SURREY – NDP MLA Harry Bains says funding boost to community-based Indigenous, adult and family literacy programs will help people gain skills in reading, writing, math and digital literacy.
“Literacy is an incredibly valuable skill in our society that empowers people to be self-sufficient by accomplishing tasks from reading medication labels, to pursuing higher education,” said MLA Bains of Surrey-Newton. “I am proud of the collaboration between non-profits, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and our government to make education more accessible for people.”
In conjunction with Kwantlen Polytechnic University, the following organizations will be running the following literacy programs across Surrey and White Rock:
- DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society
* Read-y For Life
- Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society
* Learn with a friend
- READ Surrey/White Rock Society
* Partners Adult Literacy Tutoring
The New Democrat government is investing $2.9 million in the Community Adult Literacy Program which includes a one-time investment for 2021-22. This support will fund 97 programs, delivered by 66 organizations in 128 communities throughout the province.
Community based Indigenous, adult and family literacy programs are provided free of charge and delivered by community organizations, Indigenous-led organizations, and public-post secondary institutions. Literacy programming typically includes one-on-one tutoring and small-group instruction which supports all levels of literacy. In 2020, many programs shifted to online service delivery in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn more: https://news.gov.bc.ca/24836