Youth at Risk and the Writers in the Community Program : An Exploratory Evaluation

Given its central importance to modern life, literacy has long been seen as both a challenge and an opportunity for members of marginalized populations (Movement for Canadian Literacy, 2001; Neuman, 2008), including youth at risk (Walker, Greenwood, Hart, & Carta, 1994; Willms, 1997). Such youth face many barriers to success at school and when they leave school with weak literacy skills, they face further challenges to employment and interaction with public institutions. On the other hand, helping youth at risk to develop stronger literacy skills – and, in the best case scenario, a love of reading and writing – may not only address practical challenges to future employment and public engagement (StatsCan, 2006) but can also make a significant contribution to positive self-esteem and positive relationships with their peers, teachers and parents (Chandler, 1999).