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UPEI and Newcomers’ Association to develop immigrant family literacy program
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Researchers based at the University of Prince Edward Island are co-operating with the PEI Association for Newcomers to Canada (PEIANC) on a new program called Connecting Families through Community that aims to increase the literacy levels of new Canadians whose first language is not English.
The researchers will work closely with immigrant families in Charlottetown to develop and implement a flexible literacy program that meets the families’ specific needs and is transferable to other newcomers in PEI and across the country. Their findings will strengthen the capacity of service providers to assist new immigrants by providing information, training, and resources on family literacy. The three-year program is funded by a $296,000 award from Human Resources and Social Development Canada.
“The PEIANC is excited to be partnering with UPEI on this important research project,” says Dr. Kevin J. Arsenault, Executive Director of the PEIANC. “This kind of focused research on the language and literacy challenges facing newcomers is very important and much needed. These are the most formidable barriers many newcomers must overcome if they are to successfully integrate and participate in Island life for the long term.”
The UPEI Faculty Coordinator for the project is Dr. Barbara Campbell, Director of the Webster Centre for Teaching and Learning. Campbell’s background is in nursing education. She currently teaches Global Issues at UPEI, and she has worked in the past with the PEI Multicultural Council.
Campbell says, “Connecting Families through Community is an important and innovative project that aims to strengthen newcomers’ abilities to function effectively in Canadian culture and contribute to the Prince Edward Island economy. I am very excited to be part of it.”
The lead researcher is Dr. Vianne Timmons, former V.P. Academic Development at UPEI, and now President of the University of Regina. Timmons’ UPEI-based research team will work in tandem with her researchers in Regina.
“The collaboration of universities in different parts of Canada will ensure that the program developed can be utilized in multiple settings,” says Timmons, who has partnered extensively with rural and Aboriginal communities to develop new family literacy programs across the Atlantic region.
Connecting Families through Community will begin later this year with a needs assessment to determine the literacy goals of members of the ESL community in PEI. In stage two, researchers will develop a family program in close consultation with the families who participated in the needs assessment. This will include an in-depth analysis of “culture shock” factors that affect new Canadians’ readiness to benefit from literacy programs. In the final stages, the research group will deliver and evaluate a pilot program based on the experiences of 20 immigrant families.
The final outcomes of Connecting Families through Community will include: a framework of supports that newcomers need in PEI, a published ESL family literacy program, and recommendations for support for newcomer families in PEI.
The researchers will work closely with immigrant families in Charlottetown to develop and implement a flexible literacy program that meets the families’ specific needs and is transferable to other newcomers in PEI and across the country. Their findings will strengthen the capacity of service providers to assist new immigrants by providing information, training, and resources on family literacy. The three-year program is funded by a $296,000 award from Human Resources and Social Development Canada.
“The PEIANC is excited to be partnering with UPEI on this important research project,” says Dr. Kevin J. Arsenault, Executive Director of the PEIANC. “This kind of focused research on the language and literacy challenges facing newcomers is very important and much needed. These are the most formidable barriers many newcomers must overcome if they are to successfully integrate and participate in Island life for the long term.”
The UPEI Faculty Coordinator for the project is Dr. Barbara Campbell, Director of the Webster Centre for Teaching and Learning. Campbell’s background is in nursing education. She currently teaches Global Issues at UPEI, and she has worked in the past with the PEI Multicultural Council.
Campbell says, “Connecting Families through Community is an important and innovative project that aims to strengthen newcomers’ abilities to function effectively in Canadian culture and contribute to the Prince Edward Island economy. I am very excited to be part of it.”
The lead researcher is Dr. Vianne Timmons, former V.P. Academic Development at UPEI, and now President of the University of Regina. Timmons’ UPEI-based research team will work in tandem with her researchers in Regina.
“The collaboration of universities in different parts of Canada will ensure that the program developed can be utilized in multiple settings,” says Timmons, who has partnered extensively with rural and Aboriginal communities to develop new family literacy programs across the Atlantic region.
Connecting Families through Community will begin later this year with a needs assessment to determine the literacy goals of members of the ESL community in PEI. In stage two, researchers will develop a family program in close consultation with the families who participated in the needs assessment. This will include an in-depth analysis of “culture shock” factors that affect new Canadians’ readiness to benefit from literacy programs. In the final stages, the research group will deliver and evaluate a pilot program based on the experiences of 20 immigrant families.
The final outcomes of Connecting Families through Community will include: a framework of supports that newcomers need in PEI, a published ESL family literacy program, and recommendations for support for newcomer families in PEI.
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Anna MacDonald
Media Relations and Communications, Integrated Communications
