Surrey literacy advocate Shanti Ang receives 2026 Council of the Federation Literacy Award

“Community work is really rewarding,” Shanti Ang said when asked what she would tell young people interested in advocacy. Ang is one of 14 recipients of the 2026 Council of the Federation Literacy Award (COFLA), representing B.C. The annual award recognizes individuals and organizations across Canada for “exceptional achievement, innovative practice and excellence in literacy.” Ang said she encourages young people to become community advocates because the future is theirs and they need to take part in it.

Ang is executive director of READ Surrey/White Rock Society, a registered charity that advocates for improved literacy in Surrey and White Rock. She has spent 10 years helping people overcome learning challenges and raising awareness of literacy’s importance. The organization offers programs that give people of all ages a safe place to build their literacy skills, she said. One service, the Partners Tutoring program, provides free weekly tutoring to adults who have not finished school and cannot attend formal classes. The goal is to build confidence and skills so participants can pursue further education, find a better job or improve their life skills, Ang said. She described literacy as an essential life skill: the ability to access, understand and use information through reading, writing, numeracy and digital literacy.

A 2024 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) survey found nearly 49 per cent of Canadian adults have literacy skills at level three or below, which is not sufficient for the current job market. UNESCO says literacy improves lives by expanding capabilities, which in turn reduces poverty, increases participation in the labour market and has positive effects on health and sustainable development. In a 2025 survey of 760,000 students across 91 member countries, the OECD assessed performance in science, mathematics and reading and found student reading skills had declined the most over a decade. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used in classrooms; 46 per cent of students use AI chatbots weekly or more to help with their studies. Some scholars have raised concerns that growing AI use could contribute to declining literacy skills.

Ang said acquiring literacy skills is critical to children’s development. READ also offers a range of family programs to support family connections and develop children’s literacy. “I think there’s potential for artificial intelligence to be used in ways that help our society,” she said. “But there’s also a danger that we might rely too much on it, causing us to lose our ability to think critically and to let our literacy skills lapse. We need to be careful about how we use all technology and advancement.”

Canada’s premiers announced the 2026 COFLA recipients on Sept. 8, International Literacy Day. Ang celebrated with community partners at Surrey City Centre Library on Monday, Sept. 28. The premiers’ award announcement said Ang is a dedicated literacy leader whose vision, collaboration and commitment have strengthened literacy services locally and throughout B.C. It also praised her ability to build meaningful community partnerships while staying closely connected to the learners she serves.

Ang hopes the award will highlight the community’s literacy work. “It’s nice to be honoured, but at the same time, I recognize that it’s never about one person. It’s about all the community partners we work with,” she said. “People have said that this program really changed their life.” More information is available at readsurreywhiterock.com.