Alberni literacy society receives Library of Congress award

A literacy organization in Port Alberni has received the Library of Congress Literacy Award for best practices — an important feat given the region's 41 per cent functional illiteracy rate.

Charmead Schella, the executive director of the Literacy Alberni Society, flew to Washington D.C. to accept the award, in what she calls a "humbling experience."

"It was a really big deal for Literacy Alberni and someone coming from Port Alberni ... it was wonderful."

The Library of Congress, based in Washington D.C., awards organizations for promoting literacy. In the best practices category, they chose 17 out of 90 organizations worldwide. In the section about the Literacy Alberni Society, it applauds the organization for its work, stating: 

"This is a particularly challenging task in an area with a large immigrant population, low high school graduation rate and extreme geographic isolation."

Improving 41 per cent illiteracy

According to a report by the Alberni Valley Community Foundation, 41 per cent of residents in the region lack adequate literacy skills. Schella says this means this portion of the population cannot read past Grade 3-level English.

Literacy Alberni, which  was started in 2004 and is funded by all three levels of government, has three kinds of programs: adult, family, and settlement-assistance, according to Schella.

She believes the organization's community approach to tackling illiteracy is a big part of why the small organization received attention from the Library of Congress.

"I really feel strongly that it's the idea that we work on a community level," she said. "With the small shoestring budget that we have in the very small isolated community that we're in, we succeed in what we do."

"We are making a difference"

This is not the first award Literacy Alberni has received this year. In September, ABC Life Literacy Canada awarded the organization $5,000 in recognition of its English-as-a-second-language (ESL) program.

This most recent award from the Library of Congress does not come with a cash prize, but Schella says it shows how dedicated the volunteers are.

"These awards really bolster our morale and they remind us we're not working in a vacuum and we are making a difference and to just carry on."

To listen to the full audio, click the link labelled: Alberni Literacy Society receives Library of Congress Literacy Award.