The Fort St. John Literacy Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting literacy for all individuals and groups throughout the local area.
Our organization was incorporated in 1990 (The International Year of Literacy) in response to a widening gap in the service delivery system for people who wanted or needed to improve their literacy skills.
Originally funded through cost sharing funding from the British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education, Training and Technology and from the National Literacy Secretariat of Human Resources Development Canada, the Society continues to rely on various grants and donations from organizations such as the Ministry of Advanced Education, Success by Six, the United Way, the Ministry of Children and Family Services, the BC Gaming Associations, the City of Fort St. John, the Fort St. John Community Arts Council, and other local businesses.
The Society started as an unofficial and informal network of tutors and learners and has grown into a structured organization including 20 tutor/learner pairs at any given time, 30 trained tutors an up to 20 participants in the Family Literacy Program.
The vision of the Fort St. John Literacy Society is to see literacy rates in our community improve; 40% if the population does not have the literacy skills required to function fully in our society. Almost 25% of the population between the ages 18 to 35 have not completed high school. Literacy programs can have a significant impact, bettering the economic, socialm and civic life of our citizens.
The Literacy Society has over 30 members and is governed by an elected Board of Directors. The current Board of Directors includes:
