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Literacy In The News :: Spanning North America

@LiteracyOut

AmeriCorps Volunteer Sticks Around To Spread Literacy
SoprisSun: 4.21.2021 by Will Grandbois

As part of an ongoing series of interviews with folks you might not have seen in the paper before, we caught up with Rachel Baiyor of Literacy Outreach

Q: Where did you grow up and what brought you out here?

A: I was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs. I came to Colorado to go to CSU in Fort Collins. My mom used to live in Denver, and we grew up camping and skiing and doing all that, but only to a Midwest extent, so I was really excited to explore something different. I started off studying biology but eventually left with an ecosystem sciences sustainability degree and a political science minor.

Q: How did that lead to literacy?

A: I started getting connected to some environmental nonprofits, and sort of doing volunteer work and interning. By the time I graduated, I just knew I wanted to go into the nonprofit sector. My boyfriend at the time was living in Edwards, so I moved to the mountains. Then I found the AmeriCorps VISTA position, and it seemed like a great fit.

Q: Tell us about that program.

A: I call it the domestic Peace Corps. They get a bunch of volunteers with an overall goal to alleviate poverty within that community. And so understanding that poverty is super complex and multifaceted, they’ve placed these support volunteers at a plethora of different organizations that are helping to reduce poverty from various angles.

Q: What does Literacy Outreach do?

A: Our mission has always been to teach essential literacy skills. We work with adult learners, and when we first started back in the ‘80s, our reach was really folks whose native language is English, but were failed by the public education system or have disabilities and never got those basic literacy skills. As the demographic of this valley has changed, it’s really expanded to include folks learning English as a second language. People don’t realize how pervasive an issue this is. If we could help all 36 million adults struggling with literacy, it would change everything for the whole community, and for generations to come.  READ MORE ➤➤

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 9

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 13-15 yrs. old

(Eighth and Ninth graders)

 

Teton Literacy 
Center

Translator Works For Inclusivity During COVID
JH News & Guide: 4.21.2021 by Jennifer Dorsey

When it comes to communication, Lina Collado Garcia is all about inclusivity. In her writing, her photography, her work at the Teton Literacy Center and her volunteer translation efforts she wants no one to feel overlooked.

That mission took on a new urgency last spring and continued into this year. At a time when access to information could be a matter of life or death, Collado Garcia dove in to make sure Jackson Hole’s Spanish-speaking residents had the opportunity to read important COVID-19 news in their language.

With Teton County Library’s Pati Rocha she has been translating News&Guide health articles relating to the pandemic into Spanish for print in the Jackson Hole Daily and online in the News&Guide, informing Latino residents about mask wearing, social distancing, coronavirus variants, vaccines, case numbers and more.

🔽
For her efforts, Collado Garcia is the News&Guide’s Super Volunteer of the Year.  READ MORE ➤➤

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 13

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 18-19 yrs. old

(college level entry)

 

@LiteracyNB

Celebrating New Brunswick’s 2020 Literacy Award Recipients On Literacy Day
GNB: 4.21.2021

The following statement was issued today by Premier Blaine Higgs in recognition of New Brunswick Literacy Day, Wednesday, April 21:

As we work toward our goals of creating a world-class education system and energizing the private sector, we recognize the importance of literacy.

The most recent international data on adult literacy has both concerning and encouraging news. The average literacy score for New Brunswick adults was about five points lower than the Canadian average (268 compared to 273); however, the statistics also indicate that, among people with a bachelor-level education, New Brunswickers scored above the national average in both literacy and numeracy. This suggests that, given the right tools, we are able to compete academically and in the world of work. It also reinforces the importance of promoting literacy initiatives to adults with lower levels of education, so they can improve their standing in the workforce and in life.

On New Brunswick Literacy Day, we take time to recognize and congratulate the 2020 Recipients of the Council of the Federation Literacy Award. The premiers and territorial leaders created the awards in 2004 to recognize the importance of literacy as an essential building block to a vibrant society and economy.

