CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I., August 3, 2007—Canada’s New Government is investing in two literacy projects that will help improve literacy and essential skills for Atlantic Canadians. First, $294,567 in funding will go to the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) for a pilot project that will seek to improve the literacy skills of Aboriginals in a family setting, and second, $173,000 in funding will go to the Tough Challenges: Great Rewards Implementation Committee for a project that will seek to improve the literacy skills of adult learners in rural P.E.I. The Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, announced the funding today in Charlottetown.
“By supporting literacy projects such as these, we’re working to help all Canadians develop the skills they need to build better and stronger futures,” said Minister Solberg. “Our goal is to help create the best educated, most-skilled and most flexible work force in the world.”
The UPEI project, entitled “Train the Trainer: A Family Literacy Approach for Aboriginal Families in Atlantic Canada”, will train local Mi’kmaq practitioners to deliver literacy programs within family and community settings. The three-year pilot project will be delivered to 20 families in five Mi’kmaq communities across the Atlantic Provinces. The approach will ensure local cultural relevance and direct participation of Elders and band leaders, helping to build capacity within the Mi’kmaq communities for sustainable family literacy programming.
The Tough Challenges project, called “Meeting the Challenge”, will help adults receive literacy, numeracy and essential skills training, based on individual assessments, from well-trained tutors in their community. The Committee will build partnerships across the province to enhance the access and delivery of literacy services for adults with low literacy skills in P.E.I.
The Tough Challenges: Great Rewards Implementation Committee was created in 1996 and has become a provincial leader in advancing literacy in P.E.I.
The University of Prince Edward Island, a non-profit organization, helps people acquire the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary for critical and creative thinking. Through its program, UPEI helps people develop their potential and that of their society.
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This news release is available in alternative formats upon request.
Please visit the new Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) Web site - www.hrsdc.gc.ca.
For more information (media only):
Pema Lhalungpa
Press Secretary
Office of Minister Solberg
819-994-2482
Media Relations Office
Human Resources and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
