The Yamaska Literacy Council (YLC), a non-profit organization that works with English-speaking adults and older adolescents in Brome-Missisquoi and Haute-Yamaska to improve their literary skills, is celebrating 40 years. The group serves an important role and continues to respond to the literary needs of both regions. To highlight the occasion, we spoke to Martha Shufelt, volunteer with the organization since it held its first workshop 40 years ago, and Jennifer Fawcett who is in the midst of planning something special for the group.
Shufelt got involved with YLC when she realized that her house guest could not read in either English or French.
“I had a young man living with us who spoke English but he had gone to French school and he told me that he read in French but he couldn’t read in English,” explained Shufelt. “My husband makes lists so he would make a list of what he wanted him to do. He came to me and said, ‘the list is in English.’ I said that my husband can write it in French and he said never mind that either just read it to me. I read it to him and he repeated it back to me word for word and this is how he coped with reading in English. I discovered later that he didn’t read French either.”
Shufelt heard about a workshop being offered by the YLC and decided it was the perfect opportunity. “I had my student sitting right here, wanting to learn to read and write. He learned to read his own lists, but he never stopped relying on his memory; it was an amazing thing to see.”
After attending the first workshop offered by the YLC, Shufelt immediately became part of the organization. “I became part of the organization and I ended up on the board of directors. Ever since, I don’t think I have missed a year, so I have done just about every job there is.”
“There are so many people in Brome-Missisquoi who are really below a functioning reading level. They can sort of function, but the need is there. We try to fill the need but it’s hard to get to people,” Shufelt said.
She added that YLC is unique in the sense that its programs are personalized. “Our involvement in the community is very important, but also our program involves working one-on-one with students, which is very important. A lot of students have gone to school but didn’t succeed in the classroom situation. They need a specific program geared to them. The system that we work with, allows us to work with a student, with their needs, goals and the way they learn. It’s very personal and it works where other programs don’t.”
The YLC figures out a way to work with everyone who needs its services. Shufelt recalls working with one man who was legally blind. He wanted to write the history of his family and he turned to the YLC for help.
“We worked out a system where he wrote a chapter or a few pages. Sometime he would write a few things down – it took him hours to write a page, but he wrote in his head and I would write it down, type it up, read it back to him, and he would make corrections. It was amazing because he did all of this without really being able to see. It’s one way the personalized system adapts. We just made it work. When someone hasn’t learned, it’s because there is something blocking them and it’s finding that block and finding a way around it that works.”
Shufelt said she shares many memories with the YLC, but one in particular that stuck with her happened when she was visiting a restaurant. “I was doing a workshop and stopped at a restaurant. I was trying to see the board with the menu to order my dinner but the sun was shining on it and I couldn’t read it. I asked the waitress if she could read it to me and she said, “these people who can’t read”. I tried to explain to her that I can read, I just can’t see. I felt so awful and tried to explain to everyone in the restaurant that I can read. What a feeling. It sure brought it home to me how people who can’t read are often made to feel.”
With 40 years under her belt, Shufelt has no plans to slow down. “I plan to volunteer with them until I drop. I really miss it especially with the Covid thing. My present student is in jail, but we haven’t been going to jail for a long time and I really miss it. I’ll be glad when it gets back.”
Jennifer Fawcett, who is currently doing her internship with the YLC as a Bishop’s student, has planned something special to highlight the group’s milestone. “We decided to make a video. In class, we did heritage minutes and it was so much fun to make and a challenge to take a big story to put into small little clips. When I was speaking to Wendy (director) we said oh, let’s do a literacy minute rather than a heritage minute and we thought this would actually be something interesting to do.”
Flipping through the archives and speaking to volunteers about their memories, the group hopes to release the video in September. “We are making a timeline of key events that the YLC would like to hear about in a commemorative way so that people can look back on the last 40 years.”
The video is meant to provide something that people can connect to. “People are proud of what they have achieved and what the YLC has achieved over the years and that’s the goal we are working towards all summer.”
