This text is part of the special booklet Beyond a Statistic
At 40, some are resting on their laurels or looking to the past rather than projecting themselves into the future. The Association of Popular Literacy Groups of Quebec (RGPAQ) has just to reach this honorable age and, with its 78 member organizations, it is still time for continuity, tenacity and a good dose of resourcefulness.
The celebrations were themed “One Family…One Movement!” which aptly describes the friendly and supportive atmosphere that emanates from the literacy activities found throughout Quebec. An atmosphere that has been sorely missed by many at various times over the past two years, pandemic requires. A period that also brought to light, as in so many other sectors of society, several technological deficiencies and other social fractures that had been well hidden until then.
“Organizations have been very creative in maintaining ties with the adults they support,” says Caroline Meunier, coordinator of the RGPAQ. But before worrying about learning, it was necessary to ensure their health, their safety, as well as their level of understanding of the issues of the pandemic. This sometimes became a real challenge for many people who did not have a computer or an Internet connection. The leap into digital was made very quickly, sometimes costly and exhausting for many organizations.
Caroline Meunier recognizes that some people were afraid to come back in person, but many others missed this contact with the trainers and other participants. “It’s a family to them and they talk about it that way. It gives a good idea of the importance of this moment of sharing, where everyone feels confident. Because behind the difficulty of reading and writing, there is embarrassment and shame. »
Literacy in multiple ways
This state of mind does not always facilitate the recruitment of participants; a constant challenge according to Caroline Meunier. This is why the member organizations of the RGPAQ are multiplying original initiatives to reach out to them where they are, to reach out to them when they experience certain pitfalls in their daily lives. For example, no less than eight organizations in different regions of Quebec, such as Bas-du-Fleuve (ABC des Portages), Témiscamingue (Alpha-Témis) and Montreal (Le Tour de lire), offer the services of a writer public, a person offering support in understanding and writing forms and letters.
Beyond occasional assistance or basic learning in reading and writing, several organizations also act as spokespersons for all those people who cannot express themselves in the written media or submit a dissertation in a parliamentary committee on a bill that directly affects them. Whether it’s ABC Lotbinière, Action Dignité Lanaudière, Groupe Alpha Laval or Atout-Lire de Québec, their approach is not only to give participants the keys to reading, but to claim with them better living conditions to promote their social integration as much as possible.
All of these actions demonstrate that the organizations are rooted in their respective communities, an essential condition for ensuring their development and also for recruiting future participants, whether they attend CLSCs or local employment centres. “This work of conquest is already a great challenge, affirms Caroline Meunier. But our best ambassadors remain the participants, who can testify to their own approach, to what it changes in their lives. Because we give them skills and tools to get them out of exclusion. »
At the dawn of a Quebec election campaign, will the subject of literacy, of capital importance but too often passing under the radar, be debated? Caroline Meunier doubts it, but does not get discouraged. “Each time, we take up the pilgrim’s staff. An election campaign is an opportunity to raise awareness among all the candidates and to analyze their commitments to the fight against illiteracy. We want a real government framework, specific objectives and timelines. The government of Philippe Couillard had launched with great fanfare a policy of educational success with a promise of a literacy strategy, but since the arrival of François Legault in power, we are still waiting for it. Governments change, but problems remain…”