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The following 14 projects were approved in November 2007.
Project: Mentoring Training Program for seniors aims at creating a video based training program to assist seniors in organizing and leading small group discussions among their peers. The project includes a DVD, an explanatory booklet and the development of a process of network building and collaboration with program administrators in senior’s centers and not-for-profit senior’s organizations. One important outcome is senior’s ongoing engagement in educational opportunities. Contact person and organization: Shirley Stockdill, Continuing Studies, Simon Fraser University Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Project: Literacy needs of Hispanic immigrant women is a workshop session to help women with Hispanic background living in the Halifax area to solve literacy and adult learning needs and problems. A short video based on their experiences and presenting existing resources will be produced. The objective is to help other Hispanic refugees integrate into Canadian society while attaining their learning goals. The video will be distributed to NGOs and research groups across Canada. Organization: Department of Modern Languages, Mount Saint Vincent University Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Project: Pain & Dementia Educational Tool Kit aims at assisting healthcare professionals by developing an educational workshop tool kit. The tool kit will help them to educate relatives of patients with dementia to distinguish pain and how to use the PAINAD and pain logbook. The goal is for relatives to be better able to communicate their observations with the staff at the continuing care facilities. Contact person and organization: Cary A. Brown, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Project: Development of knowledge and cultural identity project within the remote community of Chevery will promote arts and culture by offering educational sessions. The project will create opportunities for members of the community to strengthen local artistic traditions between adults and seniors. It is expected that investment in the sector will foster the arts and culture industry within the region. Contact person and organization: Ana Osborne, Netagamiou Community Learning Centre Location: Chevery, Quebec
Project: Learning in Later Life: Choice and Opportunity consists of learning circles aiming at developing a framework for navigating later life learning by offering choice, opportunity and flexible solutions. Retired faculty members from Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning will first be invited to participate in a survey then participate in the learning circles to review models of later life learning. Research results will be available on an interactive website. Contact person and organization: Pat Spadafora, Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning Location: Oakville, Ontario
Project: Literacy Tutor Learning Circles aims at enhancing knowledge and resource sharing within volunteers tutoring adults in literacy by creating resources and assist in locating resources. Tutors will be brought together for a workshop on Adult Literacy to share resources, ideas and learning practices. Participants will be given electronic documentation with a list of available resources to further their ability to tutor adult literacy. Contact person and organization: Denise Morley, Halifax Community Learning Network Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Project: Information Sharing & Partnership Building plans to train volunteer board members of Community Care of South Hastings Inc. to identify strong points and future opportunities within their organization. The goal is for the board members to be better equipped in order to improve senior services. Contact person and organization: Joanne Jenkins, Community Care for South Hastings Inc. Location: Belleville, Ontario
Project: Learning programs directed at the creative arts will develop a 5-day residential certificate course. Participants will have the opportunity to exchange knowledge and learn how to include the creative arts into their educational programs. The training will also provide the participants with the understanding of how they are part of a community of collaborating educators and artists Contact person and organization: Wayne Edgar, Tatamagouche Centre Location: Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia
Project: A review of heath and literacy needs will be conducted through a combination of survey techniques. By contacting stakeholders within the field of health and literacy, investigation will highlight new organizations to be included and future collaborations that will enhance health and literacy needs. Contact person and organization: Norman Finlayson, PEI Literacy Alliance Location: Charlottetown, PE
Project: The detection of learning difficulties and intervention methods will involve a three day workshop in French with the intent to offer new perspectives, information on screening and recommended approaches to deal with people with learning difficulties. The objective is to also identify French resources for adult learning. Organization: Collège Éducacentre College Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Project: Creating a bibliographical database consists of consulting with communities, collecting data, publishing a catalog of resources and eventually an on-line site for the four francophone communities in the Northwest Territories. The project aims to improve the management and exchange of services and literacy resources between Fort Smith, Hay River, Inuvik and Yellowknife. Organization: Fédération Franco-ténoise Location: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Project: Act for the Future brings together 15 members of the “FANB” for a two-day training session in an attempt to better equip them to manage community literacy programs in French and to meet the specific needs of the French-speaking regions of New-Brunswick. Organization: Fédération d’alphabétisation du Nouveau-Brunswick Location: Bathurst, New Brunswick
Project: Electronic catalogue of PLAR Training Offerings presents an electronic form of the templates for compiling information on available PLAR training and consolidates submissions into an electronic catalogue available on CAPLA’s website. It would also create a network of PLAR training providers. Contact person and organization: Bonnie Kennedy, Canadian Association for Prior Learning Assessment Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Project Title: Capacity Development for Aboriginal Adult Learning plans and carries out a three-day active training within a 15-month literacy program in Northern Labrador. Initiatives include community based literacy and language training, planning, managing and organizing of volunteer groups, and the training and mentoring for literacy professionals and tutors. The communication fostered between organizations through this program will provide the groundwork for future projects. Contact person and organization: Maxine Budgell, Lake Melville Literacy Council Location: Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador, Newfoundland
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The following 12 projects were selected following a call launched in February 2007.
