County Tourism Ambassador Training!

C-TAT is back! Thanks to the folks at The Prince Edward Chamber of Tourism and Commerce, Taste the County, and The Prince Edward County Tourism Development Alliance, PELC will be offering this one-day workshop that focusses on how to offer exceptional customer service, specific to The County.

Friday, May 27, 2011
10:00am - 4:00pm
$20.00
Limited space. Call today.
613-476-1811

This is a great customer service and County knowledge workshop for:
- young people just entering the workforce
- adults with limited customer service experience
- people currently working but who want to refresh their knowledge and passion for offering exceptional service

Spotlight on Change Program a Success!

After 3 weeks of classes, the Spotlight on Change program has wrapped up. It was such a wonderful class that I'm hoping to run it again very soon. The women all commented about how the course really inspired them to take an honest look at their lives and their experiences and move forward with a positive attitude about who they are and what they have to offer! Looking forward to the next one!
- Lori

Spotlight on Change for Women Over 40

Prince Edward Learning Centre has always been an innovative training centre; excited to try new things and eager to follow the needs of the community. Their newest program is no exception. Spotlight on Change is a training program for women over 40, who are challenged in their job search. These challenges may take the form of a lack of formal education, low self-esteem and self-confidence, years out of the workforce, situations of abuse, or a feeling of being lost or dissatisfied.

“This program is designed to help women increase their Essential Skills and their confidence so that they can build employability skills”, says Lori Farrington, PELC Instructor. Spotlight on Change honours how women learn and the challenges they face. The intent is to assist each woman to better understand herself and her unique blend of skills, strengths, needs, and interests as they relate to finding work.

“It’s not a job search program, nor a job training program. It’s an exploration of who you are and what you want. We see women who come through our office all the time who struggle with knowing what they would like out of life and some don’t know that choice is even an option. They seem very left behind and we think that’s devastating because they have so much to offer, but first we have to help them see that”, says Farrington.

Each woman will be encouraged to look inward to discover her strengths and interests, to explore her past experiences, and to acknowledge and overcome her challenges and barriers. Along the way, she makes change in her life in ways important to her. Designed to accommodate participants with low literacy proficiency and its associated lack of confidence, it also encourages women with higher skill levels to help those who are struggling. “It’s about community”, says Farrington. “It’s not about doing it on your own. This program acknowledges the importance of relationships, connectedness, caring, and feeling.”

Spotlight on Change runs mornings, five days a week from February 22 to March 11 at Prince Edward Learning Centre. Class size is limited. This first three week program will be followed this spring by a second program where students are encouraged to take what they have learned about themselves into the community. If you’re a woman over 40 who is struggling to enter the workforce, we can help. For more information, please call PELC at 613-476-1811.

Muffins and Pizza!

On Thursday, January 27, 2011, we made muffins to freeze for Social Learning Classes. We made spiced pumpkin with raisins and bran muffins with raisins. Shawn, Angela, Ed, and Lucinda helped make them.

We started the pizzas at 11.00 am. We made a Meat Lovers Pizza then we made a Ham, Pepperoni, and Pineapple Pizza. Elizabeth, Robert, Josiah, Eric, Kathy, Tracy, Shawn, Angela, Ed, and Lucinda all helped make them. Keith, our instructor, and Linda, our Executive Director helped with the pizzas too. The pizzas turned out really well and we also had juice to drink. This event was sponsored by the Student Council.
By Angela H., Student Council Secretary

Family Literacy Day offers parents opportunity to practice literacy

Fun literacy tips for parents and children to practice literacy at home; Families can register their Family Literacy Day activity and watch their province light up

(Toronto, ON – January 14, 2011) – Family Literacy Day® is a national initiative that takes place every year on January 27 to encourage families to spend 15 minutes a day to read or practice a literacy activity together. Schools, libraries, literacy groups and community centres across the country take part in this initiative every year by hosting literacy-related events to support the literacy cause.
But did you know that literacy actually starts in the home? According to the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, children raised in literate households are likely to enter grade one with several thousand hours of one-to-one pre-reading experience behind them. This is why it’s especially important for parents to encourage literacy at an early age and to take time to show children that learning can be fun. Family Literacy Day offers the perfect opportunity for parents to do so!

“Family Literacy Day is a day where families can sit down and do a fun literacy-related activity, such as playing a game, and begin to build a habit of practicing literacy at home on a daily basis,” says Margaret Eaton, President of ABC Life Literacy Canada. “Literacy affects all aspects of people’s lives, so when families practice literacy daily, both child and adult are better prepared to succeed in a world of increasing literacy challenges at home, at work and in the community.”

