funded by the Public Legal Education Program of the Legal Services Society of B.C.
The booklet contains stories about how to deal with problems such as: noisy neighbours; obtaining visiting rights with children; removing children from care; and vandalism.
Copies of the booklet are available from Literacy B.C.
Phone:
1-800-663-1293.
The Wordless Book
Literacy B.C. has lots of copies of The Wordless Book!
phone:1-900-663-1293.
Focus on Family Literacy
These recently published resources report on family literacy programs funded by the 1995/96 B.C. literacy cost-shared program. The reports are intended as guides to assist other organizations in offering similar programs. Copies of the reports are available from Literacy B.C. Phone: 1-800-663-1293.
Parents and Preschoolers Learning Through the Library: A Process Guide
 |
This is a guide to the development of a family literacy program in a library. It is based on a program held last fall at the George Mackie Library in Delta to help parents and their preschool children learn to enjoy reading together. The program was also designed to introduce families to the services offered by community libraries. The project was sponsored by Fraser Valley Regional Library; Delta School District, Continuing Education; and Kwantien University College. |
Families Reading Together For a Better Future; Une Famille Qui Lit Un Avenir Qui Sourit
This is the report of a project designed to promote family literacy and community integration among three different cultural groups in the Comox Valley of B.C.
The project was sponsored by CALLS (Community Adult Literacy & Learning Society), Educacentre, the Comox Indian Band, Human Resources Development Canada (Courtenay), and North Island College.
The project identified parents with low literacy skills in the Francophone, First Nations, and mainstream populations. Workshops were offered to encourage these parents to pursue learning experiences for themselves and their children.
The report describes the challenges and rewards created by community partnerships where cultural and linguistic differences exist.
Haida Gwaii Needs Assessment & Planning Report
This report describes a project that identified the literacy needs and barriers experienced by adults with low literacy skills in the Haida communities of the Queen Charlotte Islands.
The project was funded by the 1995/96 B.C. literacy cost-shared program and sponsored by the Haida Gwaii Learning Circle Society and Northwest Community College.
The report presents the results of interviews conducted with counsellors, educators, social service workers, employers, and potential learners. Tutor training was included in the project because the interviews quickly identified a need for trained tutors to work one-on-one with adults with low literacy skills.
Among other findings, the interviews revealed that more Haida men than women have low literacy skills. The report suggests that men who have been successful in logging, fishing, and related industries have not needed an education but that the decline of these industries will make them a primary target group for literacy programs.
The report includes a number of recommendations to improve literacy services in the Queen Charlottes, including: the continuation of a volunteer tutoring program; using low literacy computer programs to encourage adult men to participate; and exploring options such as family literacy and sharing stories orally.
Copies of the report are available from Literacy B.C.
Phone:
1-800-663-1293
