PRLN AGM Report20122013 - Project READ Literacy Network

We are a dynamic community collaboration promoting the growth of literacy and essential skills in Waterloo-­‐Wellington. Annual Report 2012-­‐2013 2012-­‐2013 Annual General Meeting Friday November 1, 2013 12:15 pm Grey Silo Golf Club, Waterloo, ON MEETING AGENDA 1. 
Welcome and Call to Order 2. 
Appointment of Recorder 3. 
Approval of the Agenda 4. 
Approval of Last Year s AGM Minutes 5. 
Chair and Senior Staff Report 6. 
7. 
Bylaw Changes – Membership Categories PresentaMon of Audited Financial Statements 8. 
Appointment of Auditor for Next Fiscal Year 9. 
RecogniMon & Thanks 10.  Call for NominaMons & Approval of Slate of Nominees 11.  ElecMon of Board of Directors 12.  Adjournment PresentaMon of the Yvonne Heninger Memorial Award for Literacy Students will follow the meeMng. Slate of Nominees for 2012-­‐2013
List provided at the meeMng. Page 1
Thank You to Our Members
2nd Chance Employment Counselling AcMon Read Conestoga College English at First John Howard Society Waterloo-­‐Wellington Kitchener Public Library KW HabilitaMon Services Lutherwood Employment Services Onward Willow; Be_er Beginnings, Be_er Futures Region of Waterloo -­‐ Employment Services Region of Waterloo Library The Canadian Hearing Society The Literacy Group of Waterloo Region Waterloo Catholic District School Board -­‐ St. Louis Adult Learning Centres Waterloo Region District School Board -­‐ ESU Wellington Centre for ConMnuing EducaMon Wellington County Learning Centre YMCA Language Assessment Centre Thank You to Our Funders, Donors, Sponsors & Partners Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges & UniversiMes Office of Literacy and EssenMal Skills, HRSDC • Regional Municipality of Waterloo Ontario Trillium FoundaMon • Waterloo Region Record & Guelph Mercury Newspapers Conestoga Mall • CTV Southwestern Ontario • Indigo Books & Music Inc. Waterloo-­‐Wellington Chartered Accountants AssociaMon • Get Set Crop CoordinaMng Commi_ee M & T InstaPrint • Individual & Private Donors • Project READ Members ABC Life Literacy Canada AcMon Read Cambridge Self-­‐Help Food Bank Cambridge YMCA Immigrant Services Canadian Literacy and Learning Network ConMnuing EducaMon School Board Administrators College Sector Commi_ee CoaliMon Ontarienne de FormaMon des Adultes Community Literacy Ontario Conestoga College Deaf Literacy IniMaMve Early Literacy Alliance of Waterloo Region EssenMal Skills Ontario Kitchener Public Library Laubach Literacy Ontario Learning Networks of Ontario Our Place Family Resource and Early Years Centre Ontario NaMve Literacy CoaliMon Preston Heights Community Centre Registry Theatre Stanley Park Community Centre, City of Kitchener The Literacy Group of Waterloo Region Wilfrid Laurier Students for Learning Waterloo Region District School Board Waterloo Catholic District School Board Wellington Centre for ConMnuing EducaMon Wellington County Learning Centre Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin Page 2
Project READ Literacy Network Get Set Crop 2013 Thanks to our sponsors for their donations: •  Amy Cardillo •  Laura Marks •  Andronowski & Associates •  Linda Lawrence •  Blacks Sunrise -­‐ Jay Norris •  Lisa Furtney -­‐ Scrapfest •  Brian & Sandra Schallhorn •  Lisa McArthur -­‐ Reflexology •  Carol Tam -­‐ Wildberry •  Lorri Sauvé •  Carolyn Muir -­‐ Massage •  M&M's O_awa/Westmount -­‐ Sherry •  Chris Mann Stewart •  Darlene Bokma •  Nancy Kuiper -­‐ CreaMve Memories •  Erin Collicut – Just Scrap It •  Pinos Salon and Spa •  Ginny Carnevale •  Pita Factory -­‐ Indu Naphade •  Grand River Karate •  Scrapbook and Cards Today •  Highland Superstore -­‐ Colin •  Scrapping Bug •  Henry Bullard •  Scrapping Turtle •  Jane Tuer •  Shannon Walker •  Jen Tieu •  Susan Hummel •  Kelly Beitz •  Tabatha Keffer, Tupperware •  Kim Munro -­‐ Stampin’ Up •  Teena O’Dea •  Kim Vanderloo – Norwex Thanks to the committee members for all their hard work; Chris Mann, Laura Marks, and Lorri Sauvé Page 3
A Report from the Chair and Senior Staff 25 YEARS – 1988 to 2013
“Never doubt that a small group of though4ul, commi8ed ci9zens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” -­‐ Margaret Mead 25 years of literacy linkages! It is hard to believe how far we have come. From a small group of educators seeking connecMon and collaboraMon to a strong, dynamic network of professional literacy educators, programs and agencies. We are stronger due to our people (members, partners and staff) and our unceasing focus on excellence in adult literacy. When we look back at twenty-­‐five years, we see incredible accomplishments. From professional development for pracMMoners and the development of learning resources to coordinaMng research projects spanning provinces and public events drawing a_enMon to the importance of literacy and essenMal skills. Project READ has raised the profile of literacy programs, educators and students. Through our collecMve efforts during the past twenty-­‐five years over 20,000 adults have parMcipated in adult literacy programs in Waterloo-­‐Wellington. This accomplishment speaks to the tremendous efforts and dedicaMon of those adults, their instructors and the literacy and essenMal skills programs in our region. Over 600 families have parMcipated in our family literacy programs, Get Set Learn and Get Set Learn Aperschool. Literacy programming has been a vehicle for ciMzens in our community to escape unemployment and poverty. Project READ is a collaboraMon of agencies all devoted to one goal: supporMng adults to parMcipate in educaMon to achieve success. We are all focused on nurturing the potenMal and strength of the individuals with whom we work. Sincere thanks to everyone in our network for twenty-­‐five amazing years: past and present board members, instructors, agencies, parents and children in our family literacy programs, adults we assessed and routed into programs, our partners, funders and donors. We are looking forward to another twenty-­‐five years of growth and service to the community. Respecrully submi_ed, Carol Risidore, Jane Tuer and Anne Ramsay Chair Person, ExecuMve Program Director and ExecuMve Network Director Our Mission: Project READ Literacy Network is a dynamic community collabora9on promo9ng the growth of literacy and essen9al skills in Waterloo-­‐Wellington. Visit www.projectread.ca for more informaMon. Page 4
Thank You to Our Board and Committee Members for 2012-­‐2013 Execu=ve Commi@ee Carol Risidore, Chair Laura Dick, Vice-­‐Chair Eric Karn, Secretary-­‐Treasurer Directors Jeff Beamer
Sandy Coghlin Aimee Jeffrey
Anne Jones Holt Sivak
Waterloo Literacy Commi@ee Dieter Klaus, Thanh Thanh Tieu, & Brian Hofste_er, Conestoga College Carol Risidore & Karen Morgan-­‐Bowyer, The Literacy Group of Waterloo Region Lorraine Cheshire, Waterloo Catholic District School Board Linda Brooks, Waterloo Region District School Board Wellington Literacy Commi@ee Mira Clarke, AcMon Read Adam Jensen, Conestoga College Kerry Halliday, Wellington Centre for ConMnuing EducaMon Elizabeth Debergh, Wellington County Learning Centre
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Thank You to Our Staff 2012-­‐2013 Core & Program Staff: Jane Tuer, ExecuMve Program Director Anne Ramsay, ExecuMve Network Director Linda Parker, Program Assistant and EducaMonal and EssenMal Skills Assessor Angela Spears, AdministraMve Assistant Ginny Carnevale, EducaMonal and EssenMal Skills Assessor Judy Paul, EducaMonal and EssenMal Skills Assessor Lorri Sauve, Family Literacy Program Coordinator and Public EducaMon Coordinator Joanne Davis, Family Literacy Program Coordinator and Facilitator Dorothy Fong, Get Set Learn Facilitator Jennifer Hewi_, Get Set Learn Facilitator Special Projects & Ini=a=ves: • Desktop Publishing Services -­‐ Teressa Van Vliet • Diabetes EssenMal Skills Tool Kit – Lisa McArthur, Lesley Hamilton and Ginny Carnevale • Family Literacy Day Event CoordinaMon – Karen Morgan Bowyer • Get Set Learn Aperschool – Jennifer Hewi_ • Outreach to AcMon Centres and EducaMonal Interviews -­‐ Lorri Sauve • Labour Adjustment Review, Labour Market Partnership – Janet Howi_ • Learning With Swagger Assessment Tool – Lorri Sauve and Ginny Carnevale • Centralized Assessment Project – Ginny Carnevale, Linda Parker, Lorri Sauve, Karen Morgan-­‐Bowyer and Jane Tuer • LBS Centralized Task-­‐based AcMviMes Portal – Anne Ramsay and Jane Tuer Page 6
Services & Connections Assessments & Referrals •  Ongoing referrals provided to adults over the phone or email to member agencies and community services •  232 Ontario Works and AcMon Centre parMcipants assessed and placed into Literacy and Basic Skills programs as well as other training and employment services •  Over 78,000 copies of the booklet, The Directory of Programs in Waterloo-­‐Wellington 2013 Edi9on , were printed & distributed by Waterloo Region Record & Guelph Mercury newspapers to homes and agencies Literacy Service Planning & Promo=on •  1518 adults (16+ yrs) par=cipated in Literacy & Basic Skills (LBS) training in Waterloo-­‐