Élizabeth (Betty) Levasseur of Lac Baker has been involved in literacy for more than 30 years. She was instrumental in volunteering and raising funds for the Community Adult Learning Centre in Clair. She has also served as counsellor, vice-president and president of the Alpha la Vallée lnc. Regional Committee in Edmundston.

Peter Sawyer of Moncton has worked in adult literacy since the late 1970s. As chair of the Greater Moncton Literacy Council, he helped establish Laubach Literacy Canada.   READ MORE ➤➤

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 13

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 18-19 yrs. old

(college level entry)

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Manitowoc WI:: Annapolis MD:: Glenwood Springs CO:: Florence SC

Literacy: Spanning the US

Manitowoc Library

Manitowoc Adult Literacy Tutors Make Vital Daily Tasks Possible: Why To Volunteer

HTR News: 1.15.2020 by Margo Meyer

The start of the New Year is an ideal occasion to reflect on goals and plans for 2020. So often, the resolutions we make involve self-improvement of some kind, but another spin might be to look outward to increase our inner happiness.

Volunteering can have benefits, not just to the people receiving help, but also to those who give their time and energy. In my work as the literacy coordinator here at Manitowoc Public Library, I have observed this firsthand in the marvelous partnerships among our tutors and learners. Here is a quote from one of our tutors that illustrates this perfectly:

“I feel so lucky to be a tutor with One-to-One Adult Literacy Partners. Over the last four years, I have been privileged to work with four wonderful women whose origins were Mexico, India, Thailand and China. Together, we spent many fantastic hours getting to know each other, learning about each other's cultures and life experiences, and working toward achieving goals that were so important to each of them.”  READ MORE >>

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 11

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 15-17 yrs. Old

(Tenth to Eleventh graders)

@AACLC

Literacy Council Volunteers Make Impact, Help Community

Severna Park Voice: 1.15.2020 by Chris Fincham

During her sophomore year at George Washington University, Courtney Stoner participated in an internship with the Anne Arundel County Literacy Council.

Years later, her parents have become mainstays within the organization, helping students and volunteers alike throughout the county, while discovering a passion for teaching and helping others.

Bob and Mary Anne Stoner had no idea their daughter’s internship would lead to this. With no teaching experience, the Severna Park residents casually expressed an interest in their daughter’s endeavor, which quickly led to much more.

“We said to her, ‘That’s great, we’d always like to teach somebody how to read,’” explained Mary Anne. “And she said, ‘Ok great, I’ve emailed the director and he’s expecting to hear from you guys!’”

Now, the Stoners are active tutors, trainers and advisors within the AACLC. They teach English language learners - English as a Second Language or ESL - as well as basic literacy for area residents.

“The literacy council lets you help each person with whatever their goal is, which is really neat,” Mary Anne said. “Our program is a one-on-one program, so you really are building a bond and trusting relationship with this person and you can just see them grow.”

Bob said, “It’s almost like you become a little part of their families, and then you get to see somebody on kind of a weekly basis, go from barely speaking English at all, to confident and capable.”

“You can see from the first day with some students, that they’re really not confident - head down, little eye contact. And now they come in happy and they’re just like, ‘Hey how’s it going?’” said May Anne.  READ MORE >>

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 10

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 14-15 yrs. Old

(Ninth to Tenth graders)

@LiteracyOut

How Volunteer Tutors Are Changing Lives Through Literacy

Sopris Sun: 1.15.2020 by Kate Phillips

Nearly four years ago, Orlando Alfaro moved to the Roaring Fork Valley with the hope of beginning a career as an educator. There was just one major challenge: he could not read, write, or speak any English.

Not one to be deterred easily, Alfaro heeded the advice of his El Salvadoran father to find a way to learn English. With the support of his mother’s friend, Alfaro discovered the key to his future success: Literacy Outreach.

Literacy Outreach is a Glenwood Springs nonprofit that serves Garfield County adults who are illiterate. Through hands-on, small group or private sessions, students are given the opportunity to learn basic reading and writing skills to propel them into new and exciting opportunities.

