Literacy: Spanning North America
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Knowledge
Bowl funds literacy programs in Victoria
Victoria Advocate: 2.18.2018 by Laura Garcia lgarcia
Learning
English proved to be a challenge for the two visiting nuns at the Incarnate
Word Convent in Victoria.
But
seven months ago they enrolled in classes through the Victoria
Adult Literacy Council, which offered a way to practice their
literacy skills and learn English as a second language.
"Before
I came here I used to listen and not understand," Nguyen said.
The
42-year-old nun said tutors in the program helped give her courage.
Cassidy
Mangum, a work-study student studying history at the University of
Houston-Victoria, started tutoring the pair a few months ago.
"It's
mostly conversational to build up going back and forth," she said.
Pham,
52, said she found it helpful to learn pronunciation in the classroom.
"Some
words I don't know the meaning and they can explain it to me," she said.
The
council provides free instruction to improve their literacy skills to more than
300 students each year. READ MORE >>
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Mercy
Learning Center Teaches English-Language Literacy to Bridgeport’s Immigrant
Women
Connecticut Magazine: 2.19.2018 by Michael Lee-Murphy
A
twin stroller tied up outside the hulking brick building of Bridgeport’s Mercy Learning Center tells the story of
the hard slog of immigrant women. There are women who might work a 4 a.m.-8
a.m. shift at the train station, selling doughnuts and coffee to the bankers
who commute to New York City and Stamford. Then they might go to a nursing home
to work a full shift, looking after other people’s families. Then they might go
to a night shift at a bank or office building, cleaning the mess left by the
employees. Then, then, then.
In
between all that, these women will come to this former Catholic school on Park
Avenue tucked under an I-95 overpass to learn the English language, and study
for a high school diploma. The classes are free, and taught by volunteers, and
there are a litany of other services. In addition to a small army of tutors,
the MLC has volunteers in the fields of midwifery, nursing, social work,
immigration and so on. The vast majority of the women are between the ages of
25 and 44, according to President and CEO Jane Ferreira, who has been at the
organization’s helm for 16 of its 30 years. She says that it is not uncommon
for the women who use the program to work two or three jobs in between raising
children and taking classes.
In
2017 some 950 women, hailing from 47 countries, attended literacy classes at
the MLC. In Mary Beth Clayton’s Adult Beginner 1 class, women from El Salvador,
Haiti, Afghanistan and countries across Latin America are studying basic
fractions. READ MORE >>
Princeton
Public Library receives grant
NJ.com:
2.20.2018 by Rich Cuccagna
Princeton
Public Library has been selected as one of 20 public libraries nationwide to
receive a $10,000 American Dream Literacy Initiative grant from
the American Library Association (ALA) and Dollar General Literacy Foundation.
The
library will use the funds for "Learn English at the Library," an
initiative featuring new and expanded programming, collections and services to
help adults develop English language literacy skills. The new and expanded
services will help build community connections and encourage contribution to
local civic discourse and engagement. Additionally, they will help the library
fulfill its mission to bridge cultural divides and offer opportunities for
everyone. READ MORE >>
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Literacy
numbers adding up nicely
St Albert Gazette: 2.21.2018 by Scott Hayes
It’s
one of those rare occasions when supply perfectly matches demand. STAR Literacy reports that it has matched
all of its current clients with a volunteer tutor from the community.
“We’re
steady and everybody is matched so now we’re looking for more tutors and more
learners,” said the organization’s newly installed program manager Joanna
Sokolic in pointing out that it’s usually a fickle balance between the two
groups.
“I’m
finding it’s up and down as far as learners and tutors. Just last month, I had
more tutors waiting in the wings and I couldn’t match them with learners. It’s
interesting how quickly it can change.”
Their
current tutor roster stands at 33 although some of them have more than one
student. The more, the merrier, Sokolic says. Literacy is often the hardest
thing to ask for when one doesn’t have it.
“A
lot of those clients don’t reach out. I think there’s still some stigma
attached to it. It’s just putting the word out there that we are here to help.
One in four Albertans do struggle with some form of literacy so there’s no
shame in accessing tutoring.”
The
local literacy business is on an upward trend lately with a recent influx of
Iraqi refugee families signed on as clients…
READ MORE >>
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