It is wild how fast time has gone by. I can’t believe I am already writing my end of summer post.
I have had the pleasure of working with the Literacy Council before, and I can say with confidence that I had even more fun coming back this summer. This summer challenged me in more ways than I can count. I have stepped out of my comfort zone, worked as a team member, and learned to adapt to new situations. I have become a lot more vocal and confident. These are traits that I hope to carry with me as I grow.
From farmers markets, festivals, and picnics, my summer was full of organizing and attending fun activities within the community. My summer started off strong attending Ecology North’s The Power of Water event. This was followed by the HIPPY graduation and Sǫǫ̀mba K’è Multicultural Festival, which I had never been to but will for sure go to in the future. I attended some very exciting events with newcomers and immigrant families, a lot of whom I know from being a newcomer to Yellowknife myself.
While working at the Council, I was able to be independent, as well as work alongside another summer student, Shania. We helped create and put together programs that can be used for family literacy in the future. My favourite activity this summer was helping to put together the Family Literacy kits to go along with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a free book gifting program for children five and under. I also really enjoyed taking the bookmobile and creating crafts for the Yellowknife Farmers Market.
After spending a big part of my first year of university masked up and trying to avoid Covid, it was extremely helpful and rewarding to be a part of the reopening of the community in the form of fun community events. I had many things I wanted to experience during my time at the Literacy Council. I am happy to say that I have ticked everything off my list.
- Aishah Mohammed, Summer Student
