Blog

It is so rewarding to share a favourite activity with someone and to observe them enjoying it and understanding the attraction.  Cranberry picking is like that for me. In the fall I could spend hours outside every day in a cranberry patch.  The fruit is round, red and perfect.  The light filtering through the leaves has a special quality to it.  I savour every moment knowing that winter is coming… Read more.

Many of us have different goals we would love to strive towards. The particulars vary a lot from person to person, but these goals all have the common aspect of being aspirational. They can often feel unachievable, or worse, feel achievable, but for some reason we have not yet achieved them. They can be large goals, like running 10 km, or daily items like reading every day, sleeping eight hours a… Read more.

I am Tony, from China. I have been in Yellowknife since April 2019. In the beginning of the days when I got here, I looked for ways to improve my English skills. Once I went to the library and saw a poster for the Speak English Café, pinned on a wall. Fortunately this program was especially for new immigrants and it was free. Absolutely I had no reason to let this opportunity go, so I took part … Read more.

Health literacy is a critical skill, as we weave our way through the COVID-19 pandemic. So, what is “health literacy”? Health literacy is how easily people can access information that affects their health, how well they understand that information, and how effectively they apply what they’ve learned to their lives. Being health literate lets people make wise decisions about health issues. At… Read more.

With the weather changing and signs of summer on the horizon, my family is excited to be out in our gardens. My husband and I both grew up growing food on our family farms, and love sharing this with our children. At two and four years old, they are already skilled at planting seeds, watering, pulling carrots from the soil and, of course, finding all of the ripest raspberries before we get any!… Read more.

Now is the time to be on the land. Connection to nature is one of the ways we heal, and we are excited to be out with family and friends (while practicing physical distancing, of course). The land is a teacher, a provider, and a sanctuary. What the land teaches us Reconnecting with nature reminds us of where we came from, and what we need to survive on the most basic level – air, water, food,… Read more.

With the long weekend passed, many of us were left wishing we could go camping as we have so often in the past. Unfortunately, with the parks closed it is not as easy (as if getting the family organized and out to a park was ever ‘easy’) as it used to be to get out and enjoy the outdoors. However, we can still enjoy some of the staples of the camping experience without ever leaving the house!… Read more.

My first introduction to nonviolent communication (NVC) was in Mexico City, just after finishing my undergraduate studies in peace and conflict. During my time living in the capital and working on issues of urban peace, I was immediately captivated by the theories and strategies that nonviolent communication provided. During a training I attended, we learned the power of these tools to… Read more.

We are currently living in unprecedented times, with everyone experiencing some disruption to their daily lives. As a result of COVID-19, many of us have been remanded to our homes for the vast majority of our time in accordance with physical distancing guidelines. With so much free time being created in the wake of physical distancing, there have been many excellent resources, activities and… Read more.

It’s been over a month since most of us have been working from home. On top of that, many families have children at home from school and university doing online schooling or learning. We at the Literacy Council are staying at home and doing our part, a lot of which includes screen time. During the weekdays I’m usually on my laptop working on reports, doing video meetings with coworkers, and… Read more.