Keith Anderson who is the literacy consultant with the Community Programs Branch recently decided to tutor a literacy student because he thought it would give him a clearer sense of what people are doing in the jobs his department funds. Even though he has a teaching background, he found that tutoring can be a difficult job but also that volunteering can be a highly satisfying experience. This is just one example of the many initiatives people are taking to bridge the gaps of understanding between different literacy stakeholder groups.

As we enter into the Decade of Literacy there is still much work to be done. And there is still much to look forward to and feel good about. Students are serving on advisory committees, literacy workers are being consulted by government departments and government representatives are being invited to attend and participate in community literacy events. These new directions are the beginning of fresh growth and development of the field. Continued interaction and communication between all literacy groups is extremely important. We have so much to offer to each other.

Opening Doors is another beginning. Many people took a personal risk in telling their stories in this book so that others might better understand the "human side" of community literacy work. The original purpose of Opening Doors was to document some of the history of the literacy movement in Alberta while focusing on the importance of the literacy workers themselves. In the writing of Opening Doors, history quickly took second place to my desire to celebrate and give credit to the courageous people working in the field. They are the history, they are the reason the field is as strong and as vibrant as it is.

My hope at the close of Opening Doors is that you will have come to respect, appreciate and take seriously the strengths and dedication of Alberta's literacy workers as much through reading about them as I have in writing about them.