Within a few weeks of contacting Literacy Outreach, Alfaro was paired with a tutor and began taking weekly classes when he was not working as a paraprofessional in the Roaring Fork School District.

“At the beginning I was very nervous,” Alfaro said. “I didn’t know any English. My tutor — Patrick — helped me get comfortable by first speaking in Spanish with me, but after that it was only English. It was very important for me to see progress in myself and to get my career going.”  READ MORE >>

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 8

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 12-14 yrs. Old

(Seventh and Eighth graders)

Florence Area 

Literacy Council

Florence Area Literacy Council Helps Adults Fulfill Their Reading Dreams

SC Now: 1.16.2020 by Christina Lawson

What is your dream?

This simple question provokes a long list of all the things we desire. A simple question that usually is answered with what we believe would make us happy in life. If we individually listed our answers, we would discover that we all have different “dreams.” Some complicated, some simple.

Several months ago I was sitting at my desk stressing over a fundraiser, stressing over raising money, and in general just having one of those crazy days. As I was taking a deep breath and feeling frustrated, I heard a tutor ask his student, “What is your dream?” She responded with, “My dream is to learn to read.”

In the midst of my frustration, that was my aha moment. I was reminded that the work we do at the Florence Area Literacy Council is changing lives and fulfilling dreams for people in our community. Not the dream of a new car or winning the lottery. Learning to read. Can you imagine being an adult and your biggest dream is to be able to read?

In Florence County, 33% of the adults in our community are functionally illiterate. The generational cycle of illiteracy has detrimental outcomes, not only for the adult learners but for their children, families and our community. In Florence County, 1 out of every 3 adults struggles to read above a fifth-grade level.  READ MORE >>

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 8

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 12-14 yrs. Old

(Seventh and Eighth graders)

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Cleveland OH :: Denver CO :: Christiansburg VA :: Buckhannon WV

Literacy: Spanning the US

Hough Reads

Rhonda Crowder & Hough Reads Battle Widespread Illiteracy: Cleveland Champions

Cleveland.com: 11.29.2019 by Sharon Broussard

As youngsters listened to Cleveland City Council Member Basheer Jones read a children’s story at the Hough Public Library two summers ago, a mother of three tapped Rhonda Crowder on the shoulder and pulled her aside.

“Sister, I can’t read,” the embarrassed woman whispered.

“That helped me understand the magnitude of the problem” said Crowder, who is the volunteer coordinator of Hough Reads, a family literacy program.

Crowder helped the woman find an adult literacy program. In the process, she discovered that she had volunteered to serve on the front lines of a major battle in Hough. Experts believe that Hough has one of Cleveland’s highest illiteracy rates.

According to a 2000 study, about 95% of Hough residents over 16 could read so poorly that they could barely figure out a map or calculate fees. The figure was 97% in Kinsman, reported Case Western Reserve University’s Center for Urban Poverty and Community Development.

Crowder has lived in Hough for most of her life, so the problem is right in her own back yard. That helped cement her dedication to Hough Reads.  READ MORE >>

Gunning Fog Index: 12.45

punctuation marks: 10  words: 181   3+ syllable words: 24

@literacycolo

Literacy Coalition of Colorado

Employers Council Blog: 12.03.2019 by Curtis Graves, Esq., SPHR, SHRM-SCP

What would you do if you couldn’t read? What would you do if people could not understand what you were saying?

In Colorado, an estimated 42,000 adults who grew up speaking English read at a kindergarten through third-grade level. At the same time, nearly 17 percent of Colorado households speak a language other than English. For these Coloradans, the statistics paint a bleak picture:

Low literacy costs $73 million per year in terms of direct health care costs. A recent study by Pfizer put the cost much higher.

Ninety percent of welfare recipients are high school dropouts

Penal institution records show that inmates have a 16 percent chance of returning to prison if they receive literacy help, as opposed to 70 percent for those who receive no help. This equates to taxpayer costs of $25,000 per year per inmate and nearly double that amount for juvenile offenders.

