Literacy
NEWS
WORDS FOR WOMEN’S PROGRAM CELEBRATION
On Thursday, March 29th, as part of the Adult Learners’ Week the YWCA was proud to celebrate the efforts of the Words for Women participants by giving them a rose and a merit certificate… congratulations to all!
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The Gazette publishes an article on one of our participants...
Ava Harriott, a participant of the Words for Women program, had been writing her life story with the help of a volunteer tutor. When the project was finally completed she thought about having it published in The Gazette. At about the same time, Joanne Penhale, a freelance journalist, was looking for a woman with low literacy skills to interview. United by their common goal, these two women got together last December and the article appeared in The Gazette on January 15th.
Click here to read the article
Words for Women is a literacy program offered free of charge in French and English. Each participant is paired with a volunteer tutor. This individualized approach is designed to meet the needs and learning pace of each participant.
General Objective:
Offer women the tools to improve literacy, so they may increase their personal and economic autonomy.
Specific Objectives:
- Help women acquire reading, writing and arithmetic skills to meet their personal needs;
- Present women tools and activities that will facilitate daily activities;
- Offer a supportive learning environment which will encourage self-confidence and boost self-esteem.
Participants have benefited in many ways.
They have:
- Found better jobs;
- Completed academic programs;
- Learned to find their way in the city;
- Achieved the capacity to read stories to their children;
- Obtained their Canadian citizenship;
- Written and published short stories;
- Become more involved in their communities.
Fundamental Values:
Respect, autonomy, mutual support, perseverance and empathy.
Admission Criteria:
- Women who have completed less than 9 years of schooling;
- Women 16 years or older.
Priority will be given to low-income women.
Tutor Training: Tutors undergo preliminary and ongoing training
Targeted area: Greater Montreal region
Contact:
Words for Women
514.866.9941 ext. 278
centrealpha@ydesfemmesmtl.org
PREPARING FOR WORK
A Pre-employment Program for Women with Low Literacy Skills
The YWCA Literacy Department most recent action-research project is designed to guide women with low literacy skills in developing the necessary skills and knowledge required to meet admission requirements for on-the-job, workforce integration, and other types of employment training.
Topics covered include self-awareness (personal talents, qualities, and challenges), choosing a training program (understanding conditions and requirements, a one-day job placement, etc.), and learning techniques (processing information, content revision, transferring skills, etc.). Thematic workshops (note taking, clear writing, self-expression, etc.) and accompanying activities (guest speakers, employment-related events, etc.) will also be offered.
After four months of intensive training, participants will link the competencies they possess to the types of training that interest them, know their personal limits, improve their reading, writing, math and computer skills, and choose a training program that will lead them towards fulfilling work.
The next English training will start November 7th, 2011 and end February 29th, 2012 (with a three-week break over the New Year).
For more information please contact Christiane Tremblay, Project Manager, at 514.866.9941, ext. 292.
Those who are interested in becoming a volunteer or a volunteer tutor at the Literacy Centre, are invited to contact the Coordinator of the Volunteer Centre at (514) 866-9941, extension 513. The training sessions for new Tutors are offered every Spring and Fall.