Literacy – Spanning the US :: St. Louis MO :: Boca Raton FL :: Suffolk VA

Literacy In The News :: Spanning the US

WIC

Women in Charge - Building Women Up Through Education
StL Today: 11.17 2020 by Faith Boyd, Senior at Ritenour High School

Women who are experiencing financial difficulty, in need of an education or who are facing any other crisis can find assistance at Women in Charge (WIC). The organization provides services to women struggling in various areas of their lives.

In its early stages, the nonprofit was an employment agency that provided women with cleaning jobs. However, this concept did not garner the results they had envisioned. Women in Charge quickly shifted to an adult literacy program and grew from there.

The nonprofit’s current mission is to educate women, heal their spirit and build their confidence so they can lead a rewarding life. This is achieved through a multitude of programs covering subjects such as high school core classes, financial advice and emotional counseling.

One of the major goals for Women in Charge is to provide women with the tools they need to be successful through education. So, it’s no surprise that one of the more popular programs at WIC is its adult literacy program. This involves one-on-one tutoring with women in core high school courses to prepare them for the HiSET (High School Equivalency Test), which shows that they have the same academic achievement as a typical high school graduate.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 12

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 17-18 yrs. old

(Twelfth graders)

 

@BocaHelpingHand

Boca Helping Hands Free Job Training

Boca Raton Tribune: 11.17.2020

Boca Helping Hands will offer free job training in Medical Billing and Coding, starting Jan. 11 and running through December 2021. This field, which can be well suited to working from home, is within a sector of the economy that has seen an uptick in demand. The program is run by Medical Coding Instructor Toni Medina-Allen, a Certified Professional Coder (CPC) and independent consultant for Boca Helping Hands who was previously the Medical Coding Program Coordinator for SouthTech Academy.

“This is an excellent opportunity for residents in our community to obtain free training and launch a new career,” Medina-Allen said. “Students who begin this program in January will take their exam in December. Following completion of the course, Boca Helping Hands will help them prepare for and navigate their job search.”

Well trained billing and coding professionals have been desired workers during the pandemic, helping organizations to adapt to new guidelines and increased telehealth visits, navigate new billing and coding challenges, and reduce errors and patient conflicts.

═════════►

Other no-cost classes held by Boca Helping Hands include English as a Second Language (ESOL), Survival English (an immersive online program to learn English), The Reading Project (an adult literacy program), and Nutrition for All. Boca Helping Hands also provides Learning Lab classes where students can practice computer skills and partners with First Citizens Bank to provide financial literacy classes. READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 14

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 21-22 yrs. old

(college level)

 

Suffolk Literacy 

Council

Suffolk Literacy Council Announces New Staff

Suffolk News Herald: 11.18.2020 by Rachel Wartian

The Suffolk Literacy Council recently announced an addition and promotion to its staff that works hard to expand literacy in Suffolk.

The council hired DeAnna Smith to be the new program coordinator. She received her Master of Arts in English literature from Old Dominion and spent three years as program coordinator for Humanities Behind Bars. Now, Smith is working to find the best ways to continue to spread literacy while facing a pandemic.

“It’s a lot of work, but it’s amazing work,” said Smith.

═════════►

Concerned citizens founded the Suffolk Literacy Council in 1987 to address the problem of illiteracy in Suffolk. Its mission is to increase adult literacy within the Suffolk community by connecting individuals to resources that promote lifelong learning. The council does this through tutoring reading, math and English as a second language.  LISTEN 02:27

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)

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Seattle WA :: Flint MI :: Greenville SC

Literacy: Spanning the US

@SPLBuzz

At The Seattle Public Library, Aspiring Citizens Receive Support Navigating The Labyrinth That Can Be The Citizenship Process

Daily UW: 7.17.2019 by Estey Chen

When was the Constitution written? Who is the current Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court? What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for? These are all possible questions asked by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officers during the civics portion of the U.S. naturalization interview.