Wellington from April 2012 to March 2013 •  Approximately 42% were male and 58% were female •  38% were aged between 20 to 29 years old and 32.5% were aged between 30 to 44 years old •  The vast majority of students (64%) in Wellington and Waterloo were focused on employment and postsecondary educa=on aper leaving LBS programs. •  During 2012-­‐13, LBS Agencies conMnued to experience high demand for their programs. The Agencies averaged approximately 200 adults wai=ng per month to access training, which is only 7% decrease from last year (216 adults per month). Demand for LBS training remains high due to the changing demands of the workplace – upskilling, need for more credenMals, and the change to digital technology. •  CompleMon & successful submission of the 2014-­‐2015 Literacy Service Plan for Waterloo and Wellington Literacy Commi_ees to the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges & UniversiMes (TCU). •  Coordina=on of literacy services based on labour market research and community consultaMons with key stakeholders – Employment Services, Ontario Works, Service Canada, ApprenMceship, Workforce Planning Board Waterloo Wellington Dufferin, among others. •  Partnered in planning with Employment Ontario agencies via Community Employment Linkages Commi_ee (Waterloo Region) and Guelph-­‐Wellington Employment & Training Commi_ee. Page 7
Development & Innovation •  Diabetes Essen=al Skills Tool Kit -­‐ This Ontario Trillium FoundaMon funded project that created the DESK (Diabetes EssenMal Skills Kit) which contains EssenMal Skills Profiles based on the tasks that a person living with diabetes has to perform (e.g. Reading Blood Glucose Levels). The project also developed learning acMviMes that address the levels and skills required by individuals living with diabetes. •  Learning with Swagger Assessment Tool – This project developed a tool to assess the sop skills of learners (e.g. self-­‐confidence, grit, body language, etc.) and learning strategies to support learners to build these sop skills. This tool focussed on the two OALCF competencies of Manage Learning (all 3 levels) and Engage with Others. The product was also translated into French. •  Labour Adjustment Review – Labour Market Partnership – This project is a partnership of all the south-­‐
western Ontario literacy networks. Project READ will document the current approach by Employment Ontario partners to labour adjustment situaMons and invesMgate the development of a new, responsive, collaboraMve model of labour adjustment among Employment Ontario partners. We will also idenMfy and implement supporMve coordinaMon strategies, including assessment and referral protocols and tools, to facilitate effecMve client pathways and outcomes. •  Centralized Assessment Project – This project was in partnership with Adult Basic EducaMon AssociaMon and Literacy Link Niagara. We were responsible for assessing over 165 clients from OW, Employment Services, AcMon Centres and community agencies. The clients and referral agencies completed evaluaMons of the process. This was compiled in a report for the Ministry which found that centralized assessment is beneficial to the client/learner and the programs. •  LBS Centralized Task-­‐based Ac=vi=es Portal – This project was in partnership with QUILL Learning Network. It revised and reviewed over 100 task sets (from program demonstraMons) and then posted these various OALCF task based acMviMes on a searchable website format for frontline pracMMoners. Task sets from the previous phase of this project were also posted on the website. •  Professional Development (PD) Workshops – Project READ provides workshops and events to support frontline staff and managers with new iniMaMves. These events are open to all our member agencies, which include LBS agencies, Employment Services, ESL, LINC programs, Libraries, Early Childhood programs and other community services. During 2012-­‐13, we coordinated 4 full days of workshops and two LBS Agency bus tours to LBS prac==oners and workers from our member agencies and other community services. Ongoing professional development directly impacts service to adults students. It is vital to the key message of life long learning to achieve success and employment. We also held a special event with the Chamber of Commerce having TD Bank Group Chief Economist, Craig Alexander, give a talk on the economy and literacy. •  Project READ staff provided PD workshops in other regions and provinces based on their experMse. This past year, staff facilitated workshops on Task-­‐based AcMviMes and Complexity Levels, Family Literacy, Clear Language, Bridges Out of Poverty, Logic Models and EssenMal Skills. PRLN staff also provided individual mentoring and support to local LBS agencies regarding OALCF. •  Project READ staff are involved in delivering (instrucMon and coordinaMon) professional training programs offered by Conestoga College ITAL – FoundaMons in Family Literacy CerMficate and Teacher of Adults: Literacy Educator CerMficate. It is another way that staff share their experMse and mentor new professionals in the fields of family and adult literacy. Page 8
