We are looking forward to NWT Literacy Week April 11-17! This year the theme is Literacy on the Land, and we encourage NWT residents to spend time learning outside. Being on the land uses many literacies and provides many learning opportunities. Some ideas for events and activities during the week are:
- Hosting cultural activities on the land and encouraging participants to practice your Indigenous language,
- Taking classroom-based learning outside,
- Putting up a Story Walk © around your community for families to visit and read on their own,
- Learning about on-the-land safety, creating safety plans, and preparing safety gear such as first aid kits and emergency foods, or
- Hosting a painting afternoon in the forest.
The ideas are endless and we can’t wait to hear about the creative things communities do to celebrate! If you would like to host an event in your community, you can apply for up to $500 to help with the cost of the event. Visit here for the complete details and to apply.
Community groups can also request prizes to give away. The available items include books, camping mugs, canvas bags, neck warmers and more. If you would like prizes mailed to you to distribute, please email nwtliteracy@nwtliteracy.ca and let us know.
NWTLC is hosting two territory-wide events during NWT Literacy Week:
- Photo contest: The NWT is such a beautiful place and we want you to show off your favourite places on the land. Anyone who comments on our photo contest post on our Facebook page, or sends a photo to katie@nwtliteracy.ca, between April 11-17 will be entered in a draw for a prize pack.
- Read for 15: On Wednesday, April 14, join us by reading for 15 minutes. It doesn’t matter what you read. It could be a novel, a storybook, your work email, a graphic novel, instructions for a sewing project or more. Let us know that you read, and be entered in a draw for prizes, by commenting on our Read for 15 Facebook post, or by emailing katie@nwtliteracy.ca by 9 AM on Thursday, April 15.
Let us know what your community is doing to celebrate and we will share your information with others.
We wish everyone an enjoyable NWT Literacy Week 2021!
- Katie Johnson, Family and Community Literacy Coordinator
