If you would like to learn more about the role of Volunteer Tutor at The Literacy Group, please plan to attend our information session on Wednesday February 10^th from 6:30pm-8:30pm.

This information session is a prerequisite for attending our next tutor training session.  The tutor training will take place Saturday February 27^th and Sunday February 28^th from 9am-4pm.

LITERACY FACTS

The need for literacy and essential skills training has never been greater.  42% of adults in Canada do not have the minimum literacy skills to cope with everyday life and work.  Of those 425%, the 15% with lowest literacy levels have serious difficulty dealing with any printed material.  Low literacy skills are directly linked to poverty, poor health and high unemployment:

WORK

People with low literacy skills are about twice as likely to be unemployed for six or more months as those with higher skills.

50% of Canadian adults with low numeracy scores are 2.5 times more likely to receive social assistance compare with those with higher scores

Adults who scored at lower literacy levels only have a 50% chance of finding another job – even after 52 weeks of unemployment.

POVERTY

Between 22% and 50% of adults with lower levels of literacy live in low-income households compared with only 8% of those with high-level literacy skills.

JUSTICE

Offenders experience literacy problems at three times the rate of the general population.  The average education level of newly admitted offenders serving two years or more is Grade 7.

HEALTH

Some direct effects of living with low literacy include increased hospitalizations and misinterpreted medication instructions.  Literacy skills are the strongest predictors of an individual’s health status.

Source: Adult Literacy and life Skills survey (Statistics Canada and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2005, ABC Canada, and North Bay Literacy Council’s Literacy and Health Project).

Our Board of Directors ensures that The Literacy Group meets its legal, ethical and community responsibilities. It also ensures that all programs follow our mission statement and are properly managed. We are currently seeking Board of Directors candidates with expertise in and a passion for fundraising, Prior non-profit board experience preferred but not required. We are looking for a candidate who will be willing to actively participate in fundraising and other board activities.

Follow this link to hear Literacy Learner Success stories

http://www.ccl-cca.ca/CCL/Newsroom/MultimediaCentre/AudioVideoArchive/?Language=EN 

Françoise Cadieux: Never exposed to a formal education, Françoise used diversions for decades to hide the fact—even from her own children—that she could not read or write. Now able to read and write, Françoise is enjoying a new, independent life.

Keppel Disney: At age 27, Keppel lost a job opportunity because he could not fill out an application form. He later ran afoul of the law. His experience in jail was the catalyst for him to seek help to improve his reading and writing skills. Today, Keppel is a banquet server at an Ottawa hotel and an award-winning literacy success story.

Sabrina Jaundoo: Sabrina arrived in Canada five years ago from Guyana, South America, with limited education and very low literacy skills. Today, Sabrina is an avid reader and student, working toward her Grade 12 with the hopes of one day becoming an accountant or flight attendant.

Michel Gratton: After years of struggling in large classrooms, Michel Gratton quit high school to join the workforce. It was when he was required to take a safety test at work that he realized the importance of literacy skills to advancing his career objectives. At age 46, Michel returned to school to finish his Grade 12 and improve his computer literacy skills.

Daisa Allurut: Daisa Allurut has one main goal: to graduate high school before her two young children. Originally from Nunavut, she now attends adult high school in the nation’s capital. Daisa regularly works to improve her literacy skills not only inside the classroom, but also in the community.


Ryan Rolfe: Ryan received good grades as an elementary school student. However, his tumultuous teen years changed his educational route and saw him heading down a dangerous path. Now 23, this Moncton native is upgrading his literacy skills to become an electrical engineering technican. He hopes to one day fund his three children’s post-secondary education.