Lifelong learning is the focus of Family Literacy Day on Friday.
The annual campaign aims to raise awareness about the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family.
“Literacy is necessary for quality of life, participating in community, for decoding our world,” said Maureen Kehler, the literacy outreach coordinator for the Fraser Cascade area.
“Basic literacy is the velcro of learning. Learning needs to be fun, it needs to be intergenerational and it needs to be relevant.”
It can be as simple as reading a novel out loud to each other, grocery shopping together, writing a poem together, publishing a monthly family newspaper, doing a home improvement project or assembling an appliance or toy together.
Statistically Hope has one of the lowest literacy rates in the province, the highest number of vulnerable children entering kindergarten, and a large high school drop out rate in youth 18 and under.
“Research has shown that children who are school ready in kindergarten are more likely to do well in school, graduate, and are more likely to be successful in their jobs and post secondary education,” said Kehler.
Local libraries are hosting special events on Friday in celebration of Family Literacy Day. Hope Library welcomes Tamara Toivanen of Positively Puppets and The January Puppet Players group for a special show at 4 p.m. In Boston Bar, the library is hosting a reading hour and prize draw starting at 9:30 a.m.
On Wednesday, a book launch for the Story Time in the Park contest winners was also held at Hope Library. The five winning stories have been made into books and are available at the four local library branches.
For more information, visit www.fvrl.bc.ca or contact your local library branch directly.