Bow Valley College promotes Aboriginal literacy

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Mayor Al Duerr of Calgary has declared Jan. 27 as Family Literacy Day. In honor of Family Literacy Day, the Bow Valley College has launched its new Aboriginal Literacy and Parenting Skills Program. The program, known as A-LAPS, includes a manual that combines how-to reading exercises and how-to parent training by using Aboriginal history, stories and legends.

Laureen Mackenzie and Elaine Cairns produced the program and now co-manage it.

"The combination of Aboriginal culture, literacy and parenting skills make sense," said Mackenzie."We have been touched by the number of people who have encouraged us because they believe that the need for such a program is so great."

According to Mackenzie and Cairns, in the spring and fall of 1997 research was conducted throughout the Aboriginal community at large to determine what issues concerning literacy needs would interest parents. From these interviews the A-LAPS program and manual was developed. The program is designed to meet the needs of low literate Aboriginal parents who want to read to their children but, because of various reasons, cannot. According to the research low literate students expressed a need for a course in parenting skills and their children's need to be literate. Their wish was to do what is right for their children. It is hoped that the program will also encourage the children to read.

The A-LAPS program offers classes at women's shelters, in low income housing projects and at family drop-in centres. This project also falls under the English as a second language program and was modified from the Literacy and Parenting Skills Program to better suit the needs of Aboriginal people. Instructors can use the manual to enhance their teaching skills on the topics of parenting and reading. The manual includes facilitator instructions, participant handouts and 10 sessions that each run for about two in the classroom.

The manual includes relaxation exercises, a list of Aboriginal books that parents can read to their children, information on how adults learn, building self esteem in children, and the ways our values and traditions are passed along.

"The number of facilitators and participants who have spoken to us about how respectful, sensitive and relevant the materials are has been very helpful," said Cairns.