At this time of year, we start to think about a fresh start. The new school year is approaching and with it comes the anticipation of a new beginning. It’s a clean slate - with potential for all sorts of experiences and learning. The anticipation is sometimes mixed with excitement, and a bit of hesitation, for what lies ahead. There might be new school shoes, fresh pencils, unmarked scribblers and packages of binder paper. There is excitement about who this year’s teachers will be, what friendships will be made and how hard the work will be.

As children, youth and adults head back to school, there will be other kinds of fresh starts. New Canadians and refugees will be settling in their new homes and may be learning English in community-based programs. New parents will be taking their little ones to programs like Mother Goose, Love 2 Learn and Together to Learn, to get a great start through rhymes, songs and stories. Seniors and adults will be dropping in to programs for help with new devices like iPads and tablets. Adults learning new skills will show what they have learned through earning digital badges.

We have many “fresh starts” in our lives. It’s part of being a life long learner, and has a big impact on individuals and communities. Here are a few statistics on the impact of literacy and learning from Decoda Literacy Solution’s website:

• Regardless of socio-economic background, children whose parents read books to them in their early school years had better reading test scores at age 15.
• Having strong literacy, numeracy and problem solving skills is positively connected to being part of the labour market. It is also associated with being employed and earning higher wages.
• Investment in education and skills training (human capital) is three times as important to economic growth over the long run as investment in machinery and equipment (physical capital).

This September is the 3rd Annual Literacy is Life campaign, hosted by Decoda Literacy Solutions. This year’s theme is “A Fresh Start.”  Communities around BC are proclaiming September as Literacy Month and are participating in a variety of literacy awareness and fundraising events.

It takes courage to embrace a new beginning … and you can help! In the Columbia Basin and Boundary watch for the 6th Annual Reach a Reader campaign, which supports community-based literacy programs across the region. Save your coins for the new Loonies for Literacy piggy banks you’ll start seeing in local businesses and at community programs. Support businesses like Blue Sky Clothing Co, which is helping to “Sock it to Literacy” by donating $1 to local literacy programs for every pair of “reading purple” socks sold. Or, volunteer to tutor an adult learner or newcomer to your community.

Let’s work together to support these new beginnings.

​You can learn more about CBAL's community-based literacy programs in your community by visiting our Community Programs page. 

Joan Exley
Community Literacy Coordinator
Columbia Basin Alliance for literacy - Nelson

Thanks to a New Horizons for Seniors grant, the Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy (CBAL) has built successful partnerships with seniors across the region, offering Tech Learning Place drop-in programs and workshops in Beaver Valley, Castlegar, Grand Forks and Nelson.
 
The Castlegar Seniors Centre was delighted to provide space and to work closely with CBAL to offer a Tech Learning Place. “Having this partnership with CBAL has increased our numbers … it is a wonderful opportunity for us and we look forward to having more workshops and drop-ins in the future,” says Bev Kennedy, Director of Education for the Castlegar Seniors Centre.
 
The first workshop at the Centre saw participants taking part in a Getting to Know Your iPad workshop. Castlegar senior Donna Arishnikoff says, “Getting to Know Your iPad was great! I had fun discovering new information … now it is time to review and practice. I always need to repeat what I learn so it will stick!” She adds, “The programs are very helpful.  …Since I got my iPad there has been so much to learn so I have been attending the Tech Learning Place.  The instructors are wonderful and it is fun!”
 
Other workshops developed for the project include: iPads and Email, iPads and Facebook, iPads and Photos, Facetime, iMessages and iPads and Contacts, Calendars and iPads. Sonia Tavares, Community Literacy Coordinator for Greater Trail, says "workshops in Beaver Valley were so successful they had to be offered in Trail and Rossland as well,” as local seniors clamoured for more learning opportunities!
 
Many participants come with their iPads – but they also bring other devices such as phones or tablets. CBAL facilitator Corinne Svardfeldt says, “Having the iPad classes has been very successful. New people continue to attend; I think the word is out! We see people with many needs - using iPads, setting up Facebook accounts, connecting with family members and setting up contacts to communicate with others easily.”
 
“These programs are also a great way for people to get together, socialize and share tips about their experiences with technology,” adds Svardfeldt.
 
The finished workshops will be available on the CBAL and Decoda Literacy Solutions websites once the pilot project is complete and any revisions based on the pilot feedback are made.
 
If you would like to learn more about opportunities for technology support and learning in your community contact your local community literacy coordinator or go to cbal.org.
 
Alana Murdoch
Community Literacy Coordinator
Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy