Laubach Literacy of Canada-Quebec/Literacy Volunteers of Quebec

Alphabétisation Laubach du Canada-Québec/Les volontaires en alphabetisation du Québec

Annual Activity Report

June 1, 2006 to May 31, 2007

19930001 – Laubach Literacy of Canada-Quebec/

Literacy Volunteers of Quebec

This year, LLC-Q/LVQ attended an ever-growing number of meetings and conferences

in the literacy and community sectors. Below is a summary of events and activities in
which LLCQ participated during the 2006-07 year:

LLCQ/LVQ meetings and projects

Strategic planning session

The members gathered for two-and-a-half days of strategic planning and to set
priorities for LLC-Q/LVQ.

• June 26-28, 2006

Regular meetings

Representatives from the eleven member councils attended two (2) regular
meetings:

• September 28, 2006

• January 31, 2007

The meetings are an opportunity for the members to receive reports from the
president, treasurer, coordinator, QELA representative and the provincial training
officer. It is also a venue where information is exchanged and decisions taken
regarding internal management, project proposals and various other issues
regarding LLCQ.

Board meetings

LLC-Q/LVQ restructured its’ Board, reducing the number of directors from eleven
(11) to five (5). The Board of Directors met four times during the course of the
year:

• August 28, 2006

#19930001 - ALC-Q/VAQ/Rapport sur les activités 2006-07 1

Laubach Literacy of Canada-Quebec/Literacy Volunteers of Quebec
Alphabétisation Laubach du Canada-Québec/Les volontaires en alphabetisation du Québec

• November 3, 2006
• December 5, 2006
• March 19, 2007

Student conference

LLCQ/LVQ hosted a student conference attended by approximately 30 learners.

A morning workshop on How to make your dreams a reality was followed by a
trip by bus and metro to The Gazette for a tour of the printing plant. Dinner and
line dancing rounded off the evening.

• November 3, 2006

Annual general meeting and annual conference

Approximately 90 students, volunteers and staff from member councils across

Quebec attended the2006 AGM and annual conference.

The keynote speaker this year was Dianne C. Smith, winner of the Council of the
Federation Literacy Award for PEI in 2005. LLCQ/LVQ also had the pleasure of
hosting the Canada Post Literacy Award presentations.

Participants attended the following workshops in the afternoon:

 Make your own book (making a book with recycled materials)

 Student chat
 Mental health and literacy
 Measuring student progress
 Being a student representative

• November 4, 2006

Best Practices in Tutor Training project

This project is funded under the Mise-en-oeuvre de la politique de l’éducation

des adultes et de la formation continue. The goal of the Best Practices in Tutor
Training project is to learn about best practices in tutor training to help the
members improve or update their current tutor-training workshops. The project
had two objectives: a round table where literacy service providers were invited to
share their best practices, and the distribution of a manual incorporating these
and other best practices, as well as a recommended tutor training standard.

The round table was held in the spring and presentations were made by
Parkdale Project Read, a community based literacy group serving downtown

#19930001 - ALC-Q/VAQ/Rapport sur les activités 2006-07 2

Laubach Literacy of Canada-Quebec/Literacy Volunteers of Quebec
Alphabétisation Laubach du Canada-Québec/Les volontaires en alphabetisation du Québec

Toronto, and the Brownbaggers, the Training Development Committee of

Laubach Literacy Ontario. The members thoroughly enjoyed the sessions and
came away invigorated, enthusiastic and eager to incorporate the material into
their tutor training workshops.

• April 26-27, 2007

Projet IFPCA - Passons le message !

LLC-Q applied for and received IFPCA funding to revamp its’ website and to
develop a promotional kit. The funding was received in late spring and the
project will be carried out during the 2007-08 fiscal year.

MELS meetings

LLCQ participated in regularly scheduled meetings with representatives from the

DFGA and PACTE.

LLCQ attended one mixed committee meeting with the Assistant Deputy Minister
of MELS the Assistant Director of the DFGA and an agent for PACTE. Issues
discussed at these meetings included regionalization, budgetary envelopes,
project funding, recognition under the law (as per the government’s community
action plan), etc.:

• January 12, 2007 (comité mixte)

• May 11, 2007 (comité de travail)

AMIS PACTE meetings

Representatives from the four sectors funded under PACTE met on a regular
basis to discuss common issues to be discussed during the mixed and working
committee meetings. The four sectors include:

• Alphabétisation – francophone;
• Alphabétisation – anglophone;
• Lutte au décrochage;
• Formation continue aux organismes communautaires; et
• Écoles de la rue.

