Story Studio Writing Society of Victoria (BC) receives 2020 COFLA national award
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#Victoria; #StoryStudioWritingSociety; #COFLA; #GVPL; #DecodaLiteracySolutions
Victoria (B.C.), Sep 8 (Medium): B.C.’s 2020 Council of the Federation Literacy Award (COFLA) was granted to Victoria-based Story Studio Writing Society, a non-profit, literacy-focused organization demonstrating innovative leadership by inspiring, educating, and empowering youth through storytelling, media reports said.
Since 2001, more than $1.5 billion had been invested by the B.C. government in literacy and literacy-related initiatives for British Columbians.
“Storytelling is a valuable outlet that provides youth with the opportunity of self-reflection, expression and connection,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Education in a news release. “Congratulations to Story Studio Writing Society on this remarkable achievement. You are having a positive impact by helping British Columbians, especially youth, to build their literacy skills, so they have the tools they need to succeed.”
Founded in 2011, Victoria-based Story Studio Writing Society’s volunteers, writers, and illustrators have worked with almost 10,000 youth, taking a unique, fun, and creative approach to improving their literacy skills to build self-confidence and have produced around 1,500 youth-authored books annually, creating a memorable experience for each young writer.
Working at the community level and partnering with a broad range of community organizations, including the Greater Victoria Public Library (GVPL) and Royal BC Museum, Story Studio’s 80 percent programming recognizes marginalized or lower-income families’ needs with a focus on supporting and engaging vulnerable youth.
Story Studio, a registered charity, supported primarily by individual donations and grants, is currently running an innovative program with Greater Victoria Public Library (GVPL) to mentor teen writers. In August, with the help of last year’s COFLA award winner Morie Ford, the studio offered online workshops to a small group of immigrant mothers new to B.C. in the Family Literacy Outreach program in Vancouver. By the end of the program, each mother will create a short story that she can read to her young child.
