Literacy touches every part of our lives. One definition of literacy is that it’s the ability to engage with the written word. However, literacy has many different meanings, from the simple to the robust. While every newcomer to Canada faces unique conditions, literacy is a common factor.
Today, society demands a sophisticated understanding of written language. Everyone deserves access to literacy and learning. United for Literacy is dedicated to making that possible. Literacy is a foundational tool to ensure newcomers to Canada can thrive. Bridging the literacy gap is something we can do. It’s our most effective tool for improving the lives of millions of Canadians.
During this forum, we addressed questions such as: How are newcomers to Canada integrating with the educational system? Should people have to "integrate"? What can people do to welcome newcomers to Canada in a meaningful way? How can parents support their children's learning?
United for Literacy’s National Forum on Literacy and Immigration began to tackle some of these complex questions. With over a century of experience in the field of literacy, United for Literacy was proud to be part of the conversation.
Thank you for joining us on Wednesday, October 16.
To watch the recording, please click here and you will be redirected to Youtube.
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Yves-Gérard Méhou-Loko
Secretary-General of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCUNESCO)
Yves-Gérard Méhou-Loko is the Secretary-General of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCUNESCO), which has operated under the aegis of the Canada Council for the Arts since 1957. The CCUNESCO is one of 200 national commissions around the world working to advance the mandate of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). As Secretary-General, Yves-Gérard leads the CCUNESCO in its efforts to engage, support and amplify the work of Canadian civil society organizations and knowledge holders in the fields of education, sciences, culture, communication and information.
A global citizen with a passion for education, equity and diversity, and human rights journalism, Yves-Gérard has lived and worked on three continents. He studied political science at Université Laval and the Université du Québec à Montréal and completed a master’s in Public Administration at the École nationale d’administration publique. Previous roles include host and producer for Radio-Canada, senior investigator with the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario, manager of the Ontario Ombudsman’s French Language Services Unit and Equity and Human Rights Commissioner for the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario.
Born in France with Beninese origins, Yves-Gérard has been the vice-president of the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadiennes du Canada since June 2021 and is very active in defending minority groups.
Faduma Musse
Executive Director of the Somali Canadian Association of Waterloo Region , ON
Faduma Musse is an elementary teacher with the Waterloo Region District School Board and proud mother of four beautiful girls.
Faduma has always been passionate about creating equal opportunity both in the classroom and in the community. She has many years of experience in the settlement sector and frontline social service sector. Through this extensive experience she has gained a wealth of knowledge on the diverse needs of marginalized populations and has aligned herself in work rooted in creating social change.
Faduma is proud to be apart of the SCAWR team as the organization continues to move forward in meaningful ways.
Jeremias Tecu
Lead Settlement Worker in Schools, Fredericton, NB
Jeremias Tecu is from Guatemala and has been living in Fredericton, NB, for more than 22 years. He moved to Canada as a refugee with his family of five, including three children, two of whom were school-aged. None of them spoke any English. From the beginning, it was rough, but the Multicultural Association of Fredericton provided support for our fast integration. Jeremias worked for the UNHCR, providing support for Guatemalan refugee families in Mexico until 1999. With his experience and skills working with refugees, he applied for a Resettlement Worker position at the Multicultural Association of Fredericton. He worked in this position from 2002 until October 2009 and has been working as the Lead Settlement Worker in Schools since then.
Jeremias is also:
• An active member and past board director of the Canadian Council for Refugees
• A board director and president of Madhu Verma Justice for Migrants in Fredericton, NB
• A coordinator member of Maritimes-Guatemala Breaking the Silence Network (BTS)
• Founder of MCAF-FDSA Futsal Program
His story of surviving the Guatemalan civil war is told in Eve Mills Allen’s book, In the Arms of Inup .
Naim Demolli
Learner at United for Literacy
Naim Demolli is a learner at United for Literacy and has been participating the Literacy and Basic Skills program since August 2022. Naim immigrated from Kosovo in 2007 and is now a real estate agent operating in the Hamilton and Burlington area.
