Blog

Dear Stuart, I don’t think for a minute you will remember me. But I remember you. Like many other Canadians, I followed your documentaries on Sunday Morning. I laughed at the ailing cricket adventure on Morningside. (“That cricket is not well, Stuart.”) And, of course, I loved The Vinyl Café. Letters were an important part of that program, so I decided to write this one to you. I work for the… Read more.

We held our very first Granny and Grampa Talking Bags workshop in Yellowknife in January. The purpose of the workshop was to help elders effectively use the Granny and Grampa Talking Bags in their communities and regions so that their knowledge becomes more accessible to families and programming. The Granny and Grampa Talking Bags are an intergenerational resource designed to help involve elders… Read more.

When you think of February 14, do you imagine cards, chocolates, hearts and roses? Many people think of it as the day of love, while others consider Valentine’s Day a commercial holiday, pushed on us by greeting card companies. At the NWT Literacy Council, we celebrate February 14 by marking International Book Giving Day. Each year we deliver books to groups around Yellowknife for their… Read more.

Essential skills are the foundational skills people need to participate effectively in all areas of their lives – home, community, learning, and work. They are the building blocks, or the foundation, that let people learn new skills.People benefit when they have essential skills Essential skills help people to:   •  learn new things   •  achieve greater independence   •  develop and improve their… Read more.

This year marks Canada’s 18th year of celebrating National Family Literacy Day each January 27. Family Literacy Day reminds us to take time to learn together and receive the huge benefits for both adults and children. Family Literacy Day raises awareness of the importance of family literacy.  It helps us spread the word that learning can take place through a variety of different activities —… Read more.

When e-readers first started becoming popular, I was in the camp of people who rejected them. I would go on extended (and likely quite boring) monologues about how they were going to destroy the publishing industry and wreak havoc on local book stores. I maintained that I would never get an e-reader because I liked the physical presence of a book, liked the heft of it and the feeling of the… Read more.

Do you want to read more during 2017? Reading is relaxing, informative and usually a better use of your time than binge-watching Netflix or checking social media. Many people make it a New Year’s resolution to read more books. It’s such a popular goal, there’s an app for that. In fact, there are several apps! Apps like Bookout, and Bookling can keep you motivated by tracking your progress and… Read more.

Before Christmas we got a shot of inspiration for our work supporting NWT communities to embed literacy and essential skills in community youth projects. Along with several other northerners, we attended the annual Conference Board of Canada Skills and Post-Secondary Education Summit in Toronto. We were delighted to hear about practical ways that youth improve their skills through projects and… Read more.

It’s becoming a tradition for the NWT Literacy Council folks to share their Christmas book giving ideas. Here’s what we are giving for gifts this year. Home is Burning - A Memoir, by Dan Marshall This year I will give my brother Home is Burning - A Memoir, by Dan Marshall. The book is filled with humour, plenty of profanity, self-deprecation and extreme sorrow. Dan tells the story of moving home… Read more.

International Human Rights Day is December 10th and celebrates the day the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights back in 1948. The NWT Human Rights Commission celebrates this day every year. The Commission works to promote equality and human rights and to prevent discrimination under the NWT Human Rights Act. This law applies to everyone in the NWT. To promote human… Read more.