Literacy Aotearoa (Dunedin) has successfully engaged a group of parents, many of them single mothers, though whänau courses based in a Decile One school.

When they first started the whänau programme was focused on helping parents read to children, and helping with their language development. They also offered a learner licence course. But the Literacy Aotearoa (Dunedin) coordinator, Ana Good, found that the take-up was limited. So they came up with the idea of two courses – Scrapbooking and Op Shop Queens.

Building on the success of the scrapbooking and Op Shop Queens’ course Literacy Aotearoa (Dunedin) started a Living with style on a Shoestring programme. Like the scrapbooking course, there are two tutors but this time they are sometimes supported by visitors with special expertise, such as health and wellbeing. The programme offers lots of different skills and information including recipes (and practical classes on making soups and jams), budgeting, diet, op shopping, gardening (planting and potting vegetables and herbs) and sewing (including altering clothes bought at op shops). Participants are expected to keep a course book and write up their activities.

Read the full article in the ACE Network summer newsletter here