Blog

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-… Read more.

Three for Change is a collaborative project between the Yukon Literacy Coalition, Ilitaqsiniq- Nunavut Literacy Council and NWT Literacy Council. It is intended to support the development of social enterprises and skills that will help people to find success in business development. Funded by Employment and Social Development Canada, the work of the three Territories will be guided by project… Read more.

We are very excited to celebrate NWT Literacy week next month on May 1-7! Each year, NWT Literacy Week is an opportunity for us to highlight the importance of literacy for NWT residents. This is also a time to recognize ways that communities support literacy development and making literacy fun! This year we have chosen the theme of Literacy Around the NWT to celebrate the unique programs and hard… Read more.

Hello! My name is Nicole and I am thrilled and grateful to be joining the talented NWT Literacy Council as a Family and Community Literacy Coordinator. I have always enjoyed working with families and learning about their unique experiences. Before joining the NWT Literacy Council, I worked with public art galleries in their programming and education departments. My background is in Fine Arts,… Read more.

People from different parts of the globe who now call Yellowknife “home” gathered at the Bushkids site on Sunday morning for a Cultural Sharing and Exchange workshop. The morning was the first of four half-day sessions that welcomed folks who, recently and not-so-recently, arrived to Canada and the community of Yellowknife from other countries. The space provided a rich opportunity for cross-… Read more.

Dàąt'e, ?édlánet'ea, Tanisi, Dànch'ùh, Haluuqqagin, Ainngai, Aaqana, Negha dágǫ́ht'e, Negha dágǫndíh, bonjour and hello!  My name is Kristie and I am proud and excited to be a new Community Literacy Coordinator.  Since I was a little girl, stories have been an important part of my life.  Listening to stories, reading, retelling tales, writing, and watching movies have helped make me who I am. … Read more.

Until I began to learn my language, I didn’t realize that a part of my identity was missing.  As a Dene person affected by residential school intergenerational trauma, I was never taught to speak my language. My grandmother – we called her Mama -- was a residential school survivor and never taught her children or grandchildren her language of Dëne Dédlıné. Mama felt ashamed of her language and… Read more.

Kyle Napier chu Eileen Beaver Eight months ago I only knew four phrases in Dene Dedlıne Yatı. Now, I can have a basic hour-long conversation with my language mentor, Eileen Beaver, almost entirely in the language. Eileen Beaver is my language learning mentor through the Mentor-Apprentice Program. She is a Dene Elder, as well as a 25-year instructor and resource translator for Dene Yatı. Eileen… Read more.

We are excited to celebrate Family Literacy Day on January 27! This day has been celebrated across Canada since 1999. This year, the theme is Learning in the Great Outdoors and we are encouraging families to take their learning outside! January may be cold, but the sun shines bright, and there is so much we can learn outdoors. Learning together outside has many benefits for everyone. When… Read more.

This is the fourth blog in our annual holiday book suggestions. For our final week, here are our suggestions for books you should check out in 2022. You can read each of the previous blogs in the series here. Families, by Jesse Unaapik Mike and Kerry McCluskey, follows Talittuq on his first day of grade two as he learns about the variety of families his classmates have. Some have one parent,… Read more.