Literacy: Spanning the U.S.
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Project
Read Northwest continues mission to eradicate illiteracy
Pioneer Group: 4.23.2018 by Dylan Savela
It
could be considered a hidden population, but it’s true that thousands of adults
in Manistee and Benzie counties are considered illiterate or low-literacy, with
the inability to read above an eighth-grade level.
This
affects their work life, home life, health and well-being, but that is where Project Read Northwest, a nonprofit
organization, comes in.
Now
under the umbrella of United Way of Manistee County, Project Read continues to
offer free and confidential one-on-one tutoring for adults in reading, writing,
English as a second language, citizenship, GED preparation and math as it has —
under various names — since 1967.
“Our
goals are pretty much what they’ve always been: to reach people who need us,”
said program coordinator and United Way board member Sue Wilson. “It’s a
50-year program, and we’re still always looking for tutors and trying to reach
out to learners — the people who need us — and find out what their goals and
needs are, and meet those the best we can.”
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Many
students find their way to Project Read through MichiganWorks! as they strive
for their GED and discover they may benefit from one-on-one help. Local
businesses have also been encouraged to urge employees to make use of its
services if needed, while Centra Wellness and local libraries have also led
individuals to the program. READ MORE >>
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Creating
a Better Life for Yourself, One Step at a time
WSAV:
4.25.2018 by Andrew Davis
How
far will you go to make your life better?
In
the case of a set of 33 year old twins, their dedication can be measured not
just in words or deeds, but in actual miles.
Every
day students young and old come to Royce Learning
Center in Savannah to get a lesson.
Math,
English, Science, and for Robert and Michael Marables, a lesson in life.
"We
are 33 years old. We need to do something with our lives," remembered the
Marable twins saying, according to Khani Morgan, Royce's Adult Literacy
Coordinator. "We live with mom, now its time for mom to let go."
"My
goal is to be a firefighter. But I know in order to get there i have to learn
how to crawl first," said Michael Marables.
"I
have soemthing to prove not only to them but to myself," said Robert
Marables.
"Our
goal is to be responsible men, if
nothing else," said Michael.
The
twins, originally from New York, never finished high school. Now 15 years later
they are back in a classroom, working harder than ever. WATCH VIDEO
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Casting Aside Shame And Stigma, Adults Tackle Struggles With Literacy
NPR:
4.26.2018 by Melissa Block & Marisa Penaloza
Our
series "Take A Number" looks at problems
around the world — and the people trying to solve them — through the lens of a
single number.
At
the tiny public library in Winterport, Maine, 43-year-old Robert Hartmann bends
over The Little Engine That Could and slowly sounds out the first
line.
"Ch-chug,
right?" he asks his volunteer tutor, Sandy DeLuck. "Yup," she
encourages him. He presses on: "Puh-puff ... puff ... puff. Ding ...
ding-dong?"
Hartmann
is burly, with five facial piercings, his arms inked with tattoos. This is his
second session with DeLuck. He reads at about a first-grade level.
He
is one of the 35 million U.S. adults whose reading skills are below a
fourth-grade level.
Thirty-five
million — or 1 in 6 U.S. adults.
Nationwide,
adult illiteracy has proved an intractable problem, linked to stubborn societal
issues such as poverty and failing schools.
In
fact, US adult literacy rates are no better than they were 25 years ago.
In
Maine, the small nonprofit Literacy Volunteers of Bangor is among the
programs trying to chip away at that daunting statistic by helping people like
Hartmann improve their literacy — and, eventually, their lives.
The
group serves several hundred students a year with free one-on-one tutoring, and
there is nearly always a waiting list. LISTEN
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Tutors
wanted for lasting relationships in LIFE
Watertown Daily Times: 4.27.2018 by W T Eckert
A
free program that prides itself on improving literacy is reaching out to the
community for people looking to help others and make lasting relationships.
Potsdam
Public Library’s “Literacy
is for Everyone” program, also known as LIFE, is holding
tutoring training sessions from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 12 at the Community
Center, 2 Park St. in the village. There is no limit on how many people can
participate, program coordinator Maria D. Morrison said.
“Just
as long as they are willing to help, go through the training, learn the
techniques that are most useful,” Mrs. Morrison said. “Very often it becomes a
very personal relationship between the tutor and the learner. They are
connected in ways that they would never have been connected before.”
The
tutor training session is open to anyone ages 18 and up with a high school
diploma. The program is looking for tutors to help reach a large portion of the
county where Mrs. Morrison said she believes the illiteracy rate is as high as
25 percent, despite the National Center for Education Statistics’ most
recent 2003 estimate of an illiteracy rating of 13 percent.
There
is especially a need for tutors in the outlying areas surrounding Gouverneur,
Ogdensburg and Massena.
How
can you not be excited about a program that gives someone self-esteem, that
gives the ability to lift themselves up, to go forward?” Mrs. Morrison said.
“They are not asking anything of us except ‘Help me help myself’ instead of a
handout.” READ MORE >>
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