Jan. 27 to Feb. 2 is Family Literacy Week in Canada. The focus of Squamish Reads this year is the Squamish Welcoming Communities Project, which is being managed by Capilano University and was developed in partnership by DreamMakers Squamish (formerly the Squamish Literacy Committee).
This Welcoming Communities Project is a yearlong, province-wide initiative funded by Welcome B.C. to support B.C. communities to become more welcoming and inclusive of newcomers and immigrants through intercultural activities and shared learning opportunities and by supporting sustainable local initiatives that will continue the work into the future. In Squamish, the focus has been the creation and development of the Squamish Common Ground Welcome Centre at the Hotspot on Cleveland Avenue.
On Thursday (Jan. 23), Squamish Reads volunteers are handing out a special issue of The Chief newspaper in exchange for donations to support Squamish literacy programs run by Capilano University, the Squamish Public Library and their partners. Look for volunteers collecting donations and handing out newspapers at both Tim Hortons and Starbucks locations in the Garibaldi area and on Cleveland Avenue between 8 and 10 a.m. and again from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Other events planned as part of the celebration of Family Literacy Week include a Family Games Night on Monday (Jan. 27) at Squamish Public Library, the Squamish Community Learning Program's ESL Conversation Group Word Game Night and Supper on Tuesday (Jan. 28) at the Hotspot/Common Ground Welcome Centre, Chinese New Year activities on Thursday, Jan. 30 and film screenings for the Squamish World at Our Table Film Festival. For more information, see the Jan. 23 edition of The Chief.
