Brad Heath
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 28/05) - This week in Literacy Matters, the NWT Literacy Council is proud to profile Mary Ann Vital of Deline. Vital received a GNWT Ministerial Literacy Award (Educator) during NWT Literacy Week.

Vital has worked in early childhood for the past 10 years and in family literacy for the last four years.

She is very involved in literacy activities in her community and region and has quickly emerged as a literacy leader.

She is the early childhood and family literacy co-ordinator in Deline, a member of the district education authority and was on the board of directors for the NWT Literacy Council for the past four years as the Sahtu representative.

Vital is enthusiastic about the positive impact that community-based literacy can have on the quality of life for people in her community.

She believes that literacy programs that are developed and delivered by community people are the most effective. She has developed both aboriginal and English literacy programs for children and families. Vital is committed to the revitalization of North Slavey, the aboriginal language of her community.

She is developing aboriginal language and literacy programming as part of the pre-school program. She co-ordinates and works closely with elders in the community to share their knowledge of the language with young children and their parents.

In addition to co-ordinating early learning for children in Deline, Vital also promotes family literacy through family events and learning activities.

Vital has designed and implemented a series of family literacy activities open to all families in Deline. She hosts family literacy nights each week that support families to help their children with early literacy development.

She also provides resources that parents can use at home with their kids and has incorporated aboriginal language and cultural activities into the family literacy program.

Last year, Vital and other interested community members applied for and received funding to develop a part-time family and community library that will support literacy development for people of all ages in their community.

It is Vital's dream to have a community library where community members come together to share reading, stories and culture.

- Brad Heath is a promotions and fundraising co-ordinator with the NWT Literacy Council.