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Summer Literacy Camps Strengthening community bonds By Mélanie Valcin and Jade Duchesneau Bernier The summer literacy camps are the result of an eight-year partnership between Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, Frontier College and the Makivik Corporation. Initiated in Kuujjuaraapik with the support of ESUMA in 2014, the camps have gradually expanded to 12 of the 14 Nunavik communities. “Engaging youth in literacy activities makes a real difference in terms of retaining knowledge during the summer break,” says Etua Snowball, Director of Education Services at Kativik Ilisarni‐ liriniq. The literacy camps strengthen community bonds and encourage a shared culture of literacy and learning that benefits everyone. Children between the ages of five and 12 also get the opportunity to keep building on the Inuktitut, English, and French reading skills they acquired during the school year.
Last year, when the COVID‐19 pandemic hit, Frontier College’s genuine commitment to developing local expertise paid off. In a regular year, 50 per cent of Frontier College literacy workers are hired locally. Thus, the organization was able to turn around quickly, mobilize its local human resources and offer literacy activities in seven communities. A total of eight literacy workers were hired (six returning from previous summers and two new staff). They participated in regional training where they learned about
or revisited the importance of reading through summer months, how to integrate literacy in regular community activities, how to offer literacy activities online, risk and safety management in COVID‐19 times, and many more topics that allowed them to deliver impactful activities in their communities. This year, the goal is to return to offering summer literacy activities in 12 communities. Their format will differ slightly from previous years, due to COVID‐19 public health measures.
There is always time for reading while out on the land! © Frontier College (4)
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