A WONDERFUL THANK YOU NOTE FROM Alicia Tallack Vancouver Island Coordinator www.frontiercollege.ca/Programs/By-Location/British-Columbia Dear Institute for Cross-cultural Exchange, Frontier College is a national charitable literacy organization, founded in 1899 on the belief that literacy is a right. Our mission is to improve literacy rates in high-needs communities across Canada, working with children, youth, and adults from coast to coast to coast. We achieve our mission by working with 500+ community partners and 2,000+ volunteer literacy tutors to deliver high-impact literacy programming. We are committed to finding and using innovative ways to reach the people who need us most. ![]()
Our activities, programs, and services are inclusive of any individual for whom our assistance is welcome and needed. Part of our work is to address the so-called "education achievement gap" between Indigenous and non-Indigenous learners. Our vision is a Canada in which everyone has the literacy skills they need to achieve their goals. Frontier College’s Community Literacy Catalyst Project, specifically, serves children, youth, and adults. The CLC Project supports Indigenous communities in meeting their own literacy and learning needs by pairing a member of an Indigenous community (the CLC) with a Frontier College mentor to plan and implement customized, accessible, and culturally relevant literacy support programming. ![]()
The generous donation of 480 Silly Chicken books that you provided to us was used in our CLC Project across 3 Indigenous communities on Vancouver Island. The books you provided were in excellent condition, and of very high quality. We are very grateful for the support and wonderful materials!
The Ancient Method That Keeps Afghanistan's Grapes Fresh All Winter
www.atlasobscura.com
Kangina is simple but effective.This content isn't available right now
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.
We’ve been hugely encouraged by the response from around the world to the ISF-UNESCO Short Story Competition. ‘I have never seen such a positive response to a competition,’ says Anna-Maria Majlöf, the main liaison at UNESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Sector in Paris. Thousands of children – from as far as Mongolia and Italy, Kenya and Ecuador, and at least one from Iran – submitted their entries by December 31. In the few days before the deadline, UNESCO received nearly one thousand entries alone.![]()
The subject matter has proven as diverse as the geographical spread of the participants – and inspiringly imaginative. Working with the theme, ‘Once Upon a Time in my Future...’ Gegee Otgonbayar, 18, from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, penned a dystopian tale narrated by a camel searching for sanctuary in a post-apocalyptic world. Fatemeh Azizi from Tehran, also 18, has produced a sobering narrative from the perspective of a grown woman denied the right to become a singer. Natia Gotsadze, 16, from Tbilisi, Georgia writes of finding hope despite life in a wheelchair. And Dylan Winnie Deverill, 12, from the UK, pens an evocative piece about caring for the world’s last polar bear cub.![]()
A few of these young authors have been good enough to comment on why they felt inspired to take part in the competition. Budding 16 year-old writer, Amina Baktiyarova from Kazakhstan, writes to say, ‘I’ve been telling many stories since I was a child. It all started when I wrote my first short story about my mother... Storytelling is a way to present my view to the world. It gives me an opportunity to show people my life and share my ideas... I want to believe that everything is possible and that there will always be hope for a bright future... We are all unique but connected by the love of tales.’![]()
Natia Gotsadze, 16, from Tbilisi, Georgia says, ‘Writing means a lot to me. It’s the best way to transmit your feelings and emotions. Sometimes it’s better to write than talk.’ While Oscar Ghoshe, 15, from Calcutta, India tells ISF, ‘For me, taking part in this competition has been great fun and quite challenging. It also kept me quite busy while we had to stay home from school because of Covid!’![]()
UNESCO is now sorting through the submissions, ensuring that the participants are all eligible. Due to Covid restrictions, staff are stretched thin. But we are aiming to publish the competition’s Short List in March – and also announce a date for the live announcement of the winners and prize-giving ceremony.