Family Literacy Day Encourages Lifelong Learning

Nova Scotians are celebrating Family Literacy day Friday, Jan. 27, to recognize the many ways families develop and use literacy skills.

An event will be held at the People's Place Community Library in Antigonish, with activities designed to engage the whole family in literacy-building. Increased literacy in the home leads to better success in school and workplaces and encourages a love for lifelong learning.

"Parents can be powerful role models. If we help them improve their literacy, we help them improve their opportunity to increase their income level and employment status," said Maurice Smith, MLA for Antigonish, on behalf of Marilyn More, Minister of Labour and Advanced Education. "Helping the adults means making life better for Nova Scotia families, and that's good for all of us."

Thirty-eight per cent of Nova Scotians do not have the prose literacy skills considered necessary to fully participate in today's workplace. Prose literacy is defined as having the knowledge and skills needed to understand and use information from texts including editorials, news stories, brochures and instruction manuals.

In 2011, more than 1,300 Nova Scotian families participated in programs to improve their lives and their outlook for a better economic future by taking advantage of programs and funding to help them increase their literacy skills.

In 2011-12, 16 programs totaling $229,644 were approved under the Nova Scotia Family Literacy Grant Program. Programs are offered by community-based literacy organizations in a variety of formats including regular classes, special theme workshops, information sessions and learning circles.

The province also supports the work of the Halifax Youth Foundation, who in 2011-12 approved 18 proposals totalling of $110,000 for organizations delivering family literacy projects.

One of those programs was the Antigonish County Adult Learning Association Sharing Across the Ages Project, which, in partnership with R.K. MacDonald Nursing Home, promotes oral and written storytelling that can be passed down to younger generations.

"We met with seniors and elders to help them share their life experiences, many of whom may not have the literacy skills to write the stories themselves," said Cariff Shabala, literacy volunteer with the Antigonish County Adult Learning Association. "Their family members benefit by having a record of who their grandparents were and how they lived. It is something they will read and pass along to their own children."

Parents, grandparents and guardians are encouraged to take part in family literacy programs to boost their literacy and transfer their commitment to lifelong learning to their children.

For more information on family literacy, visit http://gonssal.ca and click on the adult learner tab.