Illiteracy and crime are closely related. The Department of Justice states, “The link between academic failure and delinquency, violence, and crime is welded to reading failure.”

Fortunately, Colorado adult learners have a resource to help them defy these statistics. For more than 20 years, the Literacy Coalition of Colorado (LCC) has supported learners who wish to learn English or to improve their reading skills.  READ MORE >>

Gunning Fog Index: 12.17

punctuation marks: 13  words: 209   3+ syllable words: 30

@LVNRV

One Of The Greatest Gifts Of All

WVTF: 12.03.2019 by Robbie Harris

On this "Giving Tuesday," this is a story about something that’s up there with the greatest gifts of all.  It never wears out, or gets put in the back of closet and will always be there when you need it.

It’s a gift most people take for granted, but somewhere along the line, somebody taught you how to read, handing you a key to the wider world. But more than 40 million adults in this country don’t have that key. Freddie Price used to be one of them. “You know, a lot of people have different kinds of struggles and everybody has a different, way of handling it. A lot of people keep it inside. And that's what I did.”

Price is a supply clerk for the town of Christiansburg, an assistant to the manager, and in order to advance in his career, he had to pass a difficult written test given by an agency called the Virginia Institute of Procurement, one he’d taken and failed 4 times before.  He was getting ready to take it a fifth time, but if he failed this one, he could lose his job, a job he is good at. Price has worked for the town for 15 years and not many people knew he had what they call, ‘low literacy levels.’

“I kept it inside and had this macho attitude that I could do it and you just gotta let it down sometimes. And trust that people will help you who care about you.”

So, Price decided to ask for help. “It was a difficult decision because pride takes over,” says Price. “But I had something in me. I knew I could do it and it just took this organization, and you know, it just wasn't one person. It was everybody in it.”

That organization is the Literacy Volunteers of the New River Valley. It gets no government funding and depends entirely on donations. Not every community or state in this country offers this kind of help for free.  LISTEN 03:37

Gunning Fog Index: 9.733

punctuation marks: 21  words: 336   3+ syllable words: 28

Upshur Literacy Volunteers Seeking Tutors

Intermountain: 12.04.2019 by Amanda Hayes

Want to be a literacy tutor? Maybe math is more your thing? What about teaching computer classes? Literacy Volunteers of Upshur County has a need for all those at this time.

There are four students awaiting a tutor and one of them needs help in math. The other three are literacy students.

═════════►

“We are trying to help our community better themselves,” she said.

People need to be able to read at a certain level to pass the driving test and most of the students cannot drive. A student in his 70s let his driver’s license lapse due to cataracts, but now that his vision is better he can’t pass the test and came to Literacy Volunteers for help.

“It’s really difficult for him because he has about a first-grade reading level,” she said. “We are trying to help advocate for him because he has a clean driving record. It’s something we don’t think about until we are faced with it.”  READ MORE >>

Gunning Fog Index: 8.083

punctuation marks: 12  words: 160   3+ syllable words: 11

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Basalt CO :: Rustburg VA :: Newport Beach CA :: Wilmington DE

Literacy: Spanning the US

English In Action

Roaring Fork Valley Nonprofit Aims To Build Community Through English Literacy

Aspen Times: 10.16.2019 by Maddie Vincent

Last January, Snowmass local Donnie Ryan met Josefina Jimenez for the first time.

“I absolutely adore her and admire everything about her,” Ryan said of Jimenez. “Her work ethic, her success in business, her commitment as a mom, wife and daughter … she definitely seems to be a rock in her family.”

Ryan and Jimenez aren’t coworkers, relatives, or friends of friends. Instead, the women know each other through their almost weekly meetings as an English in Action teacher-student duo.

At each one-hour session in Aspen, Ryan helps Jimenez, a native Spanish speaker, to improve her English.

