Three for Change
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 objectives which include: Creating training modules focused on specific Skills for Success, Creating a northern approach to developing social enterprises, and…
NWT Literacy Week: Literacy Around the NWT!
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-working facilitators all around the Territory. Since the NWT Literacy Council (NWTLC) was formed in 1990, we have worked with community-based programs to support…
Arts and Literacy
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, with more recent training in Public Programming and Community Engagement. As a Public Programs Coordinator in the cultural industry, I had the opportunity to meet and…
Cultural Exchange on the Land
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-cultural exchange and connection as we shared worldviews, stories, and food on the Land. The workshop was hosted by Beb(a)ski – For the Land consulting and services, a…
The Power of Literacy
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. Not only have stories helped me to learn about my family, but they have also helped me to better understand and appreciate others. Reading and hearing…
My Language Journey Is Also My Healing Journey
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 deemed it unnecessary, even a hindrance, to her children’s future success. I’ve come to realize that language is a huge part of someone’s identity and, for myself,…
Dene Dedlıne Yatı beneresní-ha
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 grew up speaking Dene Dedlıne Yatı, Gaelic, French, Cree, Michif and Latin. Like many fluent speakers of our dialect of Dene Dedlıne Yatı, Eileen grew up in Rocher…
Family Literacy Day 2022: Learning in the Great Outdoors
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 families are outside together we can feel better physically and emotionally. Feeling better can help children and adults focus and learn more. We also have so much to learn…
Holiday book recommendations 2021: Part 4
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, some are adopted, some live with extended family, some have two moms or two dads, and some have a mom and a dad. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and this is a great…
Holiday book recommendations 2021: Part 3
This week we are continuing with more suggestions of books for the holiday season. This week our focus is books that we have discovered (or rediscovered) and enjoyed over the last year. This summer my four-year-old selected Crunch, the Shy Dinosaur by Chirocco Dunlap from a book store shelf. At first glance it looked like a cute book about a dinosaur, but it also teaches about self-regulation and ways to help people (or dinosaurs!) feel comfortable in social situations. We have to practice talking to Crunch in a calm and soothing voice and giving him the…
Holiday book recommendations 2021: Part 2
This is the second of our annual book recommendation blogs. Check out last week’s blog here to read more recommendations and watch for next week’s as well. This list focuses on biographies and memoirs. As I didn’t manage my goal of reading 10 books in 2021 (yet… there is still time!) I have a few books I plan to read in 2022. I am a big fan of fiction, especially stories that create intricate new worlds full of all sorts of characters and debacles. However, in 2022 I am looking to learn more about the world we currently live in. As such, I am going to read…
Holiday book recommendations 2021: Part 1
Each year NWTLC staff recommend books that we have read through the last year, books we are planning to give as gifts this holiday season, and books we hope to read over our holiday. We have a mix of children’s books, non-fiction, biographies, fiction and more. Check out all three of our blogs in December to find great book suggestions. This week we focus on books for gifts that keep giving. For this year, there are two books that caught my interest and I want to share them with my family. The first book is Do You Really Need It? by Pierre-Yves McSween. I am…
YESS- Youth Employment and Skills Strategy
The NWT Literacy Council, in partnership with the Yukon Literacy Coalition and Ilitaqsiniq- the Nunavut Literacy Council, has begun the process of developing the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy program (YESS). This is a federally funded program designed to help youth from the ages of 15 to 30 develop their skills and enter meaningful employment. Our three organizations met in Vancouver recently to go over the details and begin developing the program. These meetings were very successful and helped us to clarify many of the details of the program, including…
Bringing Christmas joy with books and blankets
In March 2021, we began our very successful Reading Together program at the North Slave Correctional Centre (NSCC). Throughout the program, and in feedback after, we heard from many of the fathers that they would love the opportunity to send their children Christmas gifts. We agreed that this would be a great time to continue the program and were excited to head back to NSCC this fall. Charlotte, Jeremy, Kathryn and I took turns visiting NSCC along with videographer, Hannah Eden of North Creative. We continued with the same core project elements: fathers…
Make the Difference - The Canada Learning Bond and Canada Education Saving Grants can help you save for your children’s future education
Post-secondary education might still seem like a far-off milestone in your child’s life, but it is never too early to start saving! The Government of Canada has set aside money to help make post-secondary education more affordable for all Canadians, and the NWT Literacy Council is committed to raising awareness of this program and supporting families in signing up so as many children as possible have money set aside for their future. The Government of Canada has three different categories of Education Savings Incentives to help save for a child’s post-…