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•  Since 2003, 478 parents and 670 preschool age children parMcipated in Get Set Learn at 55 program locaMons. •  In 2012, 33 parents and 42 preschool children par=cipated in Get Set Learn family literacy t Sprogram r for women on Ontario Works funded by the Region of Waterloo Social Services and et Lea at community locaMons: Our Place Family Resource and Early Years Centre, delivered Cambridge Self-­‐Help Food Bank, Stanley Park Community Centre, and Cedarbrae Public School. •  Impacts on families: Increased knowledge and skills about emergent literacy and home literacy acMviMes; higher frequency of reading, wriMng and math acMviMes at home; increased confidence & more posiMve avtudes towards learning and school; increased awareness of EssenMal Skills and how skills are used at work, home and in the community. tS
ar 167 parents and 362 children have parMcipated in Get Set Learn A`erschool at 7 •  Since et L2e008, locaMons (6 elementary schools). •  Support for the annual Books for Kids Campaign in partnership with Waterloo Region Record, Guelph Mercury, SalvaMon Army and Conestoga Mall collecMng over 4000 books for children and youth in low income families during Christmas Season 2012 •  Involvement in local, collaboraMve iniMaMves: Alliance for Child and Youth; Early Literacy Alliance of Waterloo Region; PosiMve ParenMng; Let’s Read; and the Children’s Planning Table. •  Over 3000 people parMcipated in 15th Annual Family Literacy Day Celebra=on at Conestoga Mall on January 27, 2013 including Celebrity Readers and Bogglemania tournament held in partnership with Anishnabeg Outreach, Baby ConnecMons, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Conestoga College LINC, Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-­‐Sud, FronMer College, Kitchener Public Library, Laurier Students for Learning, Let’s Read, Our Place Family Resource and Early Years Centre, Ontario Early Years, St. Louis Adult Learning Centres, Strong Start, Waterloo Region Library, Waterloo Public Library, Waterloo Region Record and YMCA Assessment Centre. •  GSLA depends on dona=ons and sponsorships. While several local elementary schools have contacted PRLN to deliver a program, our agency struggles to find sustainable funding in spite of many proposals to foundaMons and businesses. We remain opMmisMc that funding will be secured for this dynamic program. Page 9
Project READ Literacy Network Waterloo-­‐Wellington Minutes of the 2012 Annual General Meeting Friday November 2, 2012 Four Points Sheraton, Cambridge, ON Present: Adam Jensen, Anne Jones, Anne Ramsay, Brian Hofste_er, Carol Manica, Dafinka Novoselska, Dina Amorim, Dorothy Tam, Ed Lee, Ginny Carnevale, Heather Lee, James Kesner, Jane Tuer, Jennifer Hewi_, Joanne Davis, Joanne Morant, Julie Sigrist, Karen Morgan-­‐Bowyer, Kerry Halliday, Kim Jensen, Kim Krueger-­‐Kischak, Laurie Few, Linda Brooks, Linda Parker, Linda Wi_, Liz Wya_, Lorri Sauve, Maggie Moore, Mary Mc Nally, Mary Robison, Nicola Sco_, Niki Lang, Noreen Applebee, Patricia Belding, Penny Stewart-­‐Fournier, Ruth Jensen, Sue Damon, Sue Dawe, Wayne Miedema, Aimee Jeffery, Holt Sivak, Carol Risidore, Ann Bilodeau, Shannon Roussey, Verna Brayshaw. 1.
Holt Sivak called the meeMng to order at 12:30 pm 2. Linda Parker was appointed as the Recorder 3. MoMon: To approve the Agenda
4. 
MoMon: To approve the AGM Minutes from 2012 Ann Bilodeau /Aimee Jeffrey Carol Risidore / Anne Jones 5. Chair and Senior Staff Report -­‐ Anne gave some highlights from the past fiscal year. 6. 
Eric highlighted the Audited Financial Statements. MoMon: To approve the audit financial statements for 2012 – 2013
Carol Risidore / Anne Jones 7. 
MoMon: To appoint David W. Gray as auditor for 2012 – 2013 Linda Brooks /Ann Bilodeau 8. RecogniMon & thanks: Holt thanked the two ExecuMve Directors for their work. Anne thanked the Board of Directors, the Literacy Planning Commi_ees and all staff for their hard work. 9. Holt made the call for nominaMons to the board of directors from the floor three Mmes and presented the Slate of Nominees. NominaMons were declared closed. 10.
MoMon: To elect the board of directors for 2012 -­‐ 2013 as slated.
Ann Bilodeau /Anne Jones 11.. MoMon: To adjourn the meeMng at 1:10.
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Ann Bilodeau