“I want to speak more English and to be able to communicate more with my clients,” said Jimenez, who has lived in Glenwood Springs and operated her own cleaning company in Aspen for the past 12 years. “I want to learn because I can use (English) for everything, I guess.”

For more than 20 years, English in Action volunteers like Ryan have worked across the Roaring Fork Valley to help non-native English speakers like Jimenez learn the language for free, aiming to bridge any existing cultural divides.  READ MORE >>

@CCPLibraryVA

Literacy Program Needs Volunteers

Union Star: 10.16.2019

If you can read this newspaper, you may not need the services of Literacy Volunteers of Campbell County Public Library (LV-CCPL). But chances are good that you know someone who does. Lynne Wheeler, LV-CCPL’s program manager, urges local residents with a background in teaching, training, or leadership to consider becoming adult literacy volunteers. “Many of our volunteers are retired, but we also have people who find time around their work schedule. Another way to help is by assisting a friend or family member who needs the services of the program. “Those who don’t read well, who don’t speak English well, or need help with spelling and writing may need help in contacting the literacy office. It’s very hard for people to make that call by themselves, especially in the case of a non-English speaker,” she says. Tutoring is arranged on a case-by-case basis around the schedules of the tutor and student, and takes place at a convenient branch, such as Patrick Henry Memorial Library.

According to Wheeler, about one in five adults in the U.S. struggles with reading, writing, or the English language to the extent that it negatively impacts their ability to function.

“Everyone has a cell phone today, so we tend to think that everyone is reading and sharing information online. But in some cases, people are looking at pictures, or listening to audio or video newscasts rather than reading text. Many non-native adults get by using a translation app. But to be fully informed, it is important to be able to read for ourselves,” she says.  READ MORE >>

@NMProLiteracy

2019 Gift of Literacy Luncheon

Literally Speaking: May/June 2019

Over 200 people attended the 12th annual Gift of Literacy Luncheon held at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach on April 5, 2019. This year’s keynote speaker, Lisa See, spoke about her newly-released (and bestselling) novel, The Island of Sea Women. Each guest received a copy that Ms. See was happy to personalize. Attendees perused the many silent auction and raffle items before being seated and welcomed by professional emcee, Michael Villani. Mr. Villani introduced Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy (NMPL) Event Committee Chair, Helene Chaban who "got things rolling.”

Helene introduced some special guests and spoke movingly about how much the program means to her. She then introduced literacy coordinator, Cherall Weiss, who talked about how having literacy issues makes life a struggle, citing the real life example of a diabetic male who couldn’t read his insulin dosage and how the program has grown with the help of so many generous donors. Then, Ms. Weiss introduced the Learner Speaker, Candace Kirby.

Candace came to NMPL because, even though she was born and raised right here in California, she could not read well enough to help her own two children. She spoke of how she struggled through school and then struggled with the realization that her boys struggled because she could not help them. That is going to change! The Gift of Literacy luncheon is the largest fundraiser of the year for NMPL. This year, the event raised funds to support the ongoing needs of the program.  READ MORE >>

@litdelaware

Delaware Adult Literacy Volunteers Can Now Train Online

Cape Gazette: 10.16.2019

During the past five years, more than 2,000 volunteer literacy tutors have been trained using I2O throughout New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Illinois.

Literacy Delaware tutors will now be trained online to teach adult learners rather than attending face-to-face training.

@Think60

In the past, volunteer tutors were trained face-to-face in a traditional small classroom setting. This training method required volunteers to attend a three-hour training session once a week for five to six consecutive weeks before being matched with an adult learner. Program administrators often had waiting lists of adults who wanted instruction, but they struggled with recruiting volunteers who could meet the rigid tutor training time requirements.

Cynthia Shermeyer, executive director of Literacy Delaware, said, “Tutors want to get started tutoring immediately without first going through hours and hours of training. I2O gives tutors the information they need quickly without overwhelming them; it pulls out the important parts of tutor training so they can get going right away.”

“The training paradigm is changing from on-site to online.  READ MORE >>