Literacy for At-Risk Students: The Abbotsford Literacy Association helped launch the "Partners in Learning" tutoring program. This program trains selected pre-release inmates at Ferndale Institution to tutor at-risk students in alternate secondary schools in Abbotsford and Mission. The program, which has received considerable attention provincially and nationally, was funded by the NLS to produce a demonstration video. The video will assist other community organizations and correctional institutions to undertake a similar project. We assisted this project by providing members for the Steering Committee and through financial contributions. The other partners in this program are: School District #34 (Abbotsford), School District #75 (Mission), Ferndale Institution, University College of the Fraser Valley (UCFV), and Mission Literacy Association.

Family Literacy: We are currently participating in the launch of a family literacy program called "Reading Rascals," which promotes reading within families. This program begins on April 12 at the John Maclure Community School. The families of 12 kindergarten students will participate in the six week pilot.

The program includes story and craft time for the kindergarten children, story and play time for younger siblings, and a discussion time with the parents. Parents and the librarian will discuss the book of the week, reading strategies, and the importance of family reading to the development of literacy skills in children. Every week each family will take home its free book and the children's crafts. Other partners in this program are: School District #34 (Abbotsford), Fraser Valley Regional Library, and UCFV.

The Fraser Valley East Literacy Association has several projects which have excelled in 1995. The outlook is very positive for 1996.

One of the most popular projects put together by the communities in and around Chilliwack is the "Families in Motion" program. There are currently 28 parents and children in the program, which has a waiting list. The advisory committee, with new chair Vicki Grieve, is looking at the possibility of expanding the family literacy program to other sites in the Chilliwack area.

The Chowiyes Employment Services of the Sto:lo Nation facilitates a personal development program for the adults in the program. Participants look at career paths with the use of the Medicine Wheel model, designed to help them learn about mother nature, roadblocks and barriers to employment, personality types, and the concept of self and self-image. They also learn about building self- esteem, communication skills, body language, anger management, and conflict resolution.

The adult participants in the program have also decided to hold a learner event involving their children, called "Sharing Food and Fun." They are preparing a cookbook that will include family recipes and stories about the origins and history of the recipes. On April 13, the students will invite the community to an open house at the Kswah Indian Band Hall to sample some of the recipes and to see the cookbook.

While support for the Families in Motion program remains high, we are feeling the lack of volunteer time available in this community. We hired Aria Media Management to develop a campaign which will attract new members, as well as create more awareness about literacy in the upper Fraser Valley. The campaign will design a new brochure, publicize the learner event, arrange and make presentations to local businesses and community groups, write features for the local newspapers, and book time on local radio and cable TV talk shows. We would appreciate suggestions from other groups that have completed successful membership drives and publicity campaigns.