The consultation process was designed to engage key stakeholders and the public to contribute their knowledge and experience to the shaping of the adult literacy strategy. The information gathered, as well as the on-going feedback during the development and implementation of the strategy, will serve as a foundation on which to build a strategic response to address the literacy challenge in the province.
On April 14, 2008 the discussion paper, Adult Literacy in Manitoba, and the consultation process were launched at the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) Pan Canadian Literacy Forum in Winnipeg.
An Adult Literacy Strategy website, www.manitoba.ca/adultliteracystrategy, provided electronic access to The Adult Literacy Act, the discussion paper, consultation process (including schedule and registration and submission information, as well as contact information).
The discussion paper served as a starting point for the consultations. As expected, other issues and information were also put forward for deliberation when developing the strategy.
Information was gathered using public session presentations, focused discussions with adult literacy learners and practitioners, meetings or roundtables, and written submissions.
All consultation sessions were facilitated by the consultation team led by the consultant. The other team members, representatives from Advanced Education and Literacy, were responsible for recording the discussion and assisting and supporting the facilitator as appropriate. Public session presentations also were audio-recorded.
Focused discussions with adult literacy learners and practitioners were held in Brandon, The Pas, Thompson, Winkler, and Winnipeg. Discussions with learners were held in separate meetings from those with practitioners/instructors.
The focused discussions were chosen as an effective means to gather detailed and insightful information about people’s experiences and factors that enhance and impact people’s literacy and learning. The format of the discussions enabled people to share their thoughts on the importance and impact of literacy from their perspective and to build on the perspectives and experience of others in the group. Initial questions focused the topics and follow-up questions probed to elicit clarification and details.
The consultant introduced each discussion with the context of The Adult Literacy Act and strategy and the purpose for the consultation discussion. The introduction included two or three overarching questions which served as both a starting point and an outcome for the session:
All the discussions focused on the guiding questions from the discussion paper and the above overarching questions.