Connecting: The Heart of Literacy

Connecting: The Heart of Literacy was the second in a series of extraordinary full day symposia hosted at Government House by Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Kate Warner AC, Governor of Tasmania. The event drew together diverse Tasmanians from across government, the university, non-government organisations, business, the arts, and other sectors. The group connected in reflective dialogue about communication, collaboration, connection, literacy and relational trust.

Tasmanians do not yet have equal access to the connections, interactions, and instruction, which are essential to develop flourishing language-literacy. This is particularly serious because language-literacy weaknesses underlie and deepen other inequities.

But this can be changed. And Tasmanians are eager to see it change.

Connecting: The Heart of Literacy built on the work of the November 2018 symposium at which engagement with Tasmanian low literacy produced commitment to #100%Literacy in Tasmania.

Communication, language, and literacy affect every area of every citizen’s life: health and wellness, education, justice, restoration and repair, relationship, employment, violence and calm, tenacity and the richness of the potential of human agency. Ultimately, they are the skills that serve community, democracy and flourishing society. That’s why Tasmanians agreed to aim at #100PercentLiteracy and to keep going until we get there.

Connecting: The Heart of Literacy made contribution to the multiple conversations and paradigm shifts that are needed as part of the many efforts to make positive impact upon Tasmania’s literacy and equity challenges. But the work didn’t stop back there in September. Rather, the work back there opened doors of creative inspiration that has generated the real work.

Read the report of the Connecting: The Heart of Literacy symposium here – including a foreword by Her Excellency.