Celebrating a major milestone usually calls for the receiving of presents, but STAR Literacy wanted to offer some gifts instead. These "loans" have been put on hold for the time-being until it is safer for larger public gatherings.
The city’s non-profit adult literacy program wanted to celebrate its 30th anniversary today (Saturday, Sept. 11) with a free public event aimed to expand the very word "literacy."
The modified plans will still include Coun. Ken MacKay reading a proclamation after literacy co-ordinator Susanne Urbina speaks about literacy at the offices of St. Albert Further Education (located at #107-80 McKenney Ave.) starting at 9:30 a.m. Afterward, STAR will bring forward a local literacy learner to share their story, followed by coffee and cake.
Its Human Library would have allowed people to register to sit with any number of a host of guest experts who would offer their wisdom on a range of subjects. This literacy event has been postponed until the new year.
From Urbina’s perspective, any sort of learning becomes a form of literacy.
“Literacy’s changed because there used to just be literacy and it encompassed everything, and then we got into what was called numeracy. When it gets more into finances and saving money and that type of thing now they're calling it financial literacy, and then from there, it just exploded.”
She talked about a national organization called ABC Literacy that has long operated on the idea that literacy can be about more than simply reading and writing a different language. It offers a program called Money Matters that St. Albert Further Education offers as well.
“It's in our guide: a free course for people wanting to know a little bit about investing, but it primarily focuses on saving money, budgeting, that type of thing. They've gone further; they have literacy in all different forms. I took that idea that it's not just reading and writing, it's understanding a lot of different areas,” Urbina added.
She hopes to host the Human Library at the end of January 2022 in conjunction with the celebration of International Family Literacy Day.
When it does arrive, the anniversary event — broken up into morning and afternoon sessions — will feature such topics as civic literacy, computer literacy, energy literacy, fitness literacy, gender-identity literacy, Indigenous literacy, and several others. If you are interested in learning more about media literacy then you can book a spot to spend 15 minutes with a representative from Great West Media.
“Sometimes we're busy people. The Internet gives us information that’s not always correct. I decided to have the human books for the human library so that people can really get some of their answers from experts,” said Urbina.
People are encouraged to keep abreast of STAR Literacy's plans through its website at stalbertfurthered.com/star-literacy or by calling 780-459-5864. People can also learn more about becoming involved as a tutor or requesting a tutor.
