Business Leaders Work On First Nation Library Project – Nanaimo Business News

18 June 2015

The Young Professionals of Nanaimo (YPN) and Herold Engineering have announced they are teaming up to help build a new library in the traditional Snuneymuxw territory. The project will help provide the Snuneymuxw First Nation with a readily accessible education and information resource. Snuneymuxw Councilor Emmy Manson feels the project will open the door to many new opportunities, and looks forward to creating a learning centre that provides access to teachings centered on education, language, technology and culture.

“The most important thing for us is access,” said Manson. “Library programs often focus on children, but adult literacy is a large struggle in our community due to residential schools and colonization. We want to create a learning space that is not just about academia, but that also reflects our culture. It is important to implement our heritage early on, and provide a space that our children and community can identify with,” she said.

The undertaking was inspired by the Write to Read Project, an initiative originally started by former Lieutenant Governor of B.C, the Honourable Steven L. Point. The Write to Read Project helps create ongoing and lasting relationships between people living in urban environments such as towns and cities, and the First Nations people of British Columbia who live in rural, remote or suburban communities – areas that may not be well served by educational and employment opportunities. The project’s primary goal is to assist with efforts to improve literacy in aboriginal communities across British Columbia.

Read more: http://nanaimobusinessnews.ca/2015/06/18/business-leaders-work-on-first-nation-library-project/