Naturalization, the process of a foreign-born person voluntarily becoming a U.S. citizen, requires correctly answering at least six out of 10 civics questions in addition to passing English speaking, reading, and writing tests.

@ACRSNews

Recognizing a need in the community for support navigating the application and interview process, the Seattle Public Library (SPL) began partnering with Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) in July 2015 to offer a free, quarterly citizenship class. SPL has offered citizenship classes with a variety of community organizations for over 20 years, but ACRS is uniquely equipped to support applicants and provide citizenship instruction.

Though considered basic U.S. civics knowledge, according to a 2018 national survey released by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, most Americans could not answer these naturalization questions correctly.

Only 36% of American survey-takers achieved a passing score on the multiple choice test that sampled from the USCIS questions; only 24% of the 1,000 individuals surveyed correctly identified one of Franklin’s claims to fame.

Before even receiving an interview, aspiring citizens must work through an “Eligibility Worksheet.” Upon confirming eligibility, individuals may file a Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, which, at the Seattle USCIS office, can take anywhere between 15.5 to 17.5 months to process.  READ MORE >>

@NEWLifeFlint

Finding Refuge In North Flint: This Sanctuary For Women Is Building Futures By Mending Spirits

Flint Side: 7.17.2019 by Alexandria Brown

Men and women walk the halls. Some are looking for the food giveaway. Some are volunteers carefully rolling carts with donations from one end of the building to the other. In a classroom, a group of women sit in a circle.

Among them is Yolanda Hull, 49. With hands folded and eyes steady with attention, Hull is honed in on the material. She wears a gentle grin of contentment. Here, she is safe. Here, she is among friends that in the last 18 months she has come to consider family.

St. Luke N.E.W. Life center feels like a world unto its own. A packed campus, it offers resources for those looking to make a life change or to reclaim the life they have. For Hull, it offers education, employment training, and emotional support.

"We were just talking about like how we feel, how we can forgive people,” she says

The N.E.W. in St. Luke’s N.E.W. Life Center stands for North End Women. It’s where you will find women with children and women without. Women abused. Women with dreams of becoming a seamstress, having a newborn son, owning their own Chevy Malibu, or continuing to have the strength to show up for themselves day after day.  READ MORE >>

@GLiteracy

Giving Matters: Endowment gives Greenville Literacy Association Flexibility To Keep Up With Changing Needs

Greenville Journal: 7.18.2019

A thriving economy creates new job opportunities, but without the right skills and training, not everyone can participate. The Greenville Literacy Association is committed to ensuring all community members can take advantage of Greenville’s growth, offering classes in adult literacy and basic education and English as a second language (ESL) to provide the skills needed to meet employer demand.

John Jaraczewski, who joined GLA as executive director in February, said class participation fluctuates with the economy, but the need for quality, affordable adult education remains.

“In a strong economy, enrollment lags, but literacy levels and educational attainment are the same — students just have a harder time getting to us because of work and other barriers,” he said. “But if they don’t improve their skills and build for the future, they have less opportunity for growth.”  READ MORE >>

Women’s Perspectives: A Journal of Writing and Art by Adult Learners via WE LEARN

@welearnwomlit

Women’s Perspectives: A Journal of Writing and Art by Adult Learners

Women’s Perspectives 14: 2019

First Steps: The Journey Begins showcases original writing and artwork by adult education students across all levels. Student writers and artists were encouraged to reflect and to share ideas on the theme: “First Steps.” This means something different to everyone, so the selections in this journal cover a range of subjects.

WE LEARN (Women Expanding Literacy Education Action Resource Network)

My New Journey Caroline Wang – Pleasanton Library: The Pleasanton Reads Project

Hero’s Journey: First Steps p.65

I began a new journey when I was 40. In 2014, my daughter and I moved from Beijing, China to Pleasanton, California. One year later, my son joined us.

Many people have asked me about what made me move to the States. My children's education was one of the reasons but not the only one. Everybody occasionally feels the need to change, but the feeling is usually followed by “someday.” At 40, I found the courage to ask, “Why not right now?” I was afraid the courage that I had then might fade away. So I decided to take action immediately.

