File - Literacy Quebec

Annual Activity Report
June 1, 2014 - May 31, 2015
www.literacyquebec.org
info@literacyquebec.org
1-855-890-1587
President’s Message
First and foremost, I would like to thank the Executive Director of Literacy Quebec,
Margo Legault and our admin assistant Lauren Gruer for their hard work over the last
year. Ably assisted by bookkeeper Ana Maria Alvarez, they have been an enormous
support to the Board of Directors over the year.
Secondly, my whole-hearted thanks to my colleagues on the BOD, Eric Aubry and
Marilee DeLombard, for their support, hard work, encouragement and precious time
as their commitment to LQ is a very valuable asset.
As this year comes to a close, I would like to express how good it is to see Literacy Quebec growing and
flourishing under Margo’s guidance. We have had the opportunity to work with a very talented crew of
interns who have done an incredible job in raising our social networking visibility. Thanks to teamwork and
peer-to-peer learning, Literacy Quebec is more connected to social networking than ever.
There is strength, wisdom and much expertise within this group. As I sign off as President, I can’t be
anything other than excited about what the future holds for Literacy Quebec.
Cathy Nolan, President, September 2015
Executive Director’s Message
In this past year LQ redefined its mission to create a roadmap for the future as well as a new vision to
foster inspiration throughout the community.
With the cuts in Federal funding and the resulting closure of many of our counterparts in Quebec and
across the country, the field of literacy is endangered. In this uncertain economic climate, LQ, along with its
allies, has been able to safeguard core funding for adult education in the province.
The organizations' success would not be possible without the meaningful contributions from our dedicated
volunteers and staff. I would like to thank our President Cathy Nolan for her guidance, our Treasurer Eric
Aubry for his financial acumen, our Secretary Marilee DeLombard for her attention to detail, our volunteer
interns: Alanna Cailtin, Margaret Beveridge and Katerina Pettas for their time and effort, and my
colleagues Lauren Gruer, Ana Maria Alvarez and Lindsey Tropea for their impeccable work ethic. Lastly, I
would like to thank our member organizations. Without you, we would not exist. Your participation
contributes to our success and the wonderful work that you do makes it easy for us to advocate and
represent the field of literacy in Quebec.
Margo Legaut, Executive Director, September 2015
Empowering people, impacting
lives and building a stronger
society.
Highlights
With a new strategic plan in place, came a new name. Literacy Volunteers of Quebec changed its
name to Literacy Quebec. Increasing online presence was prioritized as well as developing
technological skills to host events and connect with members.
.
481 people were reached through our events and activities.
Literacy Quebec started collecting books for
redistribution. We acquired 305 books and
hope to continue this initiative for years to
come.
Margo Legault had the opportunity to meet with
Senator Jacques Demers and Member of
Parliament, Tyrone Benskin, while
accompanying adult learners to Parliament Hill.
This trip was organized by one of Literacy
Quebec’s members (RECLAIM).
Senator Jacques Demers with MP Tyrone Benskin
Mission
Literacy Quebec is a network that connects and represents
community-based literacy organizations to empower people,
impact lives and build a stronger society.
Vision
We envision a Quebec where everyone has the literacy skills
they need to live a fully engaged life.
Principal Activities and Services
LQ continues to provide support to its members by offering training and
assistance via web, email and telephone. Members were brought together three
times throughout the year for professional development sessions and
networking opportunities.
In June of 2014, Brent Pearce worked with Literacy Quebec and its Members to
develop a Strategic Plan and craft a clear message. This was followed by an
Introduction to Webinars with Keith Fyckes.
At the Annual General Meeting/Professional Development event in September, Members
continued with Strategic Planning, and were provided with training on Apps for Adult Learners
by Amanda Marzilli.
In February of 2015 Literacy Quebec introduced its members to the topic of Collective Impact.
This was followed by a workshop on Public Relations by Margaret Theodora Beveridge and
Alanna Blackie.
Supporting and Promoting Literacy
The recipient of this year’s Freda Hudson
award was Mary Chuprun of the Laurentian
Literacy Council. This award was
inaugurated in 2007 in honour of a
remarkable volunteer. It is presented
annually to an active and longstanding
volunteer, someone who has made a
significant contribution to Literacy.
Photo of Marcy Churprun and Marlene
Dagenais, Executive Director of Laurentian
Literacy Council.
The Student Solidarity Fund was established to assist students in financial need to enable
them to attend or continue attending literacy programs. Grants were awarded to 7 member
organizations to provide materials, cover transportation, and support literacy events for
learners. In all, this grant was able to provide direct assistance to 23 individuals and supported
events that reached 210 students!
Projects
The power of an online presence, a skill to be harnessed was a project that Literacy Quebec
took on this year. The goal of this project was to improve the technological skills of the
organization and its members. Through this, tools were developed to increase online
presence. Service icons were created to provide a standardized visual for the main services
offered in the area of English Literacy in Quebec.
New Office!
Literacy Quebec moved to a new office within the same building. We have moved up to the
fifth floor, and now have a beautiful space with an open concept and lots of natural light.
