Literacy:
Spanning the U.S.
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Lincoln Literacy group
works to improve immigrants’ speaking, reading, writing
Daily Nebraskan: 12.11.2015 by Abby
Korinek
As the location of many
refugee resettlement agencies in Nebraska, Lincoln, has a history of being
diverse and welcoming to refugees and immigrants looking to make a new life in
the city. One of the services provided to the city’s new residents is lessons
in speaking, reading and writing English through Lincoln Literacy.
A nonprofit started in
Lincoln in 1972, Lincoln Literacy currently serves more than one thousand
families and individuals a year. Many students are immigrants and refugees new
to Lincoln, who are learning English for the first time. Other students may be
fluent in spoken English but don’t have the ability to read or write the
language.
Joe Hams, a sophomore
Spanish and psychology major, works with the group. He said the organization
has several sites : the county jail, the
Goodwill at 2100 Judson St. and several
churches. “We have conversation groups that work with people that can already
pretty much speak but want to increase their vocabulary and conversational
abilities,” he said. “Our mission is to teach people English so they can
assimilate better into this culture, because without a proficient level of
English it’s hard to assimilate yourself.”
While not all of the
students from different countries are refugees, Lincoln Literacy works with
different refugee agencies and the state to help connect with refugees arriving
in the city. Currently, many students at the organization are from Latin
America, Burma, the Congo, Iraq or Vietnam.
READ MORE @
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Literacy becomes a gift
to share
Orlando Sentinel: 12.11.2015 by Hal
Boedeker
The Adult Literacy League has given Brittani
Bellamy a precious gift, and in keeping with the season, she wants to share it.
"I was
ashamed," said Bellamy, 24, of Orlando. "There are a lot of people
whose reading isn't that strong or they can't read. They may feel ashamed. By
telling my story, I wanted to let them know they don't have to feel ashamed.
Everyone has something they have to deal with."
Bellamy tackled her
limited reading skills two years ago by going to the Adult Literacy League for
tutoring and classes. Her reading level has gone from second grade to almost
fifth.
"They're very
loving people, and they really do care," Bellamy said of the Adult
Literacy League, one of the agencies supported by the Orlando Sentinel Family
Fund. "This is the right school because they take their time with you.
They help you every step of the way, and they encourage you."
She is passing on that
encouragement by reading to her 3-year-old godchild.
"I want to instill
into her that reading is very important, that education is important," she
said.
Bellamy takes part in
the Adult Literacy League's Read to Me! program, which supplies books to be
read to young children.
"We're changing
the behavior of the children's caregivers," said Joyce Whidden, the
agency's executive director. "Brittani is an important caregiver for her
godchild and spends important time with her. The Adult Literacy League's Read
to Me! program makes it possible for her to spend some of that time reading and
learning together. READ MORE @
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| @RALC_Literacy |
Richardson Adult
Literacy Center volunteers use English lessons to improve lives
Lake Highlands Advocate: 12.09.2105 by
Carol Toler
Julie Jodie
became very attached to the German exchange student who stayed with her family,
and during Marco’s year in her home, she watched him struggle with language and
cultural differences. After Marco went back to Europe, Julie decided to help
Lake Highlands residents, particularly parents of elementary students, improve
their English through the Richardson Adult
Literacy Center (RALC).
On
Wednesday and Friday afternoons, you’ll find Julie teaching moms from Northlake
and Lake Highlands Elementary at the Audelia
Road Library. The women hail from Mexico, El Salvador and
Honduras, primarily, but they have one thing in common – they want to learn
English. “
I was
attracted to the idea of teaching the class for two reasons,” says Julie. “I
was looking for a way to volunteer where I could work directly with people and
be able to establish a relationship, and, due to Marco’s struggles, I felt like
I could relate well to the challenges of the students.”
Katie
Patterson, Executive Director of RALC, says the parents in Julie’s classes –
and classes all over RISD – want to learn or improve their English so they can
gain better employment, help their children in school and become more involved
community members. “
We
currently work with parents at Wallace and Stults Road, in addition to
community members through the Audelia Road Library – many of whom are Northlake
parents. We expect to add Skyview and Forest Lane Academy in the spring. This
fall we are teaching 16 classes through our “ESL for Parents” program and 16
classes through our “ESL for Adults” program. We use trained volunteers to
teach our classes, and these programs include more than 60 volunteer ESL
teachers.” READ MORE @
Immigrants learn the language of Seattle at Talk Time program
Seattle GlobalList: 12.14.2015 by Lisa
Nikolau
Marina
Salnikova has overcome many of the barriers she faced after arriving to the
U.S. from Russia. She’s completed a bachelor’s degree, got her citizenship and
is considering teaching ESL as a career. But, Salnikova says she is still
affected by the language barrier.
“It doesn’t
matter how well you know English,” Salnikova said. “You will always be a
foreigner.”
While
Salnikova is determined not to let her label as a foreigner deter her, she is
the first to admit that navigating Seattle can still be, for many immigrants,
daunting.
And that’s
why Salnikova is a volunteer at Talk Time, a gathering of English language
learners from all over the globe who meet twice a week at the Central Library
branch. Seattle Public Library also holds the
program at various other branches.
Talk Time
is aimed at foreigners in Seattle looking for low-key ways to practice their
English speaking skills.
Language
barriers remain one of the most common hurdles to gainful employment. The
language difficulties also compound the isolating effects of the so-called
“Seattle freeze.”
Salnikova
understands those barriers.
“It was
hard, in the beginning,” said Salnikova, who first attended Talk Time over four
years ago. “I was afraid to even ask [for help]. I was desperate.” READ MORE @
Literacy program asks for help as adult learners wait
Pike County Courier: 12.17.2015 by Frances
Ruth Harris
Sandy LeFort, vice president of the Wayne-Pike Adult Literacy
Board of Directors, sent out 165 letters just before Thanksgiving asking for
money.
The chapter
serves 40 adults learning to read from volunteer tutors. LeFort said there's a
waiting list of 10 to 15 adults who've requested help. Some are native speakers
who have never learned to read, while others are learning English as a second
language. Some of the adult students are pursuing high school equivalency
diplomas.
The current
director of the Wayne-Pike chapter, David Sutton, helped formulate the
solicitation letters. The chapter and its small staff receive no state funds
and survive through donations and grants.
Many of
the volunteer tutors are retired teachers who serve prison programs along with
the adults who come to local libraries for tutoring. READ MORE @
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