Our History

1988 - Project Literacy Victoria (PLV) begins as a grassroots, non-profit organization built on community involvement and is formally registered under the Society Act.

1989 - The first PGI Golf Tournament for Literacy, founded by Peter Gzowski, is held in Victoria. It becomes a highly successful annual fundraising event for over 20 years.

1996 - PLV moves to our present location at 930A Yates Street in downtown Victoria.

1998 - The organization goes online and starts actively integrating computers as learning tools.

2001 - The Community Access Program (CAP) computer lab, under the auspices of the federal Department of Industry, opens at PLV for drop-in use by individuals who otherwise would not have computer access.

2007 - The organization renames and rebrands PLV as  “Literacy Victoria: Empowering Adult Learners".

2008 - LV completes a 3-year national pilot project, “South Island Learning Community (SILC)”, bridging First Nations and non-First Nations communities through learning technologies.  

2008 - Literacy Victoria celebrates 20 years of providing community-based adult literacy services across southern Vancouver Island.

2009 - LV completes a two-year Community Literacy Outreach national pilot project and its results are distributed nation-wide. 

2009 - Blended learning (combined learning on paper and on-line) is available for all LV learners, including those with the lowest skills.

2011 - LV completes a two-year Workforce Literacy/Essential Skills national pilot project with results distributed nation-wide.   

2013 - LV completes a three-year Aboriginal Literacy and Essential Skills community-based pilot project with results distributed nation-wide.