Parisa Mahboubi
Senior Policy Analyst and lead of the C.D. Howe Institute human capital policy program, Toronto, ON
Parisa Mahboubi is a Senior Policy Analyst and leads the C.D. Howe Institute's human capital policy program. Her research interest focuses on social policy with a concentration on demographic, skills, education, and labour market concerns, including labour-market outcomes of second-generation immigrants in Canada. In addition to authoring research studies, she regularly writes a column for The Globe and Mail’s business section.
Prior to joining the C.D. Howe Institute in 2016, Parisa worked at the Statistics Canada Research Data Centre and as an Instructor and Research Assistant at the University of Guelph while completing her PhD studies.
She has a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Economics from Shiraz University in Iran and a Master of Arts and a PhD in Economics from the University of Guelph.
Venantie Nutmende
Community Coordinator, United for Literacy, Manitoba
Venantie is currently the Community Coordinator for United for Literacy in Manitoba. Previously, she has worked as a Project Coordinator at MFL Occupational Health Center, a Resettlement Assistant Program case worker, and a Women’s Guidance Counsellor.
Her skills include public policy analysis, project execution, counselling, and community support. She enjoys reading motivational literature in her free time.
ᐅᖃᓕᒫᕈᓐᓇᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᕈᓐᓇᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᓄᓇᓕᕐᔪᐊᕐᒥᐅᑕᕈᓂᕐᒧᑦ
ᐃᔪᓐᓇᐅᑎᖓ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᕈᓐᓇᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᕈᓐᓇᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐃᖏᕋᓂᖓᓄ ᓄᓇᓕᕐᔪᐊᕐᒥᐅᑕᕈᓐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᑦ.
ᐅᖃᓕᒫᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᖅ ᑎᑎᕋᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᖅ ᐊᑦᑐᐃᓂᖃᖅᑐᖅᐅᕙᒍᑦ ᐃᓅᓯᖏᓐᓂ. ᐊᑕᐅᓯᖅ ᑐᑭᖓ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᕈᓐᓇᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᕈᓐᓇᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᒍᓐᓇᕐᓗᓂ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕐᓂᑦ. ᑭᓯᐊᓂᓕ, ᐅᖃᓕᒫᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᖅ ᑎᑎᕋᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᖅ ᐊᒥᓱᓂᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᖏᑦᑐᓂ ᑐᑭᖃᖅᑐᑦ, ᐱᒡᒐᓇᖏᑦᑐᒥ ᓱᑲᑦᑐᒧᑦ. ᑎᑭᕌᑖᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒧ ᓵᓐᖓᑦᑎᔪᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᐅᖏᑦᑐᓂ ᖃᓄᐃᓐᓂᕆᔭᖏᓐᓂ, ᐅᖃᓕᒫᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᖅ ᑎᑎᕋᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᖅ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᐅᒐᔪᑦᑐᖅ.
ᑕᕝᕙᓂ ᑲᑎᒪᓂᐅᔪᒥᑦ, ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᓂᐊᖅᑐᒍᑦ ᐊᐱᖅᑯᑎᓂᑦ ᓲᕐᓗ; ᖃᓄᖅ ᑎᑭᕋᑖᖅᑐᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒧ ᐃᓚᒋᓕᐅᔾᔭᐅᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᓂᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ? ᐃᓄᐃᑦ “ᐃᒋᓕᐅᔾᔨᔭᕆᐊᖃᖅᑳᑦ”ᕙ ᖃᓄᐃᓘᕈᓐᓇᖅᑲᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑐᓐᖓᓱᑦᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᑎᑭᕋᑖᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒧ ᒥᔅᓯᖃᑦᑎᐊᑐᒃᑯᑦ? ᐊᒻᒪ ᖃᓄᖅ ᐊᖏᔪᖅᑳᕆᔭᐅᔪᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᓐᓇᖅᑲᑦ ᕿᑐᓐᖓᖏᓐᓂ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ?
