Literacy:
Spanning the U.S.
Adult literacy program
participants, volunteers shine
Daily
Republic: 3.17.2015 by Susan Hiland
Some people were nervous
during the recognition ceremony Saturday at the Solano County Library literacy
celebration, where adults for whom English is not their primary language were
honored for their work in the Writers to Writers Program.
Program participants
were asked to write letters to authors whose books touched them in some
personal way. The English-learners read “Reaching Out” by Francisco Jiménez,
“Lupita Manana” by Patricia Beatty or “The Elephant Man” by Tim Vicary.
Eleven participants
were given certificates this year to recognize their efforts in the Writers to
Writers campaign. The top three honorees, Ana Lopez, Avelina Ibarra and Elvia
Villalobos, received ribbons and gift bags for their letters.
“Everyone is a winner
today,” said Joanne Wright, head of the Adult Literacy Program that operates
through the county library system.
For the Writers to
Writers project, adults who are working to learn English committed to a
six-month program. They met with volunteers to help them learn different
skills, Wright said.
“The Writers to Writers
Program challenges them to write a letter to an author and tell them how their
book changed their lives,” she said.
Literacy program
volunteers worked with their English-learner counterparts in small groups, and
individually, two times a week on things like reading, writing and speaking.
People come to the program with a specific goal and work to achieve that goal
at their own pace. READ
MORE !
14 percent of Branch
County adults are functionally illiterate
Daily
Reporter: 3.17.2015 by Christy Hart-Harris
Functionally illiterate
is defined as "Individuals who cannot read or write well enough to deal
with the everyday requirements of life in their own society."
In Branch County, 14
percent of adults — or one in seven living in the county — are functionally
illiterate. In the United States, 20 percent of adults 18 and over are
functionally illiterate.
This is where the Branch County Literacy
Council steps in. The non-profit organization is comprised of volunteer
tutors and community learners who meet weekly at the Coldwater branch of the
Branch District Library.
The Literacy Council is
dedicated to "enhancing the lives of non-literate adults through free
one-on-one program designed to develop reading, writing and spelling
skills."
The program uses the
Laubach and challenger series, which uses different levels to correlate with
the learners reading level. Each learner is provided with a student work book
to use at home for further assistance and practice. READ
MORE !
Literacy Volunteers
helping with jobs, school, life
Daily
Record: 3.31.2015 by Leslie Ruse
For the Literacy Volunteers of Morris County,
finding enough volunteers to match with the number of people needing to learn
English is a continuous search.
"There's a huge
need in Morris County for tutors. We have a number of students that could
really use help and one of our obstacles to getting them help is a lack of
volunteers," said Bevin Tierney, training and adult literacy coordinator
for the organization.
"People just need
a chance and an opportunity and we hope to provide it with this free service,
free tutoring so that we can help people acquire the skills they need."
The Literacy Volunteers
of Morris County have been providing adults in Morris County one-on-one
instruction in reading, writing and conversation in English for more than 30
years. They are the largest volunteer-based literacy program in the State of
New Jersey and are completely funded through grants and private donations.
Besides the one-on-one
training, Literacy Volunteers provide instruction in pronunciation, U.S.
history and civics, American Customs and Manners, math, basic essay writing,
resume writing and GED preparation. READ
MORE !
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