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Josephine Altilia

Helping young moms open doors by opening books

YWCA Toronto
women of distinction award 2004: volunteerism

Josephine Altilia is the founder and volunteer Executive Director of Literature for Life, a literacy program for disadvantaged young mothers in Toronto's inner city. She receives this year's Women of Distinction Award for Volunteerism.

Through weekly gatherings at shelters and resource centers, Literature for Life provides a safe environment for at-risk teen moms and their children to come together and share the joy of reading, writing and self-expression. By discovering and using their own "voice" these young women build the spirit and personal skills they need to become stronger parents and role models for their children.

Ms Altilia's understanding of the link between literacy, community and good mental health comes from her training as a primary school teacher and her life-long commitment to underprivileged youth. The program's success builds on research that shows if young disadvantaged mothers are supported, they can turn their lives around.

Ms Altilia modeled Literature for Life on the highly successful Literature for All of Us in Chicago, Illinois, where she was an active volunteer from 1993 to 1999. When she returned to Toronto, Ms Altilia volunteered at the inner city Church Street School as a teaching assistant, tutoring students in math and reading. She ran a special literacy project for Action ABC at the Centre for Addiction Research in Toronto. In 2000, she dedicated herself full-time to the vision of creating Literature for Life, initially running the program out of her home.

Literature for Life book groups currently run at Jessie's Centre for Teenagers, the Massey Centre for Women, Humewood House and Robertson House. In 2002, Ms Altilia opened a storefront on Parliament St. called the Centre for Possibilities giving young moms not affiliated with a social service agency access to book group discussions and a nurturing environment in which to write, publish and perform their own poetry.

Last year, in response to demand from book group members, Ms Altilia launched Yo'Mama, an innovative magazine written by young women for young mothers. Not only does the magazine provide peer mentoring and support to a vulnerable population, it is used as resource material by the Toronto Children's Aid Society and Toronto Social Services staff working with young women in the Learning Earning and Parenting program.

In 2003, Ms Altilia was invited to join the Metro Toronto Working Group on Language, Literacy and Equity Issues and helped the group organize International Literacy Day at city hall. She was an advisor for Toronto's Youth and Literacy Symposium in February this year.

Literature for Life has captured the imagination and support of community and business leaders including Desmond and Leah Tutu, Indigo Books and Music, Onex, Rotary Charitable Foundation of Toronto, Palmer Jarvis, Leo Burnett, Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Federal Department of Justice, the Raptors Foundation and the Tides Foundation - Give Girls a Chance.

Ms Altilia grew up in Toronto and taught Gr. 7 and 8 in the city before moving to Kitchener-Waterloo in the 1970s. In K-W she continued her teaching career and studied English part time at the University of Waterloo's St. Jerome's College. She took up part-time studies again - in social work and communications -- at Loyola University in Chicago during the mid 1990s.

She is married to Tony Altilia, the president of a local advertising firm. The couple has three boys aged 14, 17 and 21.

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