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Competing for literacy's sake

Laura Power
Northern News Services
Published Monday, September 24, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - As NWT Literacy week approaches, so does a little competition with Nunavut and Yukon Territory.

Literacy week in all three territories will overlap, and on Monday, the Read For 15 Challenge will take place all over the North.

NNSL Photo/Graphic

Two of the 143 students from Chief Albert Wright school in Tulita who participated in NWT Literacy Week activities last year were Corrine Andrew, left, and Shauna Etchinelle. - photo courtesy of Neil Barry

The annual challenge, which counts the number of readers in each territory who spend at least 15 minutes that day reading, has been going on for years. For the past two, Nunavut has come out on top, according to Cayla Chenier of the Nunavut Literacy Council. Last year, she said, the NWT was a close second to Nunavut's roughly 8,200 readers, though as her colleague Kim Crockatt recalls, it was a tie.

"I know that Nunavut really gets behind the challenge and this year too the Yukon is also involved," said Brenda Green, family literacy co-ordinator for the NWT Literacy Council.

Green said the challenge can include any sort of reader, whether it's opening a novel, reading a newspaper or just reading documents at work. She said it "highlights for people too the reading levels that are required for so much of the work we do."

The Read For 15 Challenge is but one of the many activities planned for NWT Literacy Week, which takes place Sept. 28-Oct. 5.

One of the highlights includes a visit from Cree author Larry Loyie, who will make stops in three parts of the territory with his partner, Constance Brissenden. His first stop will be in Yellowknife, where he will give a series of workshops including one at the North Slave Correctional Facility's young offenders building.

Leo Ehrenberg, a teacher at the facility, said the workshop will help "to broaden their horizons to give them exposure to something they haven't done before, something they're not familiar with."

The facility, he said, aims to test and improve the reading levels of the young offenders, and the visiting author is welcome.

"It's good to have a professor come in to sort of show them the ins and outs of writing," he said.

After spending a few days in Yellowknife, Loyie is scheduled to appear in Aklavik, where he will meet with students at Moose Kerr school.

He will continue on to Inuvik, where a few more appearances are scheduled, including one at the Inuvik Centennial Library.

Bev Garven, the head librarian, said they always get good attendance at such events.

"It brings a renewed interest in books and reading when you are able to hear the stories read by the people who actually wrote them," she said.

Many more activities are planned for NWT Literacy Week, but the one with the most participation is expected to be the Read For 15 Challenge.

This year, Green said, "the losing premiers will wear the T-shirt of the winning territory for that day."

At the thought of premiers Joe Handley and Dennis Fentie losing the challenge, Chenier joked that "either one of them is going to look great sporting a Nunavut Literacy Council T-shirt when they lose."