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September is Literacy Month

Sunshine Coast Literacy Coalition
literacy

The mayors of Gibsons and Sechelt have issued official proclamations declaring September 2015 Literacy Month on the Sunshine Coast. Literacy Month highlights the importance of literacy in creating strong individuals, families, and communities.

The Sunshine Coast Literacy Coalition is a partnership of organizations that supports literacy across the lifespan. Partners are: Capilano University, the Community Resource Centre, Gibsons & District Public Library, School District No. 46, Sunshine Coast Credit Union, Sunshine Coast Early Years Centre, and Sunshine Coast Welcoming Communities.

Literacy enables us to participate in the world. It impacts our health, education, and employment. It affects our parenting and the learning development of our children. In fact, literacy runs like a thread through all aspects of life. Reading, writing, oral communication, numeracy, using new technologies – these are among the literacies we need to accomplish tasks, achieve our goals, and realize our potential.

Many residents of the Sunshine Coast have the literacy skills they need, but others don’t. For example, the exploding use of new technologies is leaving some people, often seniors, behind. Developing literacy skills in English is important for the growing number of immigrants who are making the Sunshine Coast their home. And some youth and adults find that they need to upgrade their basic skills in order to get and keep a job.

To celebrate Literacy Month, the Sunshine Coast Literacy Coalition has organized several events. Join us on Sept. 15 at the Sechelt Public Library when we introduce a beautiful new Books for Babies kit. The kit was created by the Sechelt Public Library with funding from the Sunshine Coast Literacy Coalition’s Raise-A-Reader program. The kit will be given to all newborns on the Sunshine Coast by Vancouver Coastal Health public nurses. The kit embodies the power of early language and literacy experiences as the building blocks for children’s future development.

Watch for our ad on Sept. 18 describing events that take place later in the month, including Word on the Water on BC Ferries and Tales for Tots with the Mayors at the Sunshine Coast Early Years  Centres.

For more information, contact Sandy Middleton, Literacy Outreach Coordinator, Capilano University, 604-885-9310, smiddlet@capilanou.ca