March 3, 2011
Premier Calls for Award Nominations to Recognize Exceptional Adult Learners
Nominations for the 2011 Council of the Federation (COF) Literacy Award recognizing outstanding achievements in adult literacy will be accepted until May 20, Premier Greg Selinger announced today.
“Manitobans need strong literacy skills to meet their education and training goals and prepare for today’s demanding job market,” Selinger said. “Adult learners who have the courage and determination to return to school and improve their skills often inspire their families and friends, and they deserve to be commended for their achievements.”
Canada’s premiers created the COF literacy award in July 2004 to recognize the efforts of individuals and organizations involved in the literacy field. The provinces and territories award medallions and certificates to acknowledge achievement in literacy skills, innovative practice and exemplary programming.
The award recipient will be announced at the next Council of the Federation meeting this summer. Manitoba’s award will go to an adult learner who made outstanding progress in overcoming challenges in learning to read and write while also helping others. Eligible nominees must have been actively involved in literacy and essential skills programming within the past 18 months.
All nominations must be postmarked by May 20. The winner will be notified before the public announcement is made.
Nomination forms and more information about the award are available on the government website at www.gov.mb.ca/all or by calling the Adult Learning and Literacy Branch at 1‑800‑282-8069, ext. 1053.
This is the seventh annual call for nominations for the Council of the Federation Literacy Award. Previous award recipients were Faye Belhumeur of Swan River, Daphne Joyce Prince of Winnipeg, Norine Moar of Swan River, Anita Martens, Donald Richard and Angela Keno of Winnipeg.
Manitoba’s Adult Literacy Act, the first of its kind in Canada, came into effect on Jan. 1, 2009. The act formalizes the Manitoba Adult Literacy Program and calls for the development of a provincial adult literacy strategy. The strategy is intended to be responsive to the changing social and economic needs of the province and to provide direction for effective and appropriate adult literacy programming for Manitobans.
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