Ontario Public Service Spirit Campaign
The Spirit Campaign is an annual province-wide campaign that encourages Ontario Public Service (OPS) employees to participate in volunteer activities. The OPS has selected literacy as its cause for 2006. CLO is delighted to have been asked to help share information about Spirit with the literacy field.
We see this as a wonderful opportunity for agencies to recruit highly skilled volunteers from a new area. As well, the Spirit campaign gives the Ontario literacy field the unparalleled opportunity to promote the cause of literacy throughout the various ministries of the Ontario government. This is a chance to increase awareness about literacy, the needs of learners, plain language issues and other issues dear to our hearts.
The Spirit Campaign runs all year. This means that you can submit applications for volunteers at any time during 2006. To request an application form, please contact CLO or contact Stan Squires, Ministry of Culture at the following email: Stan.Squires@mcl.gov.on.ca.
OPS volunteers are potentially interested in all kinds of positions. This highlyaccomplished group of people has diverse skills sets and interests. Now is your chance to be creative and sell them on what you have to offer. Here are some ideas to start you off: tutoring, editing or desktop publishing newsletters, designing a new brochure and updating or creating websites.
Volunteers could potentially be available wherever government offices exists and in nearby communities. Also, your volunteer opportunity may be a virtual one that can be done via email or the Internet. You aren't necessarily limited by geography. All you can do is be creative and ask!
On January 26, 2006, CLO attended the official launch of the Spirit Campaign. The guest speaker at this important event was the Honourable James Bartleman, Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario. He held the audience spell-bound as he spoke of his Literacy Camps initiative for Ontario's north. To read more about this innovative program, please visit: www.nald.ca/PROVINCE/ONT/wnont/2005/pages.htm.