Project Title: Changing the Way We Teach Basic Math to Adults Changing the Way We Teach Basic Math to Adults brings together 25 adult education instructors from the local community college, high school system, alternative education programs, and workplace in a workshop which will share new research and techniques for teaching basic math to adults. A follow-up report based on evaluations provided by the attendees will report on if they have used the teaching techniques described in the workshop and how useful they have been for teaching and learning. Contact person and organization: Catherine O’Bryan, PEI Literacy Alliance Location: Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Project Title: Inuvik Youth Creative Literacy Publication The Inuvik Youth Creative Literacy Publication project will create and publish a learner-written and edited collection of stories by 12 Aboriginal youth participants who are in the Skills LINK Program in the community of Inuvik. The project aims to preserve the oral story telling traditions of the North and to improve the written literacy skills of youth by involving them in oral and written storytelling. Contact person and organization: Johanna Skibskrud, Skills LINK Program, Inuvik Youth Centre Location: Inuvik, Nunavut
Project Title: Literacy Increased by Networking Knowledge and Skills (LINKS) The LINKS (Literacy Increased by Networking Knowledge and Skills) project provides six information workshops for parents facilitated by local community resources and literacy organizations. The project aims to develop adult-child literacy skills within workshops related to the topics of early childhood development, speech/language development, nutrition, learning and reading skills, writing development and math skills. Contact person and organization: Margaret Cummings, Neighbors Alliance of North York (NANY) Location: Keswick Ridge, New Brunswick
Project Title: Participation in Your Environment The Participation in your Environment project plans and carries out a two-week recycled materials festival coordinated by visual arts groups and environmental action groups in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The project aims to generate public interest and participation in learning about and taking action on environmental issues. Contact person and organization: Beverly Barbours, The Anna Templeton Centre for Craft Art and Design Location: St. John’s, Newfoundland
Project Title: Community Building for Seniors Learning The Community Building for Seniors Learning project plans and hosts a Best Practices Conference on seniors learning in order to organize an active working group involved in peer learning for seniors in the Atlantic region. Contact person and organization: Ian Scott, Vice President of Seniors College of PEI Location: Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Project Title: Clarifying the Relationship between Essential Skills and Canadian Language Benchmarks as a part of the PLAR Process Clarifying the Relationship between Essential Skills and Canadian Language Benchmarks as a part of the PLAR Process provides a schematic and key questions checklist, as well as a resource list, to clarify the relationships and distinctions between essential skills for the workplace and language benchmarks or competencies (CLB) for those assessing and advising adult learners about their prior learning assessment (PLAR) and career development, employment, and educational plans. Contact person and organization: Bonnie Kennedy, Executive Director of Canadian Association of Prior Learning Assessment (CAPLA) Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Project Title: PLAR – An Effective Tool for Poverty Reduction The PLAR – An Effective Tool for Poverty Reduction project provides a series of foundational workshops on the elements of PLAR (Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition) to assist community agencies and representatives working in employment counseling, career development, human resources and adult education in integrating the prior learning assessment process into their work in the community. Contact person and organization: Kim Gillard, Coordinator of Northeast Avalon CAN! (Community Action Network) Location: St. John’s, Newfoundland
Project Title: Bringing Adult Literacy into Focus in Newfoundland & Labrador Bringing Adult Literacy into Focus in Newfoundland & Labrador will bring literacy providers in western, central, eastern, and northern Newfoundland and Labrador together in four regional roundtable discussions to share, discuss, and develop ideas for implementation of the information published in the national report on best practices for literacy practice in Focused on Research: A Framework for Adult Literacy in Canada conducted (January, 2007). Contact person and organization: Pamela Bennett, Literacy Newfoundland and Labrador Location: St. John’s, Newfoundland
Project Title: Sharing Our Regional Culture Through Theatrical Exchanges Sharing Our Regional Culture Through Theatrical Exchanges will first involve three performers visiting seniors’ organizations and municipal offices in the Maritimes to hear stories and create theatrical segments based on local historical and social themes. These performances will be presented and videotaped and a manuscript of plays will be created as a final project. The second component of the project will be a three day personal stories workshop for adults in which they will create and perform monologues based on their lives for the purpose of developing their story writing/telling and acting skills. Contact person and organization: Ron Kelly Spurles, Festival by the Marsh Location: Sackville, New Brunswick
Project title: Literacy forum: Mobilize and connect to be better able to act The objectives of Literacy forum: Mobilize and connect to be better able to act are to: (i) involve PEI’s Acadian and Francophone population in the cause of literacy in French; (ii) communicate the results of recent literacy research to the Acadian and Francophone community; (iii) inform the population about the work accomplished on the literacy and family literacy strategic plans; (iv) create a provincial Francophone literacy coalition in PEI. Contact person and organization: Élise Arsenault, Department Head, Continuing Education, La Société éducative de l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard Location: Wellington (Prince Edward Island)
Project Title: Development of a Dyslexia Screening Tool for New Brunswick’s Adult Literacy Programs The Development of a Dyslexia Screening Tool for New Brunswick’s Adult Literacy Programs will research, develop, and test a screening tool for adult dyslexia for use by adult literacy programs and organizations. Contact person and organization: Dr. Alexander (Lex) Wilson, Director, Meighen Centre for Learning Assistance and Research Location: Sackville, New Brunswick
Approved Knowledge Exchange Projects - 2008 Approved Knowledge Exchange Projects - 2006