Literacy:
Spanning North America
 |
| @GPLC |
LEARN Bus helps new
immigrants navigate their new home
“They are very
aggressive about getting what America promises.”
Pittsburgh City Paper: 9.30.2015 by Abby
Mendelson
They pile off two
standard yellow school buses, roughly 80 people, all sizes and ages, wearing
sweats and T-shirts; on their heads, some wear ball caps while others wear
traditional multi-colored dhaka topis. Their eager, expectant faces gleam in
the late-afternoon sun. They know they’re in for a treat — their monthly visit
to something they never had in their native Bhutan: a visit to a free public
library.
“First, they had to
learn what a library is,” Whitehall Library director Paula Kelly
says, smiling at the people flooding through the doors. “Coming from an agrarian,
rural culture, from a country where they were a persecuted minority, they’d
never even seen a library, much less used its many resources.”
While the Greater
Pittsburgh Literacy Council’s LEARN (for Library Easy Access
to Residents in Need) Bus program is noticeably robust, it was a decided slow
starter. “At first,” Kelly says, “we couldn’t figure out why they weren’t
coming. Then it hit us: They didn’t know what free is, what resources we have,
what we could do for them. How we could make their lives richer, better.” READ MORE !
 |
| @LiteracyDuPage |
Volunteers at Literacy
DuPage help residents achieve success
Positively Naperville: 10.01.2015 by PN
Editor
Serve DuPage 2015
highlights the charitable work of Literacy DuPage,
a local organization that provides free tutoring to residents. Dedicated
volunteers help adult students achieve greater independence by improving their
English literacy skills.
One volunteer, Mary
Williamson, has been with Literacy DuPage for three years. She previously
worked as a teacher for more than 40 years specializing in reading instruction.
When she retired in 2013, Williamson decided she wanted to spend her free time
working with others to meet their literacy goals.
At Literacy DuPage,
Mary Williamson assists many adult learners. One of her students, Mr. Grant,
(first name withheld at client’s request) came to Literacy DuPage last November
in an effort to improve his reading and writing. He was a high school dropout who
had worked as a cab driver for more than 30 years.
With Williamson’s
guidance, Grant’s literacy skills have improved dramatically. They meet weekly
at the Woodridge Public Library. Williamson taught Grant to use a computer,
accessing the Internet to use email, Facebook and Twitter. As he continues to
make progress, Grant plans to take GED preparation classes at the College of
DuPage. READ MORE !
 |
| @cbaliteracy |
Literacy
campaign launches in Cranbrook
Daily Townsman: 10.02.2015
Community leaders and volunteers will join Black Press,
Kootenay Savings Credit Union and the Columbia Basin Alliance
for Literacy on October 7th to raise awareness about the
importance of literacy and to celebrate the power literacy has in Cranbrook.
The
5th Annual Reach a Reader campaign will raise funds for Cranbrook’s
community-based literacy programs.
Why
literacy? Statistics indicate that up to 45 per cent of BC’s adult population
has difficulty with some daily living tasks - due in part to limited literacy
skills. These include reading a newspaper, filling out an application form,
reading a map, or understanding a lease.
“Literacy
is not just the ability to read or write. People today must be able to fill out
online materials, service agreements, job applications, and use social media,”
says local Community Literacy Coordinator, Katherine Hough. “Through our Reach
a Reader campaign, we hope to increase awareness of literacy needs in our
community and raise funds to support the literacy programs and services
available for children, families, adults, and seniors.” READ MORE!
 |
| @PSCLiteracy |
Contra
Costa Library's fundraiser helps adults with reading skills
Daily Democrat: 10.07.2015 by Janice De Jesus
Cheryl McKeon, Project Second Chance
board and committee member, is especially excited about this year's fundraising
event for the Contra Costa County Library's adult literacy program.
An
avid reader, McKeon counts memoirs to be among her favorite reads, and she and
fellow board members are hoping the public will join them for "Mending
Lives: A Conversation with Bay Area Memoirists," to be held from 6 to 8
p.m., Oct. 15, at the Walnut Creek Library's Oak View Room.
"I
have a particular affinity for memoirs," said McKeon, who manages Book
Passage at the Ferry Market Building in San Francisco. "This year we've
seen a surge of Bay Area authors so we thought what a wonderful opportunity for
us if they can come to present their books, and they were all willing to give
their time."
The
author panel this year includes San Francisco authors Katie Hafner, Jessica
Fechtor, and Melissa Cistaro, who will be discussing their memoirs and how they
overcame physical or emotional adversity, said McKeon, who has read all three
books.
"All
three faced major obstacles and overcame them, and are brave enough to share
their experiences with the world," she said.
Memoirs,
like all good stories, can be a source of personal inspiration and comfort to
readers who may be experiencing or have experienced similar challenges to those
described by the authors, said Jill Lorenz, Project Second Chance board member. READ MORE !
 |
| @RubyReadWV |
LVMPC
hosts ‘read-in’ at Woodburn Circle to raise awareness about illiteracy
The Daily Athenaeum:
10.08.2015 by Paige
Czyzewski
On
a college campus, illiteracy may not be a problem on the forefront of
everyone’s mind, but in West Virginia, one in five citizens are illiterate,
according to Ben Wasser, a West Virginia University strategic communications
student.
Wednesday
afternoon in Woodburn Circle, the Literacy Volunteers of
Monongalia and Preston Counties held a "read-in" to
raise awareness about West Virginia illiteracy and to highlight the importance
of literacy. Wasser coordinated the event.
"Right
now, the literacy level in West Virginia is (that) 20 percent of adults can’t
read beyond a fourth grade reading level," Wasser said. "... It’s
pretty upsetting."
Wasser
and Alyssa Cantisani, another strategic communications student leading the
project, paired with LVMPC this semester to assist with the Need to Read
Literacy Awareness event.
The
LVMPC, a non-profit organization, is the second- largest literacy advocate in
West Virginia, Wasser said. It offers small group classes, writing workshops
and a mobile library for towns in Monongalia and Preston Counties without
access to such services.
Volunteers
cover computing, financial and literacy skills, as well as provide one-on-one
tutoring, English as a second language and a United States Citizenship Prep
Course—all for free. READ MORE !
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment