The Lloydminster Learning Council Association recently celebrated a major milestone and a fresh start.
The group officially opened its new space last week, while also marking 50 years of helping the community. A local realtor and the Chamber of Commerce supported the event.
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“This is our 50-year anniversary, so we are celebrating every month from January to December,” said Maria Sarcauga-Gantefoer, the learning council’s executive director.
“Today is very special because it’s a reopening of our space. We have been here for more than a year but we are formally opening it up to the community.”
The learning council offers programs in English language learning, family literacy, technology, and seniors programming.
“We serve the newcomers and those struggling with English communication,” said Sarcauga-Gantefoer. “We do that in partnership with Lakeland College. They host the classroom.”
The council also runs family literacy programs for children from birth to age six and works with the public and Catholic school divisions.
People involved in the program have a “very positive” reaction, according to Sarcauga-Gantefoer.
“They come over here with just a ‘hi, hello’ English language to basically communicate, able to buy and shop and talk to doctors,” she said. “Our main goal is for them to be able to integrate into the community.”
The council offers three levels of English classes: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.
“People come in with different levels of English knowledge,” said Sarcauga-Gantefoer. “There are those (with) zero English knowledge, those who can speak but can’t write, or can’t read, and those who can really speak but need the confidence.”
A celebratory ribbon cutting
Board member Jody Herbus kicked off the event on behalf of the Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce.
“I’ve signed up for one already,” said Herbus. “I can’t speak in two languages. So they’re going to help me with that.”
Program manager Ben Harrison thanked the crowd.
“Thank you so much for coming and celebrating,” said Harrison. “We really hope for more years where we can be part of helping individuals and our community flourish.”
Lloydminster MLA Colleen Young shared her personal history with the council.
“I was the first transport of the men’s program when it started,” said Young. “I would go around and pick the women with their children, take them to the program, and then watch their kids while they were in the program.”
Young praised the council for helping newcomers make friends and connect to services.
“Learning a new language when you come from a different country is not easy,” said Young. “More importantly, making new friends and finding those social connections are really important to people when they come from someplace else.”
Deputy Mayor Michele Charles Gustafson also brought greetings from the City of Lloydminster.
“The Lloydminster Learning Council has been such an instrumental part of helping people feel welcomed in our city,” said Charles Gustafson.
She recalled teaching a Latin dance class at the council when she moved back to Lloydminster.
“Just learning about other cultures, learning about each other, learning how to connect with each other in ways through educational programs, that’s important to every single city,” she said.
Sarcauga-Gantefoer said the council’s goal is simple.
“We are here to serve the community, especially the newcomers,” she said. “We are here to introduce literacy to children, especially the zero to six.”
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