Literacy has many faces, not all of which relate to the traditional definition of the word.
In grade school, students are taught various subjects, from academics to arts, with the goal that some of the instruction will stick and give young people a base of knowledge from which to learn higher-level skills down the road.
On the worksite, employees are trained to perform certain tasks and become literate in specific jobs. Some come in with previous education – high school or post-secondary – or sometimes related work experience that gives them a leg up on knowing what to do after they get hired.
The term literacy is also often associated with the ability to read and write with a degree of proficiency, which comes from practising both on a regular basis, even into adulthood.
There is a trend these days toward what is referred to as physical literacy, which has little to do with books and everything to do with mastering one’s physical environment to allow for confident movement and control of one’s body in various situations.
Regardless of the type of literacy, it’s all about learning. Last weekend’s Family Learning Tour, organized by Your Literacy Connection Westshore in partnership with the Greater Victoria Public Library, West Shore Parks and Recreation and the Westhills YM-YWCA and Victoria Conservatory of Music, wound up Family Literacy Week in a fun way.
The events provided opportunities for youngsters, along with their parents, to test their reading, writing, artistic and physical skills, through interesting and fun-based activities.
While we at the Gazette take seriously our roles as storytellers and producers of other important information for the community, we also like to believe readers have a bit of fun and find themselves entertained through picking up and reading the newspaper.
We hope that the stories you read and the advertisements you look for inside our pages help boost what we like to call your community literacy, twice a week.
It’s a responsibility we relish and an undertaking we take great joy in providing.