ᑲᑎᒪᑎᑦᑎᔪᖅ Yves-Gérard Méhou-Loko, ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᔨᒻᒪᕆᒃ , ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᖏᑦ ᐅᑯᓄᖓ UNESCO (CCUNESCO)
ᐱᖓᑦᑎᖅ, ᐅᑦᑑᐱᕆ 16, 2024
1:00 ᐅᓐᓄᓴᒃᑯᑦ - 3:15 ᐅᓐᓄᓴᒃᑯᑦ ᑲᓇᓐᓇᐅᑉ ᓯᕿᓐᖑᔭᖓ
ᑲᑎᒪᓂᐅᔪᖅ ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᑐᐊᖑᓂᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑎᑐᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐅᐃᕕᑎᑐᑦ
ᑲᑎᓐᖓᔪᑦ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᕈᓐᓇᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᕈᓐᓇᓂᕐᒧᑦ, ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᕗᕌᓐᑎᐅ ᓯᓚᑦᑐᓴᕐᕕᒃ, ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᑐᓂᓯᑐᐃᓐᓇᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᑦ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᕈᓐᓇᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᕈᓐᓇᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑲᑐᔾᔨᖃᑎᒌᖏᑦ. ᐅᑉᐱᕈᓱᑦᑐᒍᑦ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᕈᓐᓇᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᕈᓐᓇᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᐅᑎᐅᓪᓗᓂ. ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖃᑎᖃᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᒍᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅᑐᓂᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᓄᓇᓕᒻᒥ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓂᖅᑖᕐᓗᑎ ᐊᒻᒪ ᖁᓚᖏᓂᕐᒥᑦ ᐱᔭᕆᐊᖃᖅᑕᖏᓐᓂ ᑎᑭᑦᑎᓗᑎ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᕐᓂᕆᔭᖏᓐᓂ. ᑐᓂᓯᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᔪᒍᑦ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᕈᓐᓇᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᕈᓐᓇᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᓂᑦ ᐃᓄᓐᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ ᑲᓇᑕᓕᒫᒥ 1899ᕝᒥᓂᑦ.
Foro Nacional en Línea
Literacidad y migración
El poder de la literacidad en la experiencia migratoria
La literacidad (también comprendida como alfabetización), afecta todos los aspectos de nuestras vidas. Una breve definición de literacidad es que es la capacidad de relacionarse con la palabra escrita. Sin embargo, la literacidad tiene un significado mucho más amplio y profundo en la vida cotidiana. Si bien las experiencias de cada persona recién llegada a Canadá conllevan condiciones únicas, la literacidad es un factor común de la experiencia migratoria. Por ello, en este foro abordaremos cuestiones como: ¿Cómo logran integrarse en el sistema educativo las personas recién llegadas a Canadá? ¿Las personas que llegan, "deben que integrarse"? ¿Qué puede hacer la gente local para acoger de manera significativa a quienes migran a Canadá? y ¿cómo pueden las madres y los padres apoyar el aprendizaje de sus hijas e hijos?
Presentado por: Yves-Gérard Méhou-Loko
Secretario General
Comisión Canadiense para la UNESCO (CCUNESCO)
Miércoles, 16 de octubre de 2024
1:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. EST
El Foro sólo estará disponible en inglés y francés
United for Literacy, antes conocida como Frontier College, es una organización nacional de beneficencia dedicada a la literacidad (alfabetización). Creemos que la literacidad es un derecho humano fundamental. Trabajamos con la colaboración de voluntarias/os y centros comunitarios para dar a las personas las habilidades y la confianza que necesitan para alcanzar su potencial. Ofrecemos programas gratuitos de literacidad para las personas de nuestras comunidades en todo Canadá desde 1899 hasta la actualidad.
