Adult Literacy Programming
Victoria Literacy Connection’s support is entirely learner focused and does its best to adapt to the learner’s individual learning needs. The Adult Literacy Coordinator meets with the adult learner to understand the goal, assesses the learning level in a non-intrusive manner and makes a plan together with the learner.
Through interaction with our learners, our service provider partners and the community, VLC tries to keep in touch with new emerging needs and develops necessary programming accordingly. We are presently developing a Financial Literacy program for adults, incorporating workshops and 1:1 mentoring.
1:1 Adult Literacy Tutoring Program
Our Adult Literacy Tutoring Program is one of our core programs where adults 18 years of age and older can get help with basic reading, writing, math, and computer literacy for free.
Adults struggling with literacy skills or academic studies, can seek us out independently or may be referred to us from other organizations. We work to accommodate any adult with a learning need and a desire to address that need. A trained professional assesses a learner’s skills and requirements. Following this evaluation, learners are paired with an appropriate volunteer tutor. The learner and tutor agree on specific learning goals and a plan of action including meeting times and locations. These sessions are usually weekly, in a public venue and always one-on-one. The learner’s progress is monitored and evaluated by the tutor and by our Adult Coordinator to ensure goals are being met and progress is achieved.
Our goal is to help adults who struggle with literacy to become more confident and skilled and thus able to function more effectively in today’s world. Some examples of literacy goals identified by our learners are as follows: to understand street signs, to read a newspaper, to be able to help a child with homework, to pass the written part of a driving test, to attain a high school diploma or practical certificate or to pass post-secondary college courses. The levels of our learners vary greatly, and we try our best to adapt to their individual learning needs by finding the appropriate volunteer tutors to help them reach their aspirations.
Schedule:
Sessions normally take place once a week either online or face-to-face, as agreed between learner and tutor.
Fee:
Learners do not pay a fee as this program is subsidized, relying on public grants and private donations.
English as a Second Language Group Sessions
After consulting with local immigrant support services, VLC has identified a gap where some immigrants who are no longer new to our country are still struggling with their English. In January 2018, we started a collaboration with SJ Willis Secondary High School to support their learners who needed some extra support with English to arrive at the appropriate level to start their school courses.
Our trained volunteer tutors facilitate free conversational group sessions outside of the school setting to improve upon individual English levels as well as to provide some life skills to function better in Canadian society. Once the level is raised, the learners are very welcome to be included in our traditional one-on-one volunteer tutoring program, as mentioned above.
We welcome communities and individuals to contact us to discuss arranging similar English conversational groups.
Schedule:
Sessions take place twice a week either online or face-to-face. Scheduling may vary depending upon facilitator availability. One course lasts 6 weeks.
Fee:
Learners do not pay a fee as this program is subsidized, relying on public grants and private donations.
Basic Computer Literacy Program
The goal of this program is to reduce isolation through increasing knowledge of electronic devices, learning how to navigate the internet, to fill in online forms and media literacy to reduce elder abuse and dark rabbit holes. Trained and screened tutors normally support in 1:1 settings, though smaller groups are also an option if the learners’ computer skills and levels are similar.
Schedule:
Sessions normally take place once a week either online or face-to-face, as agreed between learner and tutor.
Fee:
Learners do not pay a fee as this program is subsidized, relying on public grants and private donations.
Intergenerational PenPal Club
With all of our activities switching online in 2021, VLC felt the need to reconnect with more traditional modes of communication, namely letter writing. Now in its 3rd year, the PenPal Club matches people aged 10 – 110! PenPals have at least a 20-year age difference and may choose to write their letters directly or via VLC. The PenPal Club is a great way to practice all your literacy skills, and to make lovely connections with others in the community. We can even supply stamps and stationery! For more information click here.
Schedule:
Letters are written throughout the year. The frequency depends upon the PenPals.
Fee:
Learners do not pay a fee as this program is subsidized, relying on public grants and private donations.
The Vancouver Island Correctional Centre Program
For the time being, this program is suspended due to Covid-19.
VLC operates a special program focused on adult literacy at the Vancouver Island Correctional Centre on Wilkinson Road, where inmates work toward high school equivalency or develop educational related skills. Volunteers, under the direction of a professional teacher employed by the Sooke School District, help inmates with formal classroom work related to high school graduation or other personal education programs. Some tutors work one-on-one with inmates who require additional tutoring, while others support in a classroom setting.
Schedule:
Sessions normally take place once a week face-to-face as agreed between the teacher, learner and tutor.