Literacy – Spanning North America ::Delaware :: Illinois :: Kamloops BC :: Tampa Bay FL

Literacy: Spanning North America

Literacy Delaware

What's the word?

Scrabble fundraiser to help Literacy Delaware adult education

Coastal Point: 3.209.2017 by Laura Walter

What wonderful words can you weave?

People who love letters can team up in a Scrabble tournament to raise money for a nonprofit helping teach adults to read.

Scrabble at the Beach is a happy-hour fundraiser for Literacy Delaware, which is based locally in Frankford, but operates statewide.

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Bailey first attended a Scrabble fundraiser in Wilmington and had a blast. She has also tutored adults in the literacy program through the Frankford Public Library.

“It’s a free program for students, and all the tutors are volunteers. There are only 2.5 paid employees in Delaware,” she said.

Bailey said she is upset by the statistic that in Delaware, 1 in 7 adults reads at or below a fifth-grade reading level, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Volunteers teach basic reading skills for adults who haven’t progressed beyond an elementary-school reading level, plus some English language instruction. Lessons are taught one-on-one.

Since 1983, more than 2,600 adults have studied literacy with Literacy Delaware. In 2015, services expanded to include Sussex County, partnering with the Frankford Public Library.

It can be tough to live with lower literacy skills. People can use other skills and context clues to get things done, but there are gaps that they can close by improving their reading skills, such as reading emails, medicine bottles or notes from their children’s teacher. Eventually, Bailey said, the family’s children may not be strong readers either.

Bailey recalled one learner who was functioning as an adult and member of the local fire company.

“Here’s a guy — he was 41 years old. He was able to pass all the fire department tests without reading, because they’re really mechanical tests you have to do,” Bailey said. “So, I took him on, and after a year, he had his driver’s license.”  READ MORE >>

Night of 1000 Stars celebrates 20th anniversary

Illinois Literacy: Fall 2017

Celebrating the achievements of adult learners remains one of the greatest joys I experience as Secretary of State and State Librarian. I had the pleasure of attending the Night of 1000 Stars event in Chicago on its 20th anniversary. Learners shared original poems that illustrated the remarkable strides they have achieved in their educational journey. As a former educator, I know the importance that recognition provides in building confidence and self-esteem in learners. In this edition, I am honored to congratulate the Spotlight on Achievement and Spotlight on Service award winners.

Featured are the inspirational stories of these adults and the citizens who volunteer their time to help adult learners succeed.

The Illinois Literacy Foundation works to ensure that every Illinois citizen has access to literacy services that place them on a path to lifelong learning. I had the pleasure of hosting a local author at a foundation event during the American Library Association’s annual conference in Chicago to help highlight the mission of the foundation. Please visit the foundation’s webpage for information to learn how to become involved or host an event.

Each year, it is my privilege to sponsor Family Reading Night in Illinois. I encourage you to mark your calendars for this year’s event on Thursday, Nov. 16. This is a special night for libraries and families across the state. Please consider participating at your local library or literacy program.

Jesse White Secretary of State & State Librarian  READ MORE >>

Raise a Reader 2017: From behind bars

Kamloops This Week: 9.29.2017

It is hard to be successful in life without a high school education. 79% of male Canadian inmates lack a high school diploma, as do 71% of female inmates. 70% of inmates read at lower than a grade 8.

Low literacy likely keeps many inmates from participating in learning opportunities available to them, but those who do, not only improve their literacy skills but also raise their self esteem.

Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre (KRCC) offers inmates literacy and learning opportunities. Through the School Program inmates can work towards completing their high school diploma (Adult Dogwood).

Tonia Gillespie, a Literacy Outreach worker for Street School, connects inmates immediately on their release with Street School, so they can continue their learning journey.

In the Kamloops Partner Assisted Learning Program (KPAL) inmates work one on one with trained volunteer tutors to improve their reading and writing.  READ MORE >>

Learn Tampa Bay

Plant City Wonder Woman Angelica Ibarra

Plant City Observer: 9.29.2017 by Daniel Figueroa IV

Angelica Ibarra could have easily lived a very different life than the one she chose.

However, Ibarra, the founder of Plant City-based Learn Tampa Bay, made a habit of defying cultural norms and expectations to follow her own dreams and find her own happiness. She found it through service and empowering the community.

For nearly 15 years, Ibarra has dedicated her life to empowering communities, especially the local Hispanic community, through education.

“I felt that others in my community needed to see the same opportunities that were presented to me years ago,” she said. “It’s something that I felt was important.

Education is very powerful. To be able to share with others the value of it was something that was very important to me.”

Ibarra could have gone with the flow many times in her life, but she wanted more. She wanted more for herself, more for her family and more for the community.

Ibarra was born in Sinaloa, a coastal Mexican state along the Gulf of California. She came from a farming family, but when work dried in Sinaloa, they emigrated to the U.S. for work, first farming onions and watermelon in the South Texas border town of Edinburg. Eventually, the family relocated to Plant City where they lived a migrant lifestyle.  READ MORE >>