Literacy In The News ::
Spanning the US
Tutors, today, March 31, is the anniversary
of Cesar Chavez’s birthday, and a day of commemoration to the legacy of Cesar
Chavez’s work toward equal justice for all workers and his commitment to the
respect for all human dignity.
See
our Facebook page for more
information to discuss with your learner. Word searches are a great way to
reinforce spelling and learn current vocabulary.
Discuss the terms and definitions, then send the Word Search as a useful learning exercise! READ MORE ➤➤
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A law school graduate, a startup entrepreneur
helping to raise $30 million in venture capital, and often being one of the
very few women in the boardroom, this smart woman has accomplished many goals.
But now in what she calls her biggest accomplishment yet, she is using her
talents to help others succeed.
When adult learner H.C. Warfield retired, he
decided to go back to school, to learn something he was never able to do before.
“When I came here, I couldn’t read at all,”
explained Warfield.
He is one of thousands of adult and child learners
who benefit from a first-of-its-kind literacy collaboration called Chicago Literacy Alliance.
With her experience in the venture capital world, Ratner used her expertise to build support for the idea that if literacy groups work together, their reach can be vast.
“No one is going to be motivated or inspired
or drawn to a group which is doing a few little projects in isolation,” said
Ratner.
Instead, Chicago Literacy Alliance has a home
base, where more than 120 literacy groups can rent workspaces, use resources,
and collaborate with one another. Christine Kenny is the executive director of
Literacy Works, which trains more than 600 volunteer tutors for adult learners.
Being close to other organizations working toward the same mission has been a
huge plus for her. WATCH 02:00
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Times-Standard: 4.06.2021 by Heather Shelton
This week’s featured nonprofit is the Humboldt
Literacy Project, located at 537 G St. in Eureka. Emma
Breacain, executive director, answered the following questions.
Humboldt Literacy Project connects illiterate adults with volunteer tutors for free, confidential, one-on-one English language studies at the learner’s pace, tailored to their goals and needs. The individuals involved see increased confidence and success at home and at work, but the entire community benefits from a more educated and capable general population.
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Our project was started in 1981 by an HSU grad student and, in 1985, we became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a part of California Library Literacy Services.
Adult illiteracy is a social issue. It is not confined to the individual. It sits in the middle of a giant web of tangential cause-and-effect issues. It affects families, workplaces, medical care and the children’s education and well-being and literacy. Literacy is absolutely everything. It is community health.
Most people are just shocked that adult illiteracy is still a real problem in the U.S. in the 21st century. If the general public was aware that 15% of adults in the U.S. are functionally illiterate, we might see some positive changes in how we approach education, employment and families. And if those illiterate adults understood that there are 14,000 people in Humboldt County struggling with the same thing, they might feel less alone and more empowered to ask for our help sooner. READ MORE ➤➤
Fairmont News: 4.06.2021 by John Mark Shaver
After being closed for months due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, the Literacy Volunteers of Marion County has
opened its doors again to clients, and officials are hoping more volunteer
tutors will sign on.
The local nonprofit specializes in improving
the literacy rate of its clients, whether they be children struggling to read,
adults learning English as a second language or anything in between. Kay
Nesselrotte, executive director of Literacy Volunteers, said the organization
is holding a new tutor training seminar later this year, and she’s hoping new
people will step up to the plate.
“We were closed for approximately six months
because we kind of followed the lead of the Board of Education and public
school system for when to stay open,” Nesselrotte said. “When this pandemic
hit, I sent a survey out to my tutors, and most of them responded that they
wanted to wait either until there was a vaccine available or until things have
changed greatly. Consequently, we lost our students because we didn’t have
anyone to tutor them.”
Unfortunately, even a year after the
pandemic began, many of the tutors are still uncomfortable with returning,
according to Nesselrotte.
“We just geared up again in January, but I’m
having a bit of difficulty getting our tutors back on board,” Nesselrotte said.
“They’re not ready yet. They’re still not feeling safe about coming into the
facility. READ
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