Families spend time learning and sharing at Indigenous Culture Camp
It was a beautiful day at the Wıı̀lıı̀deh site on Sunday September 25 for Indigenous Culture Camp. Over 50 families tried out Dene and Inuit games, learned about and took part in feeding the fire, participated in a drum dance, and shared delicious food from many different cultures. A number of weeks ago, this event was just an idea that came up in a conversation I had with Stacey Drygeese Sundberg. In discussions together, Stacey and I agreed that more opportunities for cross-cultural connections needed to be made within the community. We saw a need for…
On October 13, celebrate International Plain Language Day
Take a plain language writing course. Learn and develop the skills you need for clear communication. Look at a document and do a plain language audit. How could you change it to make it clearer and more concise? Ask all levels of government to use plain language for all their brochures, forms, reports, and other public information. Plain language writing means all readers can easily find the information they need, understand what they find, and use it. This is important for people at all reading levels. Plain language writing is based on research into…
Truth and Reconciliation Through Storytelling
As a Dene person, I was taught that all teachings start with a story, so here’s one of mine. When I was a child I spent most of my free time with my grandmother. She was my favourite person, my most trusted confidant, and my biggest supporter. My grandmother loved music. When I think back on my childhood, I vividly remember there being a soundtrack to our activities together - Patsy Cline when we cared for her plants, Doris Day while she kneaded bannock dough, Johnny Cash as we drove down the Ingraham Trail. These moments together were the happiest of my…
September 22, 2022 is Skills for Success Day (formerly Essential Skills Day).
Skills for Success Day takes place each year in September to raise awareness about the skills everyone needs to participate and succeed in learning, work and life. The Skills for Success often overlap and interact with each other. They are important technical and life skills. The Government of Canada identifies nine Skills for Success: Reading Writing Numeracy Digital Problem solving Communication Collaboration Adaptability Creativity and innovation As the Youth Literacy Coordinator, I get to work with the Skills for Success a lot through…
End of Summer Wrap Up
It is wild how fast time has gone by. I can’t believe I am already writing my end of summer post. I have had the pleasure of working with the Literacy Council before, and I can say with confidence that I had even more fun coming back this summer. This summer challenged me in more ways than I can count. I have stepped out of my comfort zone, worked as a team member, and learned to adapt to new situations. I have become a lot more vocal and confident. These are traits that I hope to carry with me as I grow. From farmers markets, festivals, and picnics, my…
Omar Paddling
NWTLC’s Community Connections program organized three potluck and paddling picnics for newcomers this summer. At every picnic, participants could hop in a canoe to try paddling. Fred Henne Territorial Park organized voyageur canoe rides from Narwal Outdoor Adventures for the August picnic. Newcomers and their children also got to try stand-up paddle boarding if they were keen. The idea is to introduce newcomers to a new northern experience. Omar and his family went on the water for the first time after 10 years in Canada. They were keen…
My Summer at the NWT Literacy Council- Shania
Hi, my name is Shania. I was one of the summer students at NWT Literacy Council, and this was my experience working here. It was a fun environment and laid-back job; the people who work here are friendly and understanding. I had many questions, and learned a lot about how to be in a workplace and communicate properly. The staff here made the job exciting. There were many tasks to be done such as cutting a lot of paper, choosing great books to give away, even helping paint a shelf which was interesting (I’ve never used sandpaper before). …
Introduction- Aishah
Hello everyone! My name is Aishah and I have been working as a summer student for the NWT Literacy Council. I was born in London, England and moved to Yellowknife in 2012 with my parents and three siblings. I attended Range Lake North School and graduated from École Sir John Franklin High School last year. I love true crime podcasts and I am currently listening to My Favourite Murder. When I was growing up, my mother made sure to teach my siblings and me the importance of literacy by taking us to the public library every weekend to pick out new books. I loved…
Connecting with My Children
Being a young mother to two children has its challenges. We’ve struggled to balance school, work, and household chores, but I’ll forever be grateful for my children. We take one day at a time and most days we believe everything will work out. I adore and love both my children unconditionally and equally. When my partner and I found jobs this summer, we had great support to help care for our children and we are thankful for those who are helping us. However, some days, with our new lifestyle, I felt disconnected from my family and started to…
Connections through Sewing Boomerang Bags
The Northwest Territories Literacy Council (NWTLC) has a new project. Participants in our Community Connections program for newcomers to Canada are sewing Boomerang Bags. Boomerang Bags are cloth shopping bags made from repurposed fabric. The idea originated in Australia when a grocery store clerk started a conversation about plastic, particularly about plastic shopping bags. Boomerang Bags, the organization, began with the goal of reducing the use of plastic bags. It started “a movement towards shifting society’s throw-away mentality to a more sustainable…
Sharing Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library with NWT Communities
After many years of seeking funds and doing fundraising, the NWT Literacy Council (NWTLC) is excited to announce that we will be supporting the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) program in 15 NWT communities this year! In these communities, families with children 0-5 years old can sign up each child to receive a free book in the mail every month until their fifth birthday. Registered families will receive family literacy activity packages from the NWTLC. Dolly Parton began the program in her home state of Tennessee in 1995. It is now offered…
Skill Builders for Youth
How do you embed important life and literacy skills into activities like mitten making, cooking or youth nights? This was what we discovered in our recent Skill Builders for Youth training. Participants from Inuvik, Norman Wells, Fort Liard, Délı̨nę, Ulukhaktok, Fort Simpson, Wekweètì, Ndilo and Yellowknife joined us for a three-day training to learn about the Skills for Success, and how to embed these skills into fun, informal programs that interest young people. In 2021 what was formerly known as Literacy and Essential Skills was updated and changed to…
Reconnecting with Literacy
On May 4-6 NWT Literacy Council staff attended the Decoda Literacy Conference. This was the first conference staff had attended in over two years. Decoda is the Provincial Literacy Coalition of BC. The theme of the 2022 Decoda Literacy Conference was “Literacy Connects Us!”. It was a fitting theme for a conference that brought together literacy practitioners from across the country for discussions on adult literacy practises, family literacy programs, and programs to support newcomers. Karen Johnson, our Community Connections…
Hi! My name is Balqisa.
Hi! My name is Balqisa. I am excited and honoured to share my experience of working with the NWTLC. I joined the Literacy Council in 2021 as a Summer Student. I helped staff with their daily programs and enjoyed it a lot. Before joining the Literacy Council, I worked in both Early Childhood Education and Administration fields. I started my career in childcare as I always loved working with families, especially kids, and helping them prosper in life. Later, I decided I also need administration skills to be able to fulfil my daily tasks and I familiarized myself…
Empowering Northern Youth
The NWT Literacy Council is currently running a new program known as Empowering Northern Youth (ENY). This program is a tri-territorial project with the Yukon and Nunavut running similar programs in their respective Territories. Our program has recently completed its first cohort of participants and is set to begin our second cohort on April 25th, 2022. Our program consists of four weeks of in-classroom training and skills development, followed by a two-week job placement program with various partner employers in Yellowknife. The first cohort was a tremendous…