Family Literacy Day Was Created in 1999 by ABC Life Literacy Canada to Encourage Families

Canadian Adult Learners' Week (March 29 - April 6 2014)

Media Kit

Media Kit:

 Press Release ------p. 2

 Backgrounder ------p. 3

 Profile ------p. 4

 Fact Sheet ------p. 5 Press Release

For Immediate Release

March 6, 2014

I'm Still Learning! - Celebrating Adult Learners' Week 2014

The PEI Literacy Alliance is holding a contest for people who are enrolled in adult learning programs called I'm Still Learning!. Adult learners from across PEI are invited to create short and simple videos about what inspires them to keep learning. Deadline is March 28th. For contest details, visit www.peiliteracy.ca. Winning entries will be posted on the Alliance's website, YouTube channel and Facebook page during Adult Learners' Week (ALW) - March 29 to April 6. ALW was officially launched by UNESCO in 2000 and celebrated in Canada since 2002.

"Making the decision to go back to school as an adult can be difficult. Adult learners face many challenges such as managing family and work responsibilities as well as the school work. We'd like to hear what their inspiration to keep learning is", says Catherine O'Bryan, Executive Director of the PEI Literacy Alliance.

One of the most effective ways to underscore the importance of lifelong learning is to give adult learners the chance to express their views and describe their challenges. The I'm Still Learning contest is a way for them to share their success stories and inspire others to go back to school.

If you would like more information about the contest call 368-3620.

-30- Contacts:

Amanda Beazley or Catherine O’Bryan – 368-3620

2 BACKGROUNDER

Canadian Adult Learners’ Week

Background and History

Across this country and around the world, adult learning and literacy festivals and events share a common purpose – they are advocacy tools for raising the profile of adult learners and lifelong learning; they mobilize individuals to take advantage of the multitude of learning opportunities open to them; and they serve as a reminder that adult learning can be a powerful instrument for change.

Delegates to the Fifth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA V), held in Hamburg in July 1997, committed themselves to promoting the development of a United Nations Adult Learners’ Week. International Adult Learners’ Week (IALW) was officially launched by UNESCO on September 8, 2000. The pioneers of Adult Learners’ Week understood that the most effective way to underscore the importance of lifelong learning was to give adult learners themselves the chance to express their views, describe their challenges, and document their success stories.

International Adult Learners’ Week in Canada

The Canadian Commission for UNESCO, together with its partners, identified International Adult Learners’ Week as a priority project that would foster joint action by a broad network and would raise the profile of adult learning throughout Canada. IALW is both a promotional campaign to raise awareness of a broader public and an opportunity for the cooperation of diverse partners, including governmental, non-governmental organizations and civil society, to demonstrate the importance of adult literacy and lifelong learning.

International Adult Learners’ Week has been celebrated in Canada since 2002. for more info go to the Canadian Commission for UNESCO page

3 PROFILE

The PEI Literacy Alliance

Our mission is to advance literacy for the people of PEI.

Our vision is that all Islanders are able to participate fully in their family, work and community.

We believe in a culture of literacy where literacy is a right, opens doors and creates opportunities. We believe learning should be barrier-free, life long, recognized and valued.

What do we do?  raise public awareness about literacy issues  create partnerships for literacy projects  coordinate conferences, workshops and round tables  provide information on and referral to literacy training and upgrading programs in PEI  give advice to government and educational institutions

Why are we here?  To make it easier for people with low literacy to get help  To encourage Islanders to build their literacy and learning skills for the benefit of their economic, cultural, political, social and personal lives  To close gaps and discourage overlaps in literacy and adult learning services  To celebrate and value literacy and learning across PEI.

4 FACTS ABOUT LITERACY (http://www.literacy.ca/literacy/literacy-sub/)

In Canada…

Almost half of all Canadian adults (48%) have low literacy skills

55% of working age adults in Canada are estimated to have less than adequate health literacy skills. Shockingly, 88% of adults over the age of 65 appear to be in this situation

Impoverished adults often do not have the literacy skills required to get into job training programs. They may need literacy skills upgrading before they can succeed in training programs but only about 5 – 10% of eligible adults enroll in programs

Less than 20% of people with the lowest literacy skills are employed

A 1% increase in the literacy rate would generate $18 billion in economic growth every year

Investment in literacy programming has a 241% return on investment

International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey (IALSS)

The latest literacy study by Statistics Canada shows that millions of Canadians do not have the literacy skills they need to keep pace with the escalating demands of our society and economy. This loss of potential impacts on the social and economic well-being of individuals, families, communities and our country.

The Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (IALSS, 2003) sheds light on our current literacy challenges and also connects those challenges to some of Canada’s most pressing social and economic issues. The link is clear in this conclusion: “… investments in foundation skills would lead to improved levels of health, increased productivity, reduced social costs and higher growth”.

IALS Fall 2011 Institute papers and presentations now available online

This Institute explored the story of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) and its successors in Canada and other countries. It traced the shift from “literacy” to “skills” to “competencies”, and explored evolving methodology and the impacts of the international literacy assessments over two decades on policy and practice. Click here to link to materials.

The Study’s Findings

The full Canadian Report of the IALSS – Building on our Competencies: Canadian Results of the International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey released on November 30, 2005.

5 Statistics Canada announces highlights from the full IALSS report (The Daily, November 30, 2005)

Statistics Canada announces the provincial/territorial analysis of IALSS (The Daily, November 9, 2005)

Learning a Living: First Results of the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (The OECD report) released on May 11, 2005

Statistics Canada’s online catalogue – Publications and products from Building on our Competencies (IALSS)

Literacy and Digital Technologies: Linkages and Outcomes (from IALSS data): Full report | Highlights

Literacy skills among Canada’s immigrant population (based on IALSS data) – Article in Education Matters

IALSS 2003 – Public Use Microdata available on CD-ROM from Statistics Canada

Responses to the Report

MCL’s background and response

The Federal Government Response: Key Findings of the 2003 Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey: Implications for Human Resources Development Canada by Satya Brink, Ph.D. (May 2005)

ABC CANADA: a response and summary on IALSS findings www.abc-canada.org/media_room/news/ialss_2005_r3.shtml

Frontier College: a summary on IALSS

 All About Literacy in Canada  Literacy Statistics  federal literacy policy  Literacy and Essential Skills Fact Sheets  The Big Picture  Common Literacy Shortforms