In the fall of 2008, the Association opened the Abbottsfield Learning Centre. By early 2009 the Association secured funding from Advanced Education and Technology through the Foundational Learning grant. This development afforded adult learners in North East Edmonton expanded learning opportunities in a welcoming and comfortable learning environment. In the summer of 2009, the Association was also pleased to share the Centre with WeCan Cooperative as they offered their Wecan Connect program for youth ages 14 – 18; a program designed to reconnect youth with schooling.
In the fall of 2009, the focus moved towards individualized learning. The Association supported learners with their personalized learning goals such as using an ATM machine, preparing for apprenticeship and driver’s licence exams, and employment related tasks. This development proved to be a powerful learning motivator for adult learners.
The Writers’ Circle also began in 2009. The Association was fortunate to contract the services of Edmonton poet Anna Marie Sewell to work with the writers at the Abbottsfield Learning Centre.
