Welcome to the 6th and final episode of season 4!
It’s Black History Month 2020!

In this week’s episode we celebrate the many achievements and contributions of Black Canadians who, throughout history, have done so much to make Canada the culturally diverse, compassionate and prosperous nation it is today!
We have special guest Kassandra Kernisan the executive director of DESTA on Literacy Lowdown this week. We spoke about DESTA’s mission and services, why they don’t specifically do anything special for Black History Month and the importance of their services for the English speaking  black youth community.

Check out https://destabyn.org/ for more info about their services and how to attend their upcoming events!

Last month, LQ Member, The Learning Exchange was a part of Wurd UP, which, according to the Facebook event page,  "is an annual FREE community literacy series developed to support youth and their families fromLaval Senior Academy (LSA) and Laval Junior Academy (LJA) as well as the greater English-speaking community of Laval. Evenings are designed to explore and promote literacy skills." This year Wurd UP celebrated the launch of the Ile Ife Africana Studies Collection (IIASC)

Deanna Smith, writer, performer and Laval Senior Academy alumna, helped to establish the IIASC at the LSA. Smith shared with TLE a book list for Black History Month and beyond for readers of all ages to learn more about Black history and books that centre and represent Black characters and experiences. TLE has purchased many of the  books from the list to share with the community. Contact TLE for the complete list of their resources!

Thank you to Deanna Smith and TLE for sharing this list with us today. We will highlight some of the stories on the list. Below you will find some of the books from the list:

There's a HUGE amount of events in March! Check out our new Member events section of our website to learn more! Click the button below to learn more:

​Do stats really count? A Conversation with Statistics Canada

Welcome to the 5th episode of season 4 of the Literacy Quebec Podcast! In this week’s episode we are talking about statistics! Numbers can be scary and confusing, but with help from Samuel Dupéré, Manager, Montréal Data Service Centre, Statistics Canada we learn why data is important and how we can learn to use data to advocate and show impact. We also learn that it is important to ask the right questions and how to look for reliable sources of information. 

​Statistics Canada is a public service that is available to community members and is a valuable resource especially to non-profit organisations. They have recently expanded their services to help build the capacity of individuals and organisations to become more literate in developing surveys, collecting, using and understanding data through workshops and presentations. Learn more about what they offer: https://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/wtc?MM=as

The Learning Exchange also joins us to promote the upcoming event  Wurd Up -  Community Literacy Series February 20, 2020 6:30-8:30 at Laval Senior Academy, with Deanna Smith to launch of the Ile Ife Africana Studies Collection (IIASC). Free event with special programming for younger children https://www.facebook.com/events/115319436499378/
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Upcoming Events

• It’s Black History Month. To learn more about the month: https://moishistoiredesnoirs.com/en/about/the-origin-of-black-history-month
• Literacy Unlimited is looking for 3 volunteers to join their Board of Directors: http://www.literacyunlimited.ca/we-are-hiring/
• Quebec City Reading Council - Travelliin’ Toddler Time - March 13 9:30-11:00- Pets theme at Morrin Centre https://www.facebook.com/events/599908517518268/
• Chateauguay Valley Literacy Council  - Tuesdays 2-4 pm Time to Learn English Workshops  https://www.facebook.com/events/467854440577324/?event_time_id=467854460577322
• Laurentian Literacy Centre - Bead Chimes Workshop for learners and their families Feb 21 at 4 pm https://www.facebook.com/laurentianliteracycentre/photos/rpp.1604266949836534/2445493675713853/
• Literacy in Action -  Drop in Tuesdays 1-6pm stop by for free coffees, snacks, a chat or to read a book. There is an onsite Computer tutor between 1-4pm (please bring your own electronic device)  https://www.facebook.com/LiteracyInAction/
• Literacy in Action - Poetry Workshop Series Thursday Feb 20 to April 30 6:30-8:00pm at Lennoxville Library 
• Literacy in Action - Game Night (ages 16+) Feb 24 at 5pm at LIA office.
• Literacy in Action Feb 27-March 26th Books to Belly read and cook together! 
• LQ at the 2020 Scotiabank Charity Race (April 25-26 2020) 

Happy 2020! Welcome to the 3rd episode of season 4 of the Literacy Quebec Podcast! 

In this week’s episode we recorded our regular book club at the LQ office. We discussed the book Dare to Lead by Brene Brown, which fits perfectly in with the topic we wanted to launch into 2020 with How to Fail Successfully in 2020. We also talk about Cal Newport’s Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World to learn about how to reduce busywork and increase purposeful work.

Some of the questions we discussed after reading the section of Dare to Lead were:
1) Did you make any resolutions for 2020? Why/why not?
2) What are some markers of success to you?
3) What is failure to you?
4) Are failures the opposite of successes?
5) How can failures be useful to you?
6) Brene Brown talks a lot about the connections between failure, shame and vulnerability. What did you think of her tools for self-reflection?
7) What are some of your own Sh*tty First Drafts?

Why did we choose this topic of Failure (a dirty word!) when everybody else is taking about Success and making New Year Resolutions? Well, through our discussion about how we each felt about failure, some of the failures in our own lives and learning new ways to deal with failure when it happens, we found that failure in almost every case was necessary in order for us to form deeper relationships with people, deeper and more meaningful work in our careers, becoming more stable and emotionally resilient, making better decisions in life, and living in a more content, grateful, happy state.

Upcoming Events

• Family Literacy Day January 27th! https://abclifeliteracy.ca/family-literacy-day-calendar/
• What is Family Literacy Day https://abclifeliteracy.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ABC-Family-Literacy.pdf
• Literacy in Action Storytelling and Hot Chocolate! For Family Literacy Week and Free Print Making Workshop Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 2 PM – 4 Pm https://www.facebook.com/events/461274581492279/
• LQ will be at Montréal Children's Hospital in Montreal, Quebec Family Literacy DayEvent · Wed, Jan 22 at 9 AM https://www.facebook.com/events/557062398228377/
• Gaspésie Literacy Council and Wakeham Adult and Vocational Education Center are putting on Family Fun Day at Gaspe elementary Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 1 PM – 3:30 https://www.facebook.com/events/2647331301982075/
• Western Quebec Literacy Council will be bringing you a new idea to try at home every day until January 27 (National Family Literacy Day) Check out their Facebook!  https://www.facebook.com/wqliteracy/
• The Learning Exchange will be sponsoring ABC Life Literacy’s Up Skills for Work Series to adult learners https://www.facebook.com/events/2647331301982075/
• South Shore Reading Council Starting again their 10-week family reading program for children ages 0-3 The Parent-Child Mother Goose Program is a weekly one-hour gathering of parents and toddlers to share the joys of language through nursery rhymes, songs, stories and games. This program is offered free of charge! https://www.ssrc.ca/programs.php
• LQ at the 2020 Scotiabank Charity Race (April 25-26 2020)​

As always, you can check out or fb and our member’s pages for all of the latest updates!
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Every two weeks our hosts Chris Shee and Jaimie Cudmore from Literacy Quebec explore topics around community building, lifelong learning and literacy for English-speakers in Quebec. Want to help out with the podcast? Have a story you want to share? Contact us at admin@literacyquebec.org or call our office (514) 508-6805 or  Toll-Free: 1-855-890-1587