Q: What is your favorite music?
I like songs that combine social justice and beautiful, danceable music – from Pete Seeger to Abdullah Ibrahim to K’naan (yes, there is an African theme!). I loved that K’naan’s “Waving Flag” became the Soccer World Cup theme song, and I also like “Take a Minute” (“Any man who knows a thing, knows he knows not a damn, damn thing at all.”).
Q: What are a few things you've learned from the colleagues, volunteers and students you've worked ?
Colleagues: Lucy Alderson has taught me how to make democracy and community development real by including students and volunteers in decision-making, and about creative ways to combine education, art, social justice, assessment and technology (and get funded to do it!). Catherine Mnisi and the staff at WISH taught me the importance of paying your dues. You can’t expect people to jump in and participate – they need to learn to trust you. From volunteers, I have learned more than can be written here, but I will say that Stephen Lytton’s magical way with people will stay with me forever. The most important lesson that students have taught me is not to judge people by their language skills or education level. Brilliance can easily shine through poor grammar if you let it.
Q: You are one of the original members of the DTES Adult Literacy Roundtable. How have you seen the Roundtable change and evolve over the years?
It started as part of a Capilano research project, but people quickly jumped in and took ownership, often doing extra work off the sides of their desks. For example, Sophie Yendole and Dana Alvaro took the lead on writing a powerful submission to the BC Ministry of Education a few years ago, and of course a huge amount of work went into the Literacy Now project. I have really enjoyed working with everyone and getting to know about their programs. Our referral system is so much stronger because we know and trust each other.
A concern I have is that there has been a movement, not just in the DTES but across the province, towards focusing on people who have more than a grade 8 level of education. There are still lots of people, both Canadian-born and immigrant, who need literacy at the lower levels, but the system does not encourage us to work with them. Funders demand that we demonstrate progress in the form of job entry or passing grades, and that learners make that progress within 12-week courses. Some of our lower-level learners can take years to make progress, but their learning is just as real and just as life-changing as the high-school graduates and workplace trainees. I hope the Roundtable and other groups will find a way to collaborate to meet their needs.
Q: Where is life taking you now?
I have been offered the Literacy Outreach Coordinator position for the Saanich peninsula. The community is located between the Swartz Bay ferry terminal and Victoria, and is a combination of farms, villages and suburbs. I hope to also get a bit of part-time teaching work, do lots of vegetable gardening and cycling, join a choir and pottery class and explore Vancouver Island. I have been commuting back and forth to Victoria for the past 2-3 years, and am really looking forward to staying put and living in one community.
