Frontier College began in 1899, with a group of university students bringing literacy-building opportunities to workers in Canada's logging camps and mining towns. Now, more than 100 local volunteers continue to provide these opportunities through Frontier College’s Winnipeg chapter.

 

Families Learning Together is Frontier College’s ESL (English as a Second Language) program for families, many of whom are recent immigrants. Volunteers work one-on-one with participating families to help them develop both literacy and life skills. Together, they work toward goals, such as obtaining their citizenship and completing daily tasks – including: shopping, banking or reading a newsletter their children bring home from school.

 

The Families Learning Together program received support in 2005 from The Winnipeg Foundation’s Literacy for Life Fund. The Fund is a partnership between the Foundation, Literacy Partners of Manitoba and the Winnipeg Public Library. The National Literacy Secretariat matches all donations to the Fund, dollar for dollar, up to $1 million. The goal is to have a $2 million endowment, which will generate $100,000 each year, forever, in support of family literacy programming in Manitoba.

 

Frontier College’s Families Learning Together program is featured in The Winnipeg Foundation’s 2005 Annual Report, Strengthening Community. Visit the Foundation’s Publications section on our website to download the report.