Literacy Link Niagara was founded in 1992. As a non-profit organization, we support adult literacy and basic skills programs to improve learning and skill development opportunities in our community.

There is a literacy component to most aspects of daily life— health, financial, and relational to name a few. Beyond reading, writing and math skills, literacy programs also help develop essential skills such as communication and time management.

The programs we support are free and accessible to any adult in Niagara. They offer many ways for learners to:

  • further their education and achieve credentials like their Ontario Secondary School Diploma
  • upgrade their employment level through workplace literacy programs and various other initiatives to develop their readiness for work, and/or
  • gain independence to achieve greater wellbeing

Our local programs meet the needs of adult learners in the community and offer many ways to upgrade or improve their skills, such as one to one tutoring or peer/group work. There are four streams of literacy programs: Anglophone, Deaf, Francophone, and Indigenous.

Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) programs are free and located across the province.
Not in Niagara but want to know more about literacy programs in your area? Visit www.learningnetworks.ca to learn more.

We promote the linking of member agencies to plan and provide information and training. We also connect the broader community to literacy and its relation to determinants of wellbeing, such as employment, health, justice, and poverty.

Mission

Connect, communicate and collaborate within the community to create literacy opportunities for adults.

Vision
A Niagara where all adults have the essential literacy and basic skills they need to prosper in the community.

Values

  • Put learners first
  • Provide high quality, effective services
  • Treat all people with dignity, respect and care
  • Act with integrity, honesty and compassion
  • Foster co-operation
  • Support lifelong learning
  • Be accountable and transparent
  • Be creative
  • Be accessible

Staff

Rachel Crane, Executive Director

Rachel has been in the role of Executive Director at Literacy Link Niagara since September, 2023.

Throughout her career in adult learning and human development, she has witnessed how one’s overall wellbeing is positively correlated with essential skills, like literacy. She has personally been transformed by a path of lifelong learning— notably, during her time in business school, through a graduate program focused in leadership, and in parenting her two children (who are also her best teachers).

Rachel welcomes you to connect through email or LinkedIn and learn about her aligned work in workforce development through the Workforce Collective website.

Board

Brenda Vandersluys – Chair
Owner, Dobbie’s Florist

Oraine DeRosa – Treasurer
Financial Consultant

Ailsa Wylie
Self-Employed Translator

Cathy Fusco
Retired, Niagara Region Social Assistance and Employment Opportunities

Jacky Catterick
Executive Director, Niagara West Adult Learning Centre

Rob Berketo
Brand Manager, Switzer-Carty Transportation

Roxanne Nelson
Retired, Niagara Region Social Assistance and Employment Opportunities