TORONTO, June 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the school year draws to an end, national literacy organization Frontier College is preparing to keep young minds active over the summer. Beginning in July, Frontier College will offer free literacy camps to over 8,000 children aged 5–15 in more than 140 Indigenous communities across Canada. The camps, now in their twelfth year, began in Northern Ontario in an effort to support student success and reduce summer learning loss, which can occur if children do not use their reading and writing skills between school years. This summer, literacy camps will be offered in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Labrador, Yukon, and Nunavut.
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Research shows that students who participate in summer learning activities can gain an academic advantage, while summer learning loss can put students further behind when they return to school in the fall. It is recommended that young students should read for a minimum of 15 minutes a day and older students should read five or more books over the summer. Frontier College’s research and evaluation data shows that its campers spend an average of 61 minutes reading each day and that 85% of teachers and educators surveyed noticed positive differences in the attitudes and school performance of students who attended camp last summer.
The camps will employ over 350 young adults, many of whom are hired from the host communities. With the support of camp counsellors, Elders, parents, and community members, campers will expand their vocabularies and increase their love of reading through storytelling, group reading, arts and crafts, writing, and field trips. The camps also build community bonds and encourage a shared culture of literacy and learning that benefits the whole community. Frontier College will also distribute over 25,000 new books to campers and communities this summer. Often, these are the first books campers will bring home to build their personal library.
“We know how important it is to keep kids learning during the summer months, to ensure they return to school confident and ready to succeed in the school year ahead. Working in partnership with Indigenous communities, Frontier College is proud to play a part in building literacy and numeracy skills among children and youth across Canada,” said Stephen Faul, President and CEO, Frontier College.
The camps have become fixtures in the communities and receive broad support from parents, community members, leaders, and educators. “Many of our students take advantage of camp every summer and benefit from it in terms of enhancing their reading as well as cultivating their enquiring minds. The camp is a valued complement to our education programming,” explains Bill Sainnawap, Director of Education at Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug in Ontario.
Frontier College began offering Summer Literacy Camps in Indigenous communities in 2005, following the vision of former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, James K. Bartleman. To date, over 50,000 children and youth have attended camp and created lasting summer memories. TD Bank Group is a lead national supporter, and the camp program is funded by governments, corporate donors, foundations, public sector unions and institutions, and Indigenous communities.
About Frontier College
Frontier College is Canada’s original charitable literacy organization. Founded in 1899, Frontier College recruits and trains volunteers to deliver literacy programs to children, youth and adults in communities across the country. Frontier College helps Canadians improve their literacy and increase their opportunities. www.frontiercollege.ca