Events
Thanks to a grant from Journée mondiale du livre et du droit d’auteur, Literacy Quebec was
able to organize an event in recognition of World Book Day. In collaboration with Indigo
Chapters, members of the general public received 1$ off any handcrafted beverage at the
Indigo Café when they posted a selfie with their favorite book using #worldbookday
#copyrightday. 170 people were reached through this event.
LQ promotes Financial Literacy Month, International
Literacy Day, Family Literacy Day, and many others!
In partnership with ABC
Life Literacy, we distributed
800 Family Literacy Fun
resource books. Literacy
Quebec is also listed on
www.lookunderlearn.ca
and in the yellow pages
under Learn.
Volunteers
This year Literacy Quebec was lucky enough to have 30 volunteers donate 1610 hours.
The organization welcomed 3 volunteer interns: Alanna Blackie, Margaret Beveridge
and Katerina Petas, from the Public Relations Program at McGill. They began their
internship in September of 2014. Their work allowed Literacy Quebec to fully implement
a Social Media Campaign. They developed and launched the LiteracyLibs series, which
brought our average post reach from 12 to 450 reaches per post. One LiteracyLib
reached a record of 2499 people.
In May of 2015, Literacy Quebec welcomed a volunteer-intern from Concordia University’s
Film Studies Program, Joshua Paul, to develop videos to reach a wider audience and raise
awareness about literacy issues.
Website and Social Media
A major priority for Literacy Quebec this past year has been to improve our
web presence. Throughout the year, Literacy Quebec made 79 Facebook
posts. By posting more frequently,we have been able to increase our reach
and develop a stronger following. This is obvious in the significant increase
of page likes for our Facebook page, from 86 page likes to 143 page likes
this year.
The creation of a Twitter account has allowed us to further increase our
reach. In its first year, the account has gained 149 followers.
#LiteracyMatters will continue to be used as the organization’s hashtag to increase visibility
and raise awareness.
The website was updated to reflect the outcomes of the new strategic plan. It was given a
facelift, and clear messaging was emphasised to appeal to a broader audience.
Significant additions to the website were a French landing page, a Donate Now section,
and a Support Us tab.
Networking and Partners
Literacy Quebec was in regular contact with many other Literacy based networks and organizations
throughout the country and province. This included ABC Life Literacy, The Golden Key Society,
Chapters Indigo, Journée mondiale du livre et du droit d’auteur, the Regroupement des groupes
populaires en alphabétisation du Québec, Volunteer Canada, Quebec English Literacy Alliance and
the Quebec Literacy Working Group.
Literacy Quebec worked closely with the Network for Literacy (Réseau de lute à l’analphabétisme).
As one of the 12 founding members, Literacy Quebec plays a major role as it is the only English
representative for the network.
Literacy Quebec and its members are funded by the Ministry of Education through Programme
d’action communautaire sur le terrain de l’éducation (PACTE). The comité mixte is a privileged sit
down which allows Literacy Quebec the opportunity to represent and advocate on behalf of its
members two to three times a year. Issues discussed include allocation of PACTE funds, project
funding, statistical gathering, annual reporting, etc. Prior to these meetings, the AMIES PACTE meet
to exchange in order to better voice common concerns at the comité mixte.
Memberships
Literacy Quebec is a member of:
Centre Québécoise des services aux associations (CQSA)
The Fondation pour l’alphabétisation (Literacy Foundation)
Institut de cooperation pour l’éducation des adultes
The Centre for Community Organizations (COCo)
The Centre for Literacy
Quebec English Literacy Alliance
The Quebec Literacy Working Group.
Governance and Operations
Board of Directors
President: *Ruth Thomas, South Shore Reading Council
Vice-President: Cathy Nolan, Quebec City Reading Council
Treasurer: Eric Aubry
Secretary: Marilee DeLombard, Western Quebec Literacy Council
*Positions remained as listed until November 21st, 2014. At this date the President stepped down
and the Vice-President took over the responsibilities of the President. A vacancy remains for the
position of Vice-President.
Board Meetings
The Board of directors met 7 times during the course of the year.
Accomplishments
The board, in consultation with its member organizations, crafted a Strategic Plan for the coming
years. The outcomes of this process included the change in name of the organization as well as the
setting of short-term and long-term priorities. They also continued to provide service to members and
respect all legal obligations related to incorporation.
Annual General Meeting
Eight out of eleven full members attended the Annual General Meeting on the 25th of September
2014. It was held in Montreal, Quebec.
Extraordinary General Meeting
Nine out of eleven full members participated in an Extraordinary General Meeting on December 9th,
2014. Motions were approved to modify the name of the organization and the number of members on
the board of directors.
Committees
-Freda Hudson Volunteer Recognition Award Committee
-Human Resources Committee
-Nominations Committee
-Student Solidarity Committee
Human Resources
The following positions were retained by Literacy Quebec:
-Executive Director, Margo Legault
-Administrative Assistant, Lauren Gruer
-Communications Coordinator, Lindsey Tropea
-Bookkeeper, Ana Maria Alvarez
Members
Chateauguay
Eastern Townships / Estrie
Yamaska
Literacy
Council
Chateauguay Valley
Literac​
y Coun​
cil
Gaspésie
Laval / Laurentians
Montreal
Outaouais
Quebec City
Associate Members
South Shore