Blog

My name’s Mya and I’m 13 years old. I recently read the book Cut Off, by Jamie Bastedo.  I was surprised that I liked this book since it’s not the kind of novel I usually read, but after the first few pages I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I mostly read supernatural romances, but I’m really glad that I tried something new.  I enjoyed the plot and the characters.  This book was… Read more.

Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, is the most important festival for Chinese all over the world; February 8 marked the first day or 2016.  Unofficial statistics place the population of Chinese who reside in Yellowknife at around 200 people. For a small Chinese community like this, the celebration this year was particularly special.A local organization called Northern Star Chinese Classics for… Read more.

I have always loved reading. When I was a child, one of my favourite games was playing “library” in my upstairs loft. In this game, I would serve as the librarian, dutifully helping the visitor pick out a book from my parents’ bookshelves. We had an old broken computer up there too, and I would type away on it, letting the visitor know when their book needed to be returned. I was at an age where… Read more.

This week I got to see one of our Skill Builders for Young Adults programs in action.  And, I learned how to dry muskox meat. We offered Skill Builders for Young Adults training to 16 people from NWT communities last October.  Each person left knowing and understanding the nine essential skills - reading, writing, numeracy, document use, oral communication, thinking skills, working with others,… Read more.

National Family Literacy Day is just around the corner, on January 27. Here at the NWT Literacy Council we’ve been working hard to help communities host Family Literacy Day celebrations. Our theme this year is Get Active Outside. We chose this because, even during our long cold winter months, it’s important for children to get outside and get active as much as possible. We also wanted to focus… Read more.

Uma Sivakumar became our new Office Manager in November. In just two months working as the Office Manager, I’ve already had plenty of great experiences with the NWT Literacy Council, starting with a warm welcome from board members and staff last November. This job allows me to connect with a large number of educators who are all interested in literacy and youth education. So far I’ve… Read more.

Recently I was lucky enough to attend a training institute put on by Zero to Three, a large American organization that works to ensure that babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. I was really impacted by LaRue Allen, Cheryl Polk and Ross Thompson’s talk titled, Changing Untenable Conditions for Early Educators: Focus on the Infant-Toddlers Workforce. A big part of my job is hosting… Read more.

The Polar Bear Son, by Lydia Dabcovich The Polar Bear Son is an Inuit tale retold and illustrated by Lydia Dabcovich.  It tells the story of an old Inuit woman who adopts an orphan polar bear that provides food for her as it grows up. The story is about motherly love towards an adopted child. I like this book so much I made a Storysack for the NWT Literacy Council. - Pat   Colour Your Way… Read more.

During the school year we usually spend a couple of evenings a month with students who attend Aurora College in Yellowknife and their families. Students are busy people, especially if they have children.  It can be difficult for them to take their children to various events in town, so we bring crafts and fun times to the families through the Aurora College’s Family Night on Campus. Children… Read more.

The annual general meeting of the NWT Literacy Council took place on November 21, 2015 in conjunction with a face-to-face meeting of the Board of Directors of the NWT Literacy Council. During our AGM, we elected a new President – Ken Latour from Hay River.  Ken was our former Treasurer, and we look forward to his insights in the coming months.  We also have a new Treasurer – Norma Gauthier from… Read more.