Literacy Quebec: Family Literacy in the Time of COVID-19 and Other Risks to Children and Their Families
Literacy Quebec: Family Literacy in the Time of COVID-19 and Other Risks to Children and Their Families
Hats off to Literacy Quebec! I have long been impressed by the family and community literacy projects in Canada and especially in Quebec. The first time I presented at a conference in Canada was in Toronto in1988 and again in 1994. I’ve also presented in Ottawa, Montreal, and of course, Quebec. Based on these experiences I often think I would like to live in Canada. I have many friends there.
Before focusing on the questions I want to encourage you to go online and take a look at the book Family Literacy in Canada: Profiles in Effective Practices, edited by Adele Thomas and published in 1998. Most of your questions will be answered there. It is one of the most significant books on family literacy in my library, and it is now in the commons and so everyone can read it. Make sure you don’t miss the article by Della Coish entitled “The Fun and Learning Centre of the Fogo Island Literacy Association.” It’s a treasure.
For children to recover from trauma and highly stressful situations, trauma specialists emphasize that children need to feel safe and have fun. Based upon his trauma research, the psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk makes this point over and over again, and the book Family Literacy in Canada provides the groundwork for new evidence-based family, community and school initiatives to address the potentially traumatizing impacts of COVID-19 and other risks on children, their families, and their teachers.
So, kudos to Literacy Quebec, which it is in its forty-first year! Literacy Quebec is a network that connects and represents 13 community-based literacy organizations to empower people, impact lives and build a stronger society.
Changing topics from Literacy Quebec and family literacy in Canada to family literacy around the world. The questions that follow were asked by representatives of UN associated organizations on four continents in 50 countries around the world. They were asked following the webinar, which I presented for the Women’s Federation for World Peace International in 2020. I am happy to share them here.