The Squamish Regional Literacy Advisory Committee is setting up educational focus groups and wants to create a society that will help fill the community's literacy needs."So who are the people with the biggest needs and how do these needs affect their lives?" said Michelle Lebeau, Director of Literacy, at a committee meeting held Monday (Sept. 22). Some of the specific groups in the community they would like to target are the seniors' centre, the homeless shelter, First Nation groups, the youth centre and The Hotspot. "The other thing is looking at sustaining the good programs we have that don't have sustained funding, like the South Asian Seniors Women's Group. It is a program that is working well," said Lebeau. To make the project work, however, a society must be organized to manage the program. "I think it is quite clear we need a society that covers literacy and language acquisition like ESL [English as a Second Language]," said Lebeau.A Squamish society would also play a part in events such as the Family Literacy Week. It would also choose which groups need the most help from funds and donations. "If people are donating to a particular cause, they want to know where it goes," said Lebeau.The committee finds that funding from the government comes more easily when an organization that has a clear mandate represents them, said Lebeau. The committee is looking for interested individuals and groups who already have a literacy focus such as the Rotary and Starbucks, to head up the society. There are also plans for a welcoming centre where immigrants can have their specific needs met. Lebeau said some of those immigrants would have language barriers and need an interpreter to help answer questions."We have 70 per cent of immigrants from India, there would need to be interpreters to help those language groups," said Lebeau. The committee is looking for funding from the Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development. Another possible source for funding is through the Ministry of the Attorney General's Workplaces Funding. That process goes through four applications offering sets of grants that allow for development within the region's literacy programs. The committee hopes the District of Squamish will label them a Welcoming Committee to add to applications. They also hope to find a dynamic facilitator who would bring the right people into the committee. "The welcoming committee will become official if the district adopts it," said Lebeau.