Parents can engage their children in literacy with these fun tips and activities:

Follow a recipe together – it’s a fun way to practise reading, math and comprehension.
Surf the Internet to discover fun and educational sites.

Make everyday tasks learning experiences. Ask your children to write out a shopping list, address an envelope or help make a calendar of weekly activities.

Let children count out the change when making a purchase. Reinforce the importance of math in everyday life!

Introduce a family board game night where everyone is encouraged to read instructions, spell words and keep score.


The theme for Family Literacy Day 2011 is Play for Literacy, which can include all types of play that encourages literacy and numeracy development as well as comprehension skills, such as board games, card games and imaginative self-created activities and games. Games, and the carefree act of playing, provide a fun outlet in which individuals of all ages can engage in activities that inherently provide new learning or opportunities to improve one’s reading, writing, math and comprehension skills.

Families are encouraged to share how they plan to celebrate Family Literacy Day by registering their activity online at FamilyLiteracyDay.ca. By registering their activity, they will help support their province in the challenge to turn Canada orange on the Family Literacy Day interactive events tracking map. The map represents events and activities happening in every province and territory. To register, visit FamilyLiteracyDay.ca.

For more information on Family Literacy Day, including literacy tips and activity ideas, please visit FamilyLiteracyDay.ca.

http://abclifeliteracy.ca/en/fld/family-literacy-day-offers-parents-opportunity-practice-literacy

ArtWorks program wraps up with public art donation to Picton Library

Photo L to R: Tony Campbell, Heather Watson (Red Barns), Jamey Armstrong, Ashley Watson, Angela Capone, Lori Farrington (ArtWorks Instructor) present Barbara Sweet (CEO) with their piece “Bounty of the County” which will be displayed at the Picton Public Library


Prince Edward Learning Centre’s ArtWorks program ended in December, but students and staff joined together once more on Jan. 14 in order to present The County of Prince Edward Public Library and Archives with their finished art piece.

Early on in the ArtWorks program, students decided that they would like to put their creative endeavors to good use and donate their mosaic art to the Picton branch of the Public Library. “I love that our mosaic will now be a piece of public art, on display for a long time”, says Ashley, a student in the program. Angela, a student, adds, “It’s great that a lot of people will get to see it and hopefully enjoy it. We had a lot of fun making it. I hope people like it.” The piece, entitled ‘Bounty of the County’, will hang in a prominent spot in the library, a fitting home for an art piece made by students at PELC. “The students chose the library because they wanted a truly community place to hang their art. Somewhere it would be seen by a large number of people”, says ArtWorks Program Instructor Lori Farrington. “The Library was a unanimous decision. It seemed right on many levels, since a library and a literacy program share common goals.”

ArtWorks was a program that PELC ran in three segments last year, the final one wrapping up in December. Students learned different art genres, depending on when they participated. Jewellery, stained glass, blacksmithing, and finally mosaics were all studied. Students learned the art genre alongside Essential Skills, business, and interpersonal skills. Mandy, a student, says, “It’s a fun way to learn and develop Essential Skills that can be used in the workforce or in everyday life. I never thought of doing something like this before and I have been blown away at how much fun it is.” Jamey, a student, continues, “I didn’t even know what the Essential Skills were when I started but now realize that I’ve been using them most of my life and can recognize which skills I am best at, and which ones I need to work on.”

ArtWorks was an innovative program that allowed students the opportunity for hands-on learning. “Doing hands on learning gives each person the skills they need to go out into the working world with a positive attitude, it also makes them more confident they can do their job properly”, said Tony, a student. Part of the program was taught at The Red Barns Artisan Playgound on Old Chapel Road. There they were able to make mosaics, cutting the glass, and grouting their pieces on their own. Along with the group project, they were able to make smaller pieces for themselves. “It was pretty incredible watching the transformation from ‘I can’t make art’ to ‘look what I made!’ Heather Watson, at the Red Barns, was a vital part of the ArtWorks program”, says Program Instructor Lori Farrington. “It’s one of the best examples of community partnership we’ve been a part of and if we’re able to find funding to run the program again, we’d love to incorporate them into the plan.”

Prince Edward Learning Centre is an adult literacy and basic skills program funded by the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities. “We’re a training centre, so that means we do whatever we can to help people reach their goals - employment, further education, or personal learning”, says Farrington. “At any given moment, we have someone learning computers, studying to write the GED high school equivalency test, working on job specific curricula, or just improving some basic literacy skills. We’re here to help everyone. There is no section of the population that we are not geared toward helping.” For more information on PELC, call 613-476-1811.

Evening Hours Available

Want to upgrade your skills but aren't available during the day? PELC is now open Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 6:30pm - 8:30pm. Call for more info!