Literacy In The News ::
Spanning the US
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WITN: 10.13.2020 by Liam Collins
The Onslow Literacy Council is trying to
help to piece words and sentences together through awareness and volunteerism.
The council held its literacy
awareness walk Tuesday evening to shed light on the 18% of people in the county
who can’t read or write.
“We try to give them confidence,
self-reliance,” said Council Chair Mini Mittal. “That’s the first thing
actually we have to do working with them. Give them confidence that, yes they
can do it.”
About 36 million Americans, or
about 11%, cannot read or write above a third-grade reading level, according to
the council. That’s much lower than the about 20% of people in Eastern North
Carolina who can read or write about the same.
“After a while, they go back into
a shell and get to a point where they don’t want talk to anybody,” said
Literacy Council President Curtis Hildt.
It’s a problem the council is
trying to solve, especially with a crucial election just three weeks away.
“They can’t read the ballot, and
they can’t research the candidates because they can’t read it,” said Hildt.
“So, what they have to do they have to find someone, whether they have their views
or not, that just says vote for this person or goes in there to help them out.
So, it’s frustrating. They can become better citizens. And they feel more
fulfilled if they can read. Things that you and I take for granted, it’s a
major challenge to them.”
The council tutors about 25 adults
who either can’t read for education reasons or because English is their second
language.
“They can’t read their
prescriptions, can’t read a card that has been lovingly sent by their own grandchild,”
said Mittal.
And with an increasingly
technological world, they’ll continue to fall more and more behind.
“Computer skills is becoming an illiteracy,” said Hildt. “As society develops, we’ll get a lot more illiteracy skills, and these people can’t keep up.” WATCH 02:46
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Middletown Press: 10.15.2020
A local student and instructor with
the New Britain-based Literacy
Volunteers of Central Connecticut have found innovative ways to study
together during the pandemic.
Tutor Dave Audette, tutor, and
Cromwell resident Amos Huang, an LVCC student originally from Taiwan, and now
an American citizen, have been meeting since 2013, according to a press
release.
Over the years, they have become
real friends, building upon Audette’s need to give back to the community and
contribute to others, the release said. Huang’s goal to communicate better,
particularly with his family.
They started with enhancing his
reading and writing skills, as well as learning to use the computer and
internet. Now, their sessions are centered on Huang’s interests in contemporary
social, political and legal issues, the release said. Audette plays an
important part in finding pertinent facts followed by sharing mutual opinions,
according to LVCC.
When face-to-face tutoring in the
Cromwell and Portland libraries ended due to the pandemic, both men found
alternate ways to meet. Although sometimes they gathered outdoors with both
faces covered with masks, they soon moved meetups primarily online through the
Go to Meeting software, enabling them to share their computer screens.
They have used the Easy English News literacy newspaper, videos, and streaming sites, such as CNN, for their sessions. All of these feed into their continued and mutual far-ranging interests, the release said. READ MORE ➤➤
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Spectrum News1: 10.13.2020 by Lisa McRee w/ Nita Lelyveld, LA Times
While the Los
Angeles public library buildings remain closed to the public, librarians
from several branches have created comfortable and fun programs online. Los
Angeles Times City Beat Columnist Nita Lelyveld joined us to share all the
details.
"The Los Angeles Public Library system
has been offering various classes and projects for people of all ages. I went
to many literacy classes where people were improving their English or learning
English, and I saw people from all over the world participating. There were so
many different accents, and you could peak into so many other lives, and people
were taking these classes that were so eager to learn that they were standing
outside able to take these classes,” said Lelyveld.
Learning about people’s experiences through the resources offered by the libraries was very rewarding for Lelyveld. WATCH 06:08
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