There is a majestic building with exquisite architecture that rises up before you in a not-so-busy downtown street in the captivating city of Calgary in Canada. You can feel the magic of its academic aura as soon as you enter. This is where a day-long Symposium was organized by the Basic Education and Literacy Rotary Action Group (BELRAG) as a prelude to the Rotary International Convention on June 20, 2025. A global galaxy of Rotarians, Rotaract club members, educators, and academicians attended this enriching Symposium, the brainchild of Carolyn Johnson, the Chair Emeritus of BELRAG.
The Symposium was kick-started by the BELRAG Area of Focus Manager, Sara Poehlman, with a presentation entitled, “Achieving Global Education through Strategic Local Action.” Sara shared her passion for promoting the vocation of Basic Education and Literacy (BEL) in a spectrum of diverse communities around the world. Sara highlighted the strategic goals for all the Areas of Focus in Rotary with an emphasis on evolving long-term strategic partnerships and metrics of sustainability in service projects. Sara pinpointed the fourfold Action Plan of Rotary to “Increase our Impact,” “Expand our Reach,” “Enhance Participant Engagement,” and “Increase our Ability to Adapt” as the essence of all our projects and programs. Sara emphasized the need to design Education and Technology programs in accordance with the vital components of Teacher Training, Early Childhood Education, and Foundational Literacy & Numeracy Skills.
The next presentation, “Mentoring at Risk Youth: Impact Study for Decision Making” by Savannah Gutlick, revolved around the outstanding achievements of the “RISE: Guatemala Literacy Project.” Lynne Paradis then hosted an animated group discussion on the “Literacy Alive: Red Deer Rotary” program with participants from Guatemala. All of them shared compelling stories of their firsthand involvement in literacy projects implemented and sustained in schools in Guatemala, which successfully boosted the oral language comprehension, word recognition skills, and phonological awareness among students based on the strands of “Scarborough’s Reading Rope.” Steacy Pinney’s presentation “Our Role as Literacy Advocates” highlighted the joy and the power of reading as a gateway to education and literacy. Steacy showcased the impact of the “Calgary Reads Mission” program, which equips communities with books and the inspiration to support every child's reading skills by Grade 3. It was an eye-opener to learn that 49% of adult Canadians have low literacy skills, while 29% of kindergarten kids in Alberta do not have the strong foundation that they need to be effective readers. The quote by Jim Trelease that resonated with all of us went like this: “Reading aloud to children is the single best way to ensure that someone will be a lifelong reader.”
The next presentation by Patrick Moore emphasized the importance of fundraising and partnerships as the vital components of the “Early Childhood Education Initiative” being successfully implemented by the Rotary Club of Alexandria in Louisiana in partnership with a $1,056,000 Challenge Matching Grant from the Rapides Foundation. The presentation that touched all of us deeply was entitled “Left Unread: Working with Refugee Communities” by Hyder Hassan. This poignant presentation was grounded in Hyder’s personal journey from being the offspring of refugee parents to blossoming as an entrepreneur to evolving as a literacy advocate. As a storyteller who has used her talent for writing to shine a light on the mission of Rotary over the years, I found the next presentation, entitled “A Story: Rotary Making a Difference in Belize” by Teresita Ulloa, to be both relatable and compelling. The interactive Panel Discussion on “Rotary as an Advocate for BEL Programs” was anchored by Anthony Bloome, Vice Chair of BELRAG.
The formal presentations befittingly ended with “Grant Model Evaluation: Impact with Technology” by Meredith Burlew, the Director of Rotary Foundation Programs and Grants. This was an information-packed presentation that shared both the resources and the Sustainability Guidelines relating to the financial and infrastructure-based aspects of BEL projects. The “Call to Action and Next Steps” was delineated by Sara Poehlman. Before we split into small breakout groups to engage in interactive brainstorming on how to make BEL programs and projects more far-reaching and impactful, Nancy Leonhardt, the Chair of BELRAG, presented the vote of thanks. The insights gathered from the small group discussions were shared by Carolyn Johnson as she thanked Rotary Club of Calgary and District 5360 Governor (2025-26) Manon Mitchell, Dorothy Loucks, and Barb Young, who helped in organizing the Symposium and a delicious lunch for all the attendees. Even though the program ended with a trip to the Little Red Reading Room in the vicinity of the library, the impact of this Symposium will continue to endure in the minds, hearts, and actions of every Rotarian for a long time to come on ways in which we can emulate the theme of “Unite for Good” imparted to us by Rotary International President (2025-26) Francesco Arezzo to make education an omnipotent force for empowerment of both local and global communities.
It is pertinent to know that in today’s world, where Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence are fast outpacing the dynamics of learning in under-resourced communities, there are still 775 million boys, girls, and adults who cannot read. Please consider becoming a member of BELRAG {https://belrag.org/} to join the movement for increasing awareness on illiteracy and the need to support Rotary clubs in providing inclusive Basic Education and Literacy for all, and also for enhancing the scale and effectiveness of existing education projects through collaboration and partnerships. As an enduring educator who has empowered young generations in India through education, a long-time Rotarian, and a mother of two fast-growing kids, I feel even more inspired and committed to the cause of promoting and advocating the importance of Basic Education and Literacy after gaining critical insights and learning pivotal strategies from this Symposium.