The City of Swift Current is celebrating International Literacy Week in the wake of September 8 being International Literacy Day.

For the second consecutive week, city council approved a proclamation for the city to celebrate while also trying to raising awareness towards the week that runs from September 10-16.

"The significance of the week being proclaimed is mainly to bring literacy to the forefront as a focus, while getting people to start thinking about how important it is," Bula Ghosh, Southwest Literacy Committee member said. "No matter where you're in your learning spectrum or how high your education may be, but we all know life long learning is important and we have to pursue it."

During the proclamation made by the Southwest Literacy Committee, Ghosh shared some alarming numbers with Swift Current city council.

Four out of 10 adults in Canada do not have functional literacy skills. Meanwhile worldwide, 758 million youth and adults do not read and write.

"We need to concentrate on the people on the lower end (of the literacy spectrum) and create more opportunities for learning for them," she said. "We cannot prescribe learning to them the way we think will work. We need to talk to them, get them involved in their learning programs and create an environment where they can learn effectively."

The Swift Current Branch Library and the Southwest Newcomer Welcome Centre starting Wednesday will be showcasing posters and displays on literacy. Both facilities will also be hosting quizzes throughout the week.

"We don't have enough funds to do something big and bring a lot of people together, but we want to create awareness as much as we can so people understand," she said. "Literacy is important, so let's celebrate the learning we have and look at how we can help each other."