Episode 29 - International Literacy Day!

On this week’s HUGE episode, we celebrate International Literacy Day! We learn why it is essential to reflect, advocate and celebrate all of the work that is going into promoting literacy worldwide, and the challenges and adaptations during the pandemic. Our hosts, Chris Shee and Jaimie Cudmore, talk to UNESCO, First Book Canada, DragonBunnyBoooks.Com, Literacy Quebec and telecommunications expert Mark Goldberg for the celebration! First, we hear from Margo Legault, the Director of Literacy Quebec and learn how LQ is celebrating its 40th year of existence and ILD 2020! Tessa from First Book Canada joins us again to talk about how they are providing affordable books to community organizations, their upcoming event in Montreal, plus the collaboration they've created with Amazon! Stay tuned to find out more!! Next, we speak to Hervé Huot-Marchand, chief of the Youth, Literacy and Skills Development section for the Division of policies and Lifelong Learning from UNESCO! We learn about how COVID-19 has impacted literacy across the world, the importance of investing in literacy for recovery and the innovative ways that people are adapting to promote literacy. Check out their page on International Literacy Day to learn how they are celebrating and their upcoming programming here. Up next, we meet illustrators, authors, animators, and musicians Lee-Ann & Cookie from DragonBunnyBooks.Com for a colourful discussion about their inspiration for creating Luki, their books for children, their thoughts on ILD 2020, some ideas on how adults can gain confidence in reading to children, the positive impact they are making on children via their Camp-in-a-box Summer program during this difficult period of limited face to face connection, and how literacy and life-long learning is intertwined through everything we do! Last but not least, we continue our conversation about affordable and accessible internet in Canada with Mark Goldberg, an expert in the telecommunications field with over 30 years of experience working with the big service providers and the government on this topic. Check out our Facebook page and our website for upcoming events!