National Adult Literacy Database

Every year, the Lieutenant Governor’s Aboriginal Summer Reading Camps are offered in remote First Nation communities in northern Ontario. The camp program is managed by Frontier College, a national literacy organization that forms partnerships to provide learning opportunities for Canadians of all ages.

In 2010, more than 2,200 children and youth attended the camps, reading more than 13,000 books over the summer. Two hundred and ten children completed a reading assessment at the beginning and end of camp, and 87 percent of them had improved their reading over the course of the summer.

A random sample of band council members, parents and educators reported that students who took part in the camps performed better in standardized tests; demonstrated better retention of reading skills; and exhibited positive learning habits and behaviours after the summer.