Archives

The Foundation

2006-2007


Foundation stands out at CRÉA contest

Literacy Coalition on Parliament Hill

Highlights of the public service campaign

Foundation stands out at CRÉA contest

On March 22, 2007, the Céréales (Cereals) and Circulaire (Flyer) radio advertisements designed by bleublancrouge for The Gift of Reading® project won awards in the high-profile Créa competition, which rewards the best in Quebec advertising.

Concerned by the social and economic issues of illiteracy in Quebec, bleublancrouge in spring 2006 accepted the Foundation’s invitation to take up the challenge of developing large-scale publicity campaigns. These campaigns are aimed at raising the Foundation’s profile and increasing public awareness of the scope of the illiteracy problem and the urgent need to make a difference.

Literacy Coalition on Parliament Hill

On March 1, 2007, the Literacy Coalition held a press conference in Ottawa calling on the Harper government to restore the $18 million that was cut last fall. Gilles Duceppe and Jack Layton were present to support the cause, as were actors Marie Turgeon and Patrice Coquereau, who read touching personal accounts from illiterate individuals. This day was a significant milestone in the action taken by the Coalition, which hopes for some positive spinoffs in the coming weeks.

   

      

Left to right: Patrice Coquereau and Marie Turgeon, actors and event spokespersons; Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party; Gilles Duceppe, leader of the Bloc québécois; and Maryse Perreault, Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation.

  

Actress Marie Turgeon is moved as she reads the personal story of an illiterate individual.

     

Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe supporting Maryse Perreault during her speech.

 

Left to right: Patrice Coquereau; Diane Pouliot, TREAQFP (Table des responsables de l'éducation des adultes et de la formation professionnelle des commissions scolaires du Québec); Marie Turgeon; Maryse Perreault; Christian Pelletier, RGPAQ (Regroupement des groupes populaires en alphabétisation du Québec); Gilles Duceppe; Dominique Ollivier, ICÉA (Institut de coopération pour l'éducation des adultes); Joanie Tannenbaum, Laubach Literacy Canada-Quebec/Literacy Volunteers of Quebec (LLC-Q/LVQ); and Apraham Niziblian, ICÉA.

Public service campaign

Highlights

  • Updating, popularization and promotion of the latest data on Quebec’s literacy performance: brochure, Web site, talks, media.

  • Production of a radio message and advertisements in the print media for the second phase of the annual fundraising campaign, Coming in out of the shadows (July to December 2006), under the honorary chairmanship of Jacques Demers.

  • Last year of running the Fill in the blank campaign.

  • Development of a new signature for the Foundation, Words of hope, and a new awareness campaign for Fall 2007 with the bleublancrouge agency.

  • Quebec-wide media campaign in November, December and May for the Gift of Reading® project.

  • Public event, Born elsewhere, learning here.

  • Unprecedented formation of a vast Quebec coalition bringing together some 20 organizations from the education, labour and community sectors, in solidarity against federal literacy cutbacks.

  • Role as expert for several in-depth reports (TV, radio and print media): Enjeux, Téléjournal Montréal, Ouvert le samedi (Première Chaîne), Journal de Montréal, La Presse, Le Devoir, The Gazette, etc.

Figures... and results!

  • 548 mentions, in the form of fillers or banners, of the Fill in the blank campaign in Quebec daily and weekly papers.

  • 96 Ambassador mini-posters in bar restaurants and McDonald’s, from October 2005 to October 2006 (Zoom Média).

  • 59 Medical cabinet mini-posters in bar restaurants and McDonald’s, from October 2005 to October 2006 (Zoom Média).

  • 33% of calls to Info-Alpha generated by the Foundation’s media presence, compared with 39% in 2005-2006 (an exceptional year owing to the Jacques Demers phenomenon) and 31% in 2004-2005.

  • 11% of calls to the Referral Department (Info-Alpha) originated on the Foundation’s Web site. In 2005-2006, the percentage was 6%.

  • 77% of training requests by email to the Referral Department (Info-Alpha) arrived via the Web site.

  • Some 1,200 subscribers to the Foundation’s monthly electronic newsletter, À la une!.

  • 24,502 visits to the Web site in 2006-2007, up 2% compared with the previous year, when there were 23,964 visits.