April 2020 marks 30 years since the NWT Literacy Council was created. We are excited to celebrate with you all year long, starting with NWT Literacy Week from April 19 to April 25. We have several events, contests, and ways to share memories planned for the whole year. Please join us in celebrating the hard work of NWT residents in increasing the profile of literacy as well as increasing their own literacy skills over the last 30 years.
Many people have shaped the work of the NWT Literacy Council since 1990. Even more have promoted literacy in their community. We want to celebrate these people over the next year. Please help us to create a list of Friends of Literacy by contacting us with their name and why you think they are a Friend of Literacy. Each person who is nominated will receive a certificate and be entered in a draw for 1 of 3 prize packs. Please email your nomination to katie@nwtliteracy.ca by March 31, 2020.
Here are some people I think are Friends of Literacy:
- Delores Vittrekwa, Fort McPherson: Delores has run so many programs for her community. She has taken Family Literacy and Skill Builders for Youth Training and runs programs for families and for youth. I am always amazed by the number of creative programs that Delores offers and the big turn out at her programs.
- Edna Elias, Kugluktuk, NU: Edna was the first president of the NWT Literacy Council Board of Directors. Edna has been an educator, translator/interpreter, language promoter, mayor and Nunavut’s Commissioner. Throughout this time, Edna has promoted literacy and language preservation.
- Any of the Indigenous Language Revitalization students: The hard work of these students is inspiring. They are all working to develop their own language skills, and to be able to support others on this journey. This work will have lasting impacts for each of their communities.
- Minnie Whimp, Fort Resolution and Mary Ann Vital, Deline: Minnie and Mary Ann both attended our first Family Literacy Training Institute in 2001 and have been actively involved with literacy programs ever since. They have both run programs in their communities and have come to further trainings acting as mentors to new trainees. When we began our Skills Builders for Youth program in 2013, both Mary Ann and Minnie joined our training and ran successful programs in their communities. Not only have these two helped to raise the profile of literacy in their own communities, but they both are long-standing board members of NWTLC, helping to guide the work of our organization.
Katie Johnson, Family and Community Literacy Coordinator