LLCQ attended 3 AMIS PACTE strategic planning meetings during the course of
2006-07:

• December 4, 2006

#19930001 - ALC-Q/VAQ/Rapport sur les activités 2006-07 3

Laubach Literacy of Canada-Quebec/Literacy Volunteers of Quebec
Alphabétisation Laubach du Canada-Québec/Les volontaires en alphabetisation du Québec

• March 26, 2007

• May 2, 2007

Laubach Literacy of Canada

Many LLC-Q member councils use the Laubach method (Each One Teach One) and
LLC-Q is the Quebec member of Laubach Literacy of Canada, a national literacy
organization. As such LLC-Q representatives attended or participated in the following:

Annual general meeting

The President, Provincial Training Officer (PTO) and Student Representative all
attended the LLC AGM in PEI. The AGM provides an opportunity for volunteers
and staff from Laubach councils all over the country to meet and share
information:

• June 2-4, 2006

Board meetings and conferences

LLC has undergone a major restructuring during the past three years. The LLC-
Q representative to LLC participated in 3 LLC board meetings and conferences
to discuss various issues such as strategic planning, membership,
communication, training, conflict resolution, etc.:

• August 28, 2006

• November 9-11, 2006
• February 23-24, 2007

Provincial Training Officer

The LLC Provincial Training Officer for Quebec participated in projects looking at
how Laubach trainers are certified and updating the trainer’s handbook to
include components on human rights, tools and resources, adult education
principles, etc.

Student Representative

The LLC-Q student representative sits on the LLC student caucus. He is

responsible for organizing a similar student caucus at the provincial level and is
currently seeking a student representative from each council to sit on the
provincial student committee. A workshop offered at the annual conference
successfully recruited four student representatives from various councils.

#19930001 - ALC-Q/VAQ/Rapport sur les activités 2006-07 4

Laubach Literacy of Canada-Quebec/Literacy Volunteers of Quebec
Alphabétisation Laubach du Canada-Québec/Les volontaires en alphabetisation du Québec

Literacy awards

LLCQ participated in organizing two literacy awards this year:

Adult Literacy Recognition Awards

The Centre for Literacy, QAAL (Quebec Association for Adult Learners), QLWG
(Quebec Literacy Working Group) and LLCQ worked together to create the Adult
Literacy Recognition Awards.

An award was given in each of the following categories: Learner – Community,

Learner – School Board, Tutor – Community, Teacher – School Board. A student
from Western Quebec Literacy Council and a tutor from Literacy Unlimited
received plaques and a cash prize of $125.

• October 10, 2006 (steering committee)

• April 13, 2007 (selection committee)
• April 24, 2007 (awards presentation)

Council of the Federation Literacy Award

LLC-Q was a member of the selection committee that chooses the award winner.

• June 2006

QELA meetings

The Quebec English Literacy Alliance brings together literacy service providers
from both the formal and informal sectors to share information, carry out projects
of common interest and to lobby for literacy at the national and provincial levels.

General Members’ meetings

LLC-Q attended a retreat and the annual general meeting of QELA.

• September 26-28, 2006 (retreat)

• February 1, 2007 (AGA)

PGI Golf Tournament

The LLCQ coordinator helped organize this fund-raising event for QELA and
volunteered on the day of the golf tournament.

#19930001 - ALC-Q/VAQ/Rapport sur les activités 2006-07 5

Laubach Literacy of Canada-Quebec/Literacy Volunteers of Quebec
Alphabétisation Laubach du Canada-Québec/Les volontaires en alphabetisation du Québec

• September 15, 2006

Other projects and workshops

Changing Times Forum

LLCQ is an umbrella group of community based literacy councils. As such, the

regroupement works to foster closer ties with other community groups serving
the Anglophone community. By doing so, LLCQ is sensitizing these groups
about literacy and the literacy services available to the adult anglophone
population, and actively recruiting for its members.

This forum, organized by COCo, brought together community groups from

across Quebec to examine the changing political, demographic, social, and
technological landscape. The forum’s objective was to strategize as to how
these community groups and the community itself can adapt to the current and
future context in which they function.

• November 28, 2006 (steering committee)

• January 23 1, 2007 (steering committee)
• March 22-23, 2007 (Changing Times Forum)

V.I.P. Caucus

LLCQ participated in COCo’s V.I.P. forum last spring. That forum aimed to
increase the visibility, influence and participation of Anglophone and ethnocultural
community groups within the provincial government.

One of the actions identified during that forum was to create a small caucus
composed of representatives of the English-speaking and ethnocultural
communities. A working group will then be created to examine issues of
common interest to these groups and SACAIS. LLCQ is participating in this
working group.

