Toronto Council Fire – Literacy and Basic Skills Program

What is the overall impact of the initiative and how is this measured?

By instilling self esteem and confidence, many learners continue onto a life time of productive learning, whether formally in a classroom – or in the workforce, and/or their individual communities. Also, many of our participants are on personal healing journeys to reclaim and restore their Indigenous identities. We facilitate this by organizing a variety of culturally related events and teachings. (Pow-Wow, IRSS Legacy Celebration, Art Therapy Workshops, Elder Teachings, Theatrical and Cinema outings, to name but a few).

What challenges have you faced and how were these overcome?

• Lack of recognition by funders for the importance of developing literacy and essential skills initiatives as a means for enhancing employment opportunities. As a result, it is important to demonstrate to learners the correlation between developing literacy skills and living a productive and satisfying life.
• Overcoming learner’s attitudes toward previous negative learning experiences by offering alternative teaching and learning practices based on Traditional Indigenous methods
• Maintaining positive and productive relationships/partnerships, and information sharing with other literacy practitioners and organizations by being proactive at meetings and conferences.
• Funder’s evaluations of learner progress are often too limited with a focus solely on areas like employment and formal educational standards, at the expense of developing life and critical thinking skills…. For maximum engagement, we deliver curricula focused on materials which are not only related to learner’s goals and lived experiences, but also holistic and culturally relevant (Medicine Wheel Teachings)

What are 3 key lessons you learned from developing or delivering your initiative? What advice from those lessons would you share with others?

• Importance of developing and offering culturally relevant curricula that are learner centered and aligned with their needs, particularly important for Indigenous learners
• Need for holistic curriculum that develop critical thinking and useful life skills which facilitate well being (based on Medicine Wheel teachings)
• Working predominantly with Indigenous learners, understanding the importance and need for practitioners to not only understand, but also appreciate the need for alternative teaching and learning (Indigenous teachings) to outdated mainstream templates

What have participants, stakeholders and partners thought, felt and/or said about your initiative?

• Encouraging and positive feedback about our focus of integrating holistic, culturally relevant components into the development and delivery of our programming.
• Realization of the importance of developing and nurturing viable partnerships with other LBS organizations (developing alliances)
• Regular feedback from our adult learners on the importance of independent, self directed study as a means to develop self esteem and confidence.

Which Essential Skills are covered by the initiative? Reading Text Document Use Numeracy Writing Oral Communications Working with Others Thinking Skills Computer Use Continuous Learning

How are the Essential Skills integrated into your initiative?

Specific course that delivers life/essential skills on a weekly basis.

How do you assess participant Essential Skills?

Ongoing interaction with written/verbal assignments/projects.

What are the components of the initiative? Academic upgrading Life skills Career and/or educational planning Job search services Cultural, language, and tradition awareness and/or training

How do you support participant success in the program? Transportation allowance Child care support Food allowance and/or on-site meals Housing Access to other in-house services After program follow-up support

How was Indigenous culture integrated into the program content or delivery?

Incorporated into daily classes

What do you think are the most important competencies and attributes for staff involved in this initiative to have?

A definitive knowledge and understanding of Indigenous historic and cultural issues.

Who are your partners, and what is their involvement in the initiative?

ONLC Ontario Native Literacy Coalition – Indigenous literacy allies; various pedagogical resources

MTML Metropolitan Toronto Movement for Literacy – community literacy support

Native Earth Performing Arts – provide access to various events and performances which offer cultural teachings