In 2023, we developed a strategy for our path forward, shared training opportunities and success stories, and provided new resources to support literacy programs and organizations in more than 400 BC communities.

January: Family Literacy Week celebrated

• Family Literacy Week brought families together to learn through play with the theme “Make it count! Play * Sort * Measure.” Find out about the creative ways that schools, libraries, organizations and businesses collaborated in Free events celebrate BC Family Literacy Week 2023.
• We shared learning success stories in Newcomer families make it count in IPALS program.

February: reconciliation and storytelling training shared

• We hosted the Sk’elep Indigenous Antiracism series with Bonnie Morgan and Elders training and provided a summary in Reconciliation recommendation: know yourself first.
• We hosted a StoryStudio webinar to share resources with literacy practitioners about Teaching writing through storytelling.

March: community organizations inspired

• We shared the inspiring story of Burns Lake Public Library in Low-tech library services are a community lifeline.
• Staff attended South Vancouver Neighbourhood House’s Literacy Carnival at Vancouver Public Library – Fraserview branch, as a part of the Lost & Found artwork showcase.

April: writing tips shared

• We published the highlights from the March webinar training sessions How to write a winning grant proposal and Plain language tips to reach your readers.
• Decoda staff participated in the Vancouver Sun Run!

May: mothers, teachers and our path forward celebrated

• For Mother’s Day, we shared tutoring success stories in Fostering Literacy empowers young readers and a Decoda employee’s career inspiration in My first literacy teacher was my mother.
• We published Decoda’s 2022-2025 Strategic Plan with updated vision, values and goals. Read the summary in Our path forward.
• Decoda staff participated Mothers Matter Centre Right to be Ready conference May 10 & 11, to better understand and explore strategies for closing the preschool readiness gap.
• Decoda staff attended the BC Teal conference to showcase The Westcoast Reader and the Decoda Library.

June: Indigenous history celebrated

• We supported National Indigenous History Month with lists of children’s picture books by Indigenous authors and shared the First Peoples’ Principles of Learning poster and resources.

July: new employee welcomed

• We introduced a new Decoda employee in Library Tech helps you find literacy resources
• We shared Decoda staff summer reading blogs.

August: adult literacy supported

• The Province invested $3.4 million to support the Community Adult Literacy Program (CALP).
• We provided clear language and design support for BC Elections’ Voting Accessibility and Accessibility Feedback web pages.

September is Literacy Month

• The September is Literacy Month campaign raised awareness and funds for the literacy program across the province. Congrats to Team CBC on winning the Team Trivia Challenge! Thanks to all our corporate sponsors and individual donors, we raised over $45,000. See our list of Literacy Month supporters.
• RBC and Motorola staff volunteered their time to help assemble literacy program materials.
• We shared success stories in PACE Fund reduces barriers to learning and Innovative solutions for rural learners.
• In addition to regular yearly funding, the Province provided a one-time boost of $1 million to Decoda Literacy Solutions to grow our community programs and provide enhanced training for literacy outreach coordinators and tutors, so we can help more learners.
• The B.C. government also donated $500,000 to the Postmedia Raise-a-Reader campaign, which supports literacy by increasing awareness and raising money to fund community-based programs throughout British Columbia.
• Decoda hosted a professional development workshop to support organizations implementing IPALS (Parents as Literacy Supporters in Immigrant Communities) programs.
• On National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Decoda staff shared 15 Staff Book Picks for Truth and Reconciliation.

October: new tools developed

• We awarded the Literacy Month photo contest winners.
• We developed a new database for adult literacy practitioners to guide practice and generate reports for funders.

November: training opportunities

• We provided three training webinars: Digital Literacy Connect4Work Train the Trainer, Adult Literacy Database Training and Adult Literacy Benchmarks webinar.
• We introduced the Decoda Literacy Library and The Westcoast Reader to employees at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel Wellness Fair.

December: AGM, Board changes and Annual Report

• We held our annual AGM and said farewell to Board Chair Dr. Valerie Overgaard and Board Director Leslie Landell; and welcomed Dr. Ralf St. Clair as the new Board Chair and three new board members: Eunice Bantok, Tracy Defoe and Lynn Green.
• We published our 2022-23 Annual Report with highlights of the August 2022 – July 2023 program season.
• We completed the final phase of our Displaced Workers project.

Throughout the year

• Our Read All About Lit blog highlighted literacy news and resources twice weekly.
• We loaned more than 358 literacy materials through the Decoda Literacy Library.
• We hosted 19 professional development webinars covering 12 topics to 354 literacy practitioners.
• With an average readership of 60,000 people, we published 10 issues of The Westcoast Reader, a newspaper and online resource for learners seeking to improve their English reading and language skills.
• We shared literacy news, resources and events to our social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
• We supported a network of 98 Literacy Outreach Coordinators who provide community-based literacy programs in over 400 BC communities.
• We supported 18 IPALS programs, serving more than 300 immigrant families who learned new strategies to support their child’s learning in fun and interactive ways, while responding to their cultural and linguistic needs.
• We provided BC’s 94 Community Adult Literacy Programs (CALP)with training, resources and support.

Planning 2024…

• We’re getting ready for Family Literacy Week January 21-28, 2024, with the theme ‘Let’s have a family party!’
• We’re planning our biennial Decoda Literacy Conference: Literacy: The Ripple Effect, April 17-19, 2024.

Our impact

• 400 communities supported in British Columbia
• 56,761 youth and children engaged in community-based literacy programs
• 44,164 adults and seniors engaged in improving their or their children’s literacy skills

Your support makes a difference

None of our work would be possible without assistance from government funders, corporate partners, private foundations and individual donors.

To renew your support in 2024, donate today!

Donate
We look forward to another year of growth, impact and shared successes. Thank you for being part of our journey.

About us

Decoda Literacy Solutions is BC’s provincial literacy organization. We support community-based literacy programs and initiatives in over 400 communities across BC by providing resources, training and funds.

Our work supports children and families, youth, adults, Indigenous and immigrant communities to help build strong individuals, strong families and strong communities.