Literacy – Spanning the US :: Rensselaer Co NY :: Birmingham AL :: Plymouth MA

Literacy: Spanning the U.S.     

Literacy Volunteers

Rensselaer Co

Literacy group celebrates 50 years of free education

Troy Record: 6.19.2018 by Nicholas Buonanno

For the past 50 years adults and children have been able to learn to read, write and speak English for free, thanks to volunteers and staff with the Literacy Volunteers of Rensselaer County.

The Literacy Volunteers of America-Troy Area, Inc. was founded on June 9, 1968 by Leslie Burr. It was housed in the First United Presbyterian Church at 1915 Fifth Ave. in downtown Troy. The not-for-profit organization remained in that building for roughly 40 years.

Judith Smith, who has been the organization’s executive director since 2014, and prior to that served with the organization as a volunteer, said they know the organization was housed in the downtown church for at least over 40 years, but was unsure if they had been housed anywhere else since the organization moved its location last year to 71 First St.

With the help of over 200 volunteers and four paid staff members, roughly 250 learners now get taught how to read, write and speak English and learn how to advocate for themselves and get educated about literacy issues.

Some programs that the organization offers to learners for free include:

• One-to-One and Small Group Tutoring help individuals learn to read, to write, and to speak English, and to improve their math skills. Tutoring is free and confidential. Students and tutors work together for an average of two hours per week to meet students’ goals.

• Tutor Training Workshops prepare new volunteers to tutor adults using an interactive, learner-centered, whole language approach.

• The Workplace Literacy program provides on-site instruction for English language learners working at local businesses.

• English Literacy Civics classes meet for 25 weeks from October through May for a total of 150 hours of instruction to English Language learners in Albany and Troy.

• The Sewing and English Class gives women a chance to learn skills while practicing their English every Saturday at the former McManus Center on Herrick Street.

• Citizenship Preparation classes at the Rensselaer Public Library give students the information and skills they need to pass the Naturalization Test and interview.

• A Financial Literacy program is offered as part of the YWCA’s “Ready to Work” trainings at the Troy YWCA. LVORC’s Make the Most of Your Money serves women participating in these trainings.

• Everybody Wins! gives elementary school children a chance to spend time reading with positive reading role models. Reading mentors from area businesses and the community meet weekly with elementary children in elementary schools in Troy and Albany.

• Telephone Conversation Partners helps English language learners practice English on the phone with a friendly volunteer for 30 minutes each week. Learners converse with volunteers on the telephone to strengthen their speaking and listening comprehension skills.

• Tutoring at the Rensselaer County Jail gives incarcerated men a chance to get reading and math help from volunteer tutors while enrolled in Questar III classes at the jail.  READ MORE >>

@literacy_update

How The Literacy Council of Central Alabama Builds Stronger Communities

Birmingham Times: 6.21.2018 by Anita Debro

It is Wednesday morning, and Herbert Pearson is ready to learn.

Pearson sits at a round table scattered with worksheets, books, and a small whiteboard. He reads a passage aloud from a book, pronouncing each word slowly but steadily. When he gets to one line in the story about a group of friends, he pauses and laughs at something the character says.

Pearson’s tutor, Barbara Waltz, seated next to him, is reading the same book. She peers at the passage, laughs a little, too.

“This book has interesting characters,” she says.

Pearson continues reading and reaches a word that makes him pause.

“That word rhymes with ball,” Waltz says.

The clue helps Pearson figure out the word quickly, and he continues with the story until he is finished reading.

It is through this partnership—between learner and tutor—that stronger readers, better-prepared workers, and more-engaged community members are built, said officials at The Literacy Council (TLC) of Central Alabama, which helps a little more than 2,300 residents in the five counties it serves improve reading skills, learn to speak and read English, or attain a GED diploma.

“Most people are not aware of the need for adult-literacy programs,” said TLC President and Executive Director Katrina Watson. “In order for people to get better jobs and improve their incomes, they must have the ability to read.”

There are more than 92,000 illiterate adults in central Alabama, according to TLC, which has 275 active tutors across Blount, Jefferson, St. Clair, Shelby, and Walker counties.  READ MORE >>

@PlymouthLibrary

Plymouth: Ceremony Held for Graduates of the Adult Literacy Program at the Library

95.9 WATD: 6.21.2018 by Bobbi Clark

In Plymouth, the library celebrates almost 30 years of dedication to adult literacy and this week, in a ceremony at Plimoth Plantation, over 30 students graduated, earning high school diplomas.

Kristen Enos, the library’s literacy director, says the program averages about twenty-four graduates a year, and for the graduates…

“…It’s just life-changing for them. My favorite part is just seeing the look on their face and seeing the change once they graduate. It’s so inspiring.”  LISTEN