Council of Federation Literacy Award Celebrates Excellence in Education
St. Thomas, ON, October 17, 2019 - Today, Jeff Yurek, MPP for Elgin-Middlesex-London,
was at the YWCA in St. Thomas-Elgin to present the Council of the Federation Literacy
Award Ontario to this year's winner Katharina Peters.
"On behalf of Premier Doug Ford, I'm honoured to be here today to give Katharina
this award. Her hard work and dedication to learning in spite of adversity is exceptional,"
said Yurek. "I'd also like to thank the staff here at the Literacy and Basic Skills
program at the YWCA. Your commitment continues to help people like Katharina achieve
their literacy and education goals, get good jobs, and contribute to the economy."
Katharina grew up in a community in Belize where education for women was discouraged.
She moved to Ontario with her husband and had three children. When she and the children
experienced family violence, she made the difficult decision to become a single
parent. She got her high school equivalency certificate and is now attending Fanshawe
College.
Established in 2004, the Council of the Federation Literacy Award celebrates the
valuable contributions made by one recipient from each province in the field of
literacy, as well as adult learners who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to
literacy. The award is presented each year to learners, educators, volunteers, community
organizations, and businesses in each province and territory.
Literacy plays a fundamental role in strengthening all areas of our society and
enabling labour force participation. Literacy is linked to better health outcomes,
as well as greater social and civic engagement, and is crucial to the future prosperity
of the Canadian economy.
Quick Facts
- Almost 200,000 Ontarians participate in adult education programs every year.
- Ontario's Literacy and Basic Skills program provides literacy, numeracy, digital
and other essential skills training to residents of Ontario who want to improve
their skills so that they can pursue further education, training, employment or
gain greater independence.
- The
Employment Ontario network helps approximately 1 million clients annually, including
employers across Ontario.
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