• February 6, 2007 (caucus planning meeting)

• March 23, 2007 (caucus meeting)
• April 24, 2007 (working group)

Advocacy, round tables, and consultations

National Summit on Libraries and Literacy

The Canadian Library Association hosted a day long summit on libraries and
literacy last summer in Ottawa. Representatives from libraries across Canada

#19930001 - ALC-Q/VAQ/Rapport sur les activités 2006-07 6

Laubach Literacy of Canada-Quebec/Literacy Volunteers of Quebec
Alphabétisation Laubach du Canada-Québec/Les volontaires en alphabetisation du Québec

attended as did learners and literacy organizations. The summit examined how
libraries can get more involved with literacy at a local and national level. The
keynote speaker was Genevieve Clarke from the Reading Agency in the United
Kingdom.

• June 14, 2006

DFGA working group on IALLS statistics

LLCQ has been participating in the DFGA working group regarding the latest
IALLS statistics. The first session introduced the statistics for Quebec and the
last two sessions addressed how best to communicate this information to the
general public and what further research could be undertaken based on the
study’s findings.

• June 14, 2006

• November 29, 2006
• February 27, 2007

International Literacy Day

The Fondation pour l’alphabétisation hosted a colloque on International Literacy

Day. The guest speaker was a learner (who now owns his own business) who
described how it felt to have low literacy skills. The Fondation introduced its
new publicity campaign, Savoir lire, écrire et compter, c’est profiter de la vie !

In the afternoon, LLCQ attended a play on literacy put on by RGPAQ and

marched with representatives from members of the regroupement and other
literacy organizations to raise awareness about literacy.

• September 8, 2006

Coalition québécoise pour l’alphabétisation

A multisectoral coalition of various stakeholders in the literacy field was formed

following cuts to the federal literacy budget, announced in September 2006.
Groups represented in the coalition include Option-Consommateurs , CSN, Y
des femmes, FBDM, Collège Frontière, MQAF, QLWG, CDEACF, ICEA, RGPAQ,
Fondation pour l’alphabétisation, FQOCF, TREAQFP, Centre for Literacy, LLCQ-
LVQ and QELA.

LLC-Q/LVQ plays, and continues to play, a major role within the coalition,
representing Anglophone literacy interests at key meetings and events.
Meetings were held on a regular basis throughout 2006-07.

#19930001 - ALC-Q/VAQ/Rapport sur les activités 2006-07 7

Laubach Literacy of Canada-Quebec/Literacy Volunteers of Quebec
Alphabétisation Laubach du Canada-Québec/Les volontaires en alphabetisation du Québec

International literacy seminar

MELS organized an international seminar on literacy that was held in Quebec

City last fall. The theme was Vision, innovation, participation. The seminar
brought together government, researchers, practitioners, and lobbyists from
across Quebec, Canada, and Europe to discuss various literacy related topics.

• October 28-31, 2006

Literacy Action Day

LLCQ attended Literacy Action Day in Ottawa. Representatives from literacy

organizations across Canada converged on Ottawa to meet with MPs and lobby
for federal support for literacy:

• November 8-9, 2006

Conference on health, nutrition and literacy

This conference was hosted by Frontier College and examined the link between
good nutrition and learning. The keynote speaker was Daniel Germain, founder
and president of Club des petits déjeuners. LLCQ attended two workshops, one
on health literacy (the ability to access and understand information on health),
and one on vital nutrients and learning.

• February 3, 2007

Round table on access to adult education

LLCQ was invited to participate in a round table entitled Vers un système

efficace d'éducation et de formation des adultes. The round table was organized
by the Centre du savoir sur l’apprentissage chez les adultes et les Réseaux
canadiens de recherche en politiques publiques. Il visait à identifier des
mesures qui permettront d’élaborer des systèmes d’apprentissage des adultes
coordonnés et efficaces au Canada.

• February 16, 2007

National Consultation on Health Literacy

LLCQ participated in a national consultation on health literacy hosted by the

Association canadienne de santé publique (ACSP). Participants were asked for
input on a working definition of health literacy, a conceptual framework for health
literacy, the key findings of the Expert Panel project, and draft recommendations.

#19930001 - ALC-Q/VAQ/Rapport sur les activités 2006-07 8

Laubach Literacy of Canada-Quebec/Literacy Volunteers of Quebec
Alphabétisation Laubach du Canada-Québec/Les volontaires en alphabetisation du Québec

• February 26, 2007

Working group on recruitment

LLCQ participated in a working group to examine best practices in recruitment

and sensitization. LLCQ presented an overview of recruitment and sensitization
strategies employed by the Anglophone groups. The working group is part of a
larger research project undertaken by MELS on how to increase the demand for
literacy services.

• May 23-24, 2007

Membership

LLCQ was a member of the following organizations during 2006-07:

Fondation pour l’alphabétisation (Literacy Foundation)

Laubach Literacy of Canada
Volunteer Canada/Bénévoles Canada

#19930001 - ALC-Q/VAQ/Rapport sur les activités 2006-07 9