There will also be blog posts and social media posts of people’s memories with the YLC leading up to the video and a podcast episode. “We will put one episode out, it’s really good way to reach people. Literacy Quebec has its own podcast and we will do a podcast with them. That’s very exciting. We are meeting up with them in August and they want to hear about what’s going on with the YLC in 40 years.”
If you’d like to share your experience and memories with the YLC, write to jfawcett20@ubishops.ca.
I still see him occasionally and he still cant ead that well but hes out there surviving.
Leaned to read his own lists but never stopped relying on his memory, amazing thing to see.
Then I read about a workshop that the council was offering and I said this is the erfect oprptunity I have my student sitting here wanting to learn to read and write.
I still see him occasionally and he still cant ead that well but hes out there surviving.
Leaned to read his own lists but never stopped relying on his memory, amazing thing to see.
I went to the first workshop that they offered in the area and became part of the organiztiona nd immediatyly ended up on the board of directors ever since I don’t think I have missed a year so I have done just about every job there is.
Orginally the group was apart o the national organization that does not exist anymore and I worked with them as well I trained tutors all across Canada from Whitehorse. Wendy Seys used to work for the national organization so when she decided she wanted a part time job and we were looking for a new director she came to work for us around 25 years ago and she has been such a blessing. She knew so much and such a blessing and driving force behind the council.
I can’t say eough stuff about Wendy. She has just been a blessing to us and a blessing to the province as well.
Where is the line between literacry, so many ppl in borme missoqoui that are really below a funcitonaing level. They can sort of function but the need is there and we ry to fill the need but hard to get to people.
Do have aprogram in jail and we have a captive audience there we work with and the level of literacy there is high, it’s much higher than the average population. A lot of it is not knowing how to read or write or to cope and people end up in jail because of.
There are so many people. In a rural area, it always happens that people away from the schools, cuz schools just aren’t school and kids drop out of school over the years, and not having parents that can’t read don’t help the next generation and it just continues.
We work with adults but we also have programs that work with younger people.
I plan on violunterring with them until I drop. I really miss it with the covid thing. My present student is in jail but we haven’t been going to jail for a long time and I really miss it. I’ll be glad when it gets back.
I’ve been on the board of directors the whole time, I’ve done volunteer work and anytign that has to be done I have done somewhere along the line. Very glad that I am still able to do it.
It’s an organization that doesn’t put you out ot pasture when you’re 7p or 75.
Our involvement in the community is very important but also our program involves working one one with students which is very important. A lot of student have gone to school but didn’t make it in classroom situation, need a specifc program geared to them. The system that we work with you work with a student with their needs wants goals and the way they learn. Very personal and works where other programs don’t work.
And the encouragement, a lot of these people enever given ecourgemtn didn’t give it at home or porr results they received in school all they need is encouragement to keep on going. System works for just about anyone. I worked with a man that was legally blind and he had survived. He ran a farm and he had to sell his farm when he lost his licence because of his eyesight. He’s still reading sort of but it took him hours to read a page because he read very porrly and secondly couldn’t see it. So he wanted to write the history of his family so he came to us. So we worked out a system where he wrote a chapter or a few pages, sometime he would write a few htings down and otok hours to write a page but he wrote it an edited and he rewrote it in his head an di would write it down type it up and he would make corrections. Wrote a book about his cows and before he passed away almost compelted the history of his family ina period of three years. It was amazing because ehe did all of this without really being able to see, one way the specialized system worked we just made it work.
Everybody that hasn’t learned there is something blocking them and its finding that block and finding a way around it that works.
He came to us, he wa sin jail, and he wanted to improve his English. He read in French and Swahele, African language. He would come to me and he would come to me and say what is the meaning of and he would have some obscure word and id say give me the dictionary and then he would ask how do I use this in a sentence. I said where do these words come from and where is he going with this? Then he showed up one day with a story and he wanted to know how the words could fit together properly. He saw so many beautiful things in the language and wanted express himself more deeply than most.
Had things published with us, distributed through our website.
I remember one time when people got in my face and say how it is to be illterate. I was doing a workshop and I was in a restaurant ordering my dinner and I was tyrign to see the board with a menu and the sun was shining on it and I couldn’t read. Asked the waitress to read it to me The waitress said all of these people can’t read, it’s not that I can’t read I just can’t see. I just felt so awful and tried to explain to everyone in the resto that I can read. What a feeling. It sure brough ti home to me about how people are made to feel often.
