Write to Read BC

Category: Impact story

A benefit or success credited in part to Write to Read BC.

  • Assessing the impact of Write to Read BC

    An independent researcher is evaluating the long-term impacts and community perspectives of the Write to Read BC Project, at our request. Working closely with Indigenous leaders, educators, and community members, this research “will culminate in an assessment report that will guide the re-framing and Indigenization of the Write to Read BC Project.”

    The assessment is provided by a program at Simon Fraser University that helps SFU graduate students collaborate with non-profit groups and community groups. The program supports research projects that provide plain-language answers to community-driven research questions at low or no cost to the community partner.

    The Write to Read BC study will focus on

    Community collaboration and data collection

    The study will:

    • collaborate with Indigenous leaders, educators, and community members to gather perspectives on the impact of active and inactive learning centres.
    • conduct interviews, facilitate protocol-guided information-sharing sessions, and ensure respectful, ethical data collection.
    • assist in developing “case stories” from selected communities, ensuring informed consent and cultural sensitivity.
    • document and organize qualitative data to inform the final project report and analysis.

    Literature and media review

    The study will:

    • conduct a literature review focusing on the intersections of Indigenous knowledge systems and colonial education practices.
    • review and summarize “grey literature” and media related to the Write to Read BC project, including speeches, audio/video recordings, and planning documents.
    • gather and analyse quantitative data on educational outcomes (such as Kindergarten to Grade 12 graduation rates, post-secondary enrolment) in communities with Write to Read BC centres.
    • identify gaps in the literature or data and recommend additional resources to address these gaps.

    Data analysis and reporting

    The study will:

    • analyse qualitative and quantitative data to understand changes in community engagement, cultural connectedness, language revitalization, and educational impacts associated with Write to Read BC learning centres.
    • assist in preparing interim reports, summaries, and visual presentations to share findings with project stakeholders.
    • draft a final report, weaving Indigenous knowledge, community insights, and statistical data into a cohesive narrative.
    • assist in developing recommendations for future iterations of Write to Read BC and strategies to support its ongoing sustainability and alignment with Indigenous sovereignty.

  • Saving education in Gitsegukla: video

    When Gitsegukla elementary school principal Louise Ormerod talks about her school’s journey from failure to success—not just for the Kindergarten to Grade 7 students, but also for adult learners in the community—Write to Read BC gets part of the credit.

    Jump to the video

    School risked getting shut down

    In 2018 the BC Ministry of Education assessed the school. It failed. The ministry said the school would be closed if it didn’t resolve the 21 violations ministry auditors found. The community also knew the school was poor. Some families left the community so their children could get an education. New teachers quickly left.

    But two years later, when auditors returned, they found a vast improvement. The school was “teaching to the curriculum” and meeting BC Ministry of Education standards. Auditors observed the school had found the resources every elementary school needs. Literacy rates increased 400%. Teachers stayed.

    Jump to the video

    Community commitment, a plan, and a library

    Ministry auditors told Ormerod that hers was the only audited school that did not have a single violation that year. Ormerod credits her staff and the community’s commitment to saving education in their community. She says Write to Read BC not only played a role, but made it easy, by being prpared and by knowing who to call to solve various problems. As for the library Write to Read BC installed, Ormerod says, “we had the best library and learning centre we could have ever asked for to support that learning.”

    The story on video

    In this 9½-minute video of an online talk, Ormerod tells the story of her school’s journey.

    School principal Louise Ormerod talks about improving literacy and numeracy at her school.

    Ormerod also gives advice to other schools who want to develop a library of their own:

    • Give the library a formal opening, with all the fanfare it deserves, to acknowledge the accomplishment. Gitsegukla school missed theirs because of Covid-19 restrictions.
    • Identify a champion who’s passionate about maintaining the facility once it’s launched.
    • Open the library after hours, so adult community members can use the library, and can attend online courses by using the library’s learning centre.
    • Get trained to manage a digital lending system.

    Ormerod credits the expertise and connections of Write to Read BC’s volunteers, and the fundraising efforts of the Rotary Club for helping to make success possible for Gitsegukla Elementary and the whole community.

  • Write to Read BC expands Indigenous networking

    Several members of isolated BC communities attended a virtual conference about Indigenous communities. The conference, sponsored by Libraries, Archives and Museums Nova Scotia, included breakout sessions.

    During the breakout sessions, members discussed their experience with Write to Read BC, and made new connections with people from Indigenous communities in other provinces.

    Virtual conferences don’t just give remote attendees access to people in other communities. They expose attendees to other ideas and perspectives, and to a broad body of knowledge and potential for collaboration.