The month is organized by Literacy New Westminster, a group that promotes free and low-cost educational program for people of all ages. The group has selected #LiteracyMatters as the official theme and hashtag.
The city will celebrate with a social media contest all month that encourages participants to share photos, videos, or quotations to show why literacy matters, as well as to wear purple, the month’s official colour.
New Westminster Literacy outreach coordinator Maylen Crespo encouraged interested New West residents to participate. She explained:
“Literacy strongly intersects with issues all New Westminster residents care deeply about such essential skills, health, financial, digital technology, civic engagement and more. But also because supporting literacy initiatives these days means giving opportunities to approach new mindsets and support to adapt to new structures as they are evolving.”
Literacy Month will also feature an online trivia challenge hosted by provincewide organization Decoda Literacy Solution, as part of its Raise a Reader campaign. The challenge is a team competition, with each group raising money for a local literacy program and then going head-to-head to show their knowledge. Decoda will also be also be posting daily activities throughout the month. Non-profit organizations like this often use inexpensive tools like flyer printing to help promote events and initiatives.
The online trivia challenge will take place on the evening of September 22, with Literacy Month running throughout this month.