I had another student he wanted to learn how to write a cheque so I had him bring his cheque book from home an dhe came back a month or so later and aaid he got into trouble. He had his check and both his and his wifes names were on it and he said I wrote a check. But nothing had ever been registered a the bank with his signature on it so the check bounced. You just don’t think of these things. I never thought that he wouldn’t have any right to sign these things.
But he never signed anything to use it.
He came to me one day and he was really anxioused and he was playing with a tape measure and he asked me how do these things work. It’s a tape measure and you pull it out and snap it back. He said what are they for I said to measure things. He said how do we measure htings? We measured a bunch of things and finally got the idea as to how to measure things. He didn’t understand measurements or things like that.
Comuter literacry worked with my blind man on that.
When we started, we had our first offices in the school board adult ed office and then we moved to someone shome office and then we had our first office and w ehad one employee at that time and now we are up to I don’t veen know how many employees and havea couple of offices one in cowasnville one waterloo and people in nedofrd and mansonville so we have really grown in that respect. We’ve spread out a lot.
We have the fundng to this, the funding hss increased immensely because we started out with nothing. It is a very important group and wonderful groupt o work with and encourage anyone wanting to do something positive that it’s a great group of people to work with.
I’m actually a Bishop’s student at the moment in the arts administration program so we learned last year about heritage and communtiies and how people celebrate to these kind of things.
I reached out to Wendy and she needed help with a celebration and we spoke about ways to commemorate and things that could be accessible.
We decided to make a video, heitag eminute so much fun to make and challenged to make a big story and to put into. Small little clips.
When iw as speakoign to wendy we said oh lets do a literacy minute rather than ahistory minute and we thought this would actually be something interesting to do.
Been going through arhcives, talking to volunteers, eailing some of their memories, that’s why we wrote to bcn as well people might be reading this and people might wan to shar exprience working with YLC.
MAKING A time line and key events that YLC would like to hsar ebut in aocmmerative way so that people can look back in the last 40 years.
I think we are going to try and release it Septemeber. Could be a little celebration in person of some kind and Wendy said we really need a cake but holding back on that and firue out the base time. We’d obviously love to show it in a physical environment where people can talk about it together.
The other thing we are tyring to do, a lot of ppl have written lovely things and I don’t want to cut them up or use only part of it so we thought about using bog posts and social media posts to build up to the video.
Doing a podcast. We will put one epdiosde out, really good way to reach people. Literacy Quebec have their own podcast and we will do a podcast with them. That’s very exciting. Meeting up with them in August and want to hear about whats going on for YLC in 40 years.
Literacy enriches life, and volunteer contriution builds communities and literacy is a human right, and reading is life long learning, want this to come across in our videos as well. Concrete exmaples of how YLC has held up these ideals. Eevrything they have done from there. I do think that is important.
Still in the planning but I hope that will come out because that’s what is ee in the archives, a real sense of community.
My husband was doing some work for YLC and he sort of said well my wife is a bishops right now and in search of an internship so. Related to public history and part of the community of that area all seemed to tie up well together Wendy very enthusatic and kidn so took me on as a intern for the summer.
We want to be able to showcase some of the volunteer contribtiions behind the scenes that might not necessarily in the video.
It’s amazing they have volunteers the whole life of the organization basically, storng volunteer contribution.
External practicum now that I’m doing.
I’m lucky was happy to take me on.
Non-profit organization arts admistration would work in and incorpates history as well.
Specializing in art admistration with a specialization to public history.
Still drafting narration and things like that.
Celebrations evolving as we go along. In march and April when we were planning ofr me to do a practicum, waiting to see how some things will pan out.
Little things building up to anniversary celebration, video will be something we can remember.
People might see social media posts and blog posts popping up and to get more people to contact us and to reminsence.
We just want something that people will connect to, probably emotional as wele. Proud of what they have achieved and YLC has achieved over the years and that’s the goal and we are working all summer.