I held a senior position in the human resources department of a multinational company and was in charge of talent development. One of my jobs was to select successors for key positions through a series of well-developed assessment tools. One of my key findings was that we could not instill certain key leadership competencies, such as risk-taking, creativity, entrepreneurship, and even teamwork. Some middle-level managers were very good at one position, but when we asked them to lead an organization or a cross-functional team, they could not do it well. Although the company invested a lot to develop those skills in some individuals, they would fail in managerial positions. Because of this, new general managers were often hired from overseas. I thought maybe some leadership competencies needed to be developed during their education period since leadership training did not help that much. This observation made me recognize a significant difference between the American and Chinese education systems.  READ MORE >>

Thank You

to the participating programs that encouraged their students to send us their work

Pleasanton Library – The Pleasanton Reads Project Pleasanton, CA

Fulton Academy Johnstown, NY

Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution New Castle, DE

Seeds of Literacy Cleveland, OH

CUNY Start, Borough of Manhattan Community College NY

South Brunswick Public Library Monmouth Junction, NJ

Greenwood County Library Adult Literacy and ESL Program Greenwood, SC

Adult Literacy Tutors Association (ALTA) Belmont, Trinidad

San Diego Continuing Education – Basic Education-DSPS at ECC San Diego, CA

Lehman College Adult Learning Center Bronx, NY

IlliteraCity :: Project Literacy

#IlliteraCity

IlliteraCity

Project Literacy: 2018

Gender Equality

Twice as many women live here

Two thirds of the world’s 750 million illiterate adults are women. This problem repeats through the generations, from parent to child. 31 million girls will never even get the chance to go to school. The repercussions of illiteracy will be felt throughout these girls’ lives, perpetuating issues of gender discrimination and even awareness of their basic human rights.

Want to explore a better world?

Join us to unlock LiteraCity - a world where women thrive.

The Importance of Education, How Literacy Improves Lives via Plan UK

@PlanUK

The importance of education, how literacy improves lives

Plan UK: 3.31.2017

One of the ways in which Plan International UK aims to improve global literacy statistics is by focusing on the importance of education, particularly in communities where opportunities to develop literacy skills are less available to girls. 15 million girls will never have the opportunity to learn to read and write in primary school - this is why we focus on supporting girls and their communities to end gender inequality in education.

So how can literacy improve lives? Here are 5 ways:

➤Literacy lifts individuals out of poverty

➤Literacy improves the development of the wider community

➤Literacy reduces infant mortality rates

➤Literacy empowers women and girls

➤Literacy positively impacts economic growth beyond the local community

READ MORE >>

International Literacy Day :: 50th Anniversary :: Reading the Past Writing the Future

International Literacy Day

50^th Anniversary

Reading the Past Writing the Future

This year marks the 50th anniversary of International Literacy Day and UNESCO is celebrating it under the banner “Reading the Past, Writing the Future”. International Literacy Day 2016 celebrates and honours the past five decades of national and international engagement, efforts and progress made to increase literacy rates around the world. It also addresses current challenges and looks to innovative solutions to further boost literacy in the future.

Fifty years ago, UNESCO officially proclaimed 8 September International Literacy Day to actively mobilize the international community and to promote literacy as an instrument to empower individuals, communities and societies.

Now International Literacy Day is celebrated worldwide, bringing together governments, multi- and bilateral organizations, NGOs, private sectors, communities, teachers, learners and experts in the field. On this day also International Literacy Prizes are awarded to people with outstanding solutions that can drive literacy towards achieving the 2030 Education Agenda. This year the focus is on innovation.

This is the first year of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development In this context the vision of literacy is aligned with lifelong learning opportunities with special focus on youth and adults. Literacy is a part of Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. The target is that by 2030 all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy (SDG Target 4.6).

2016 Laureates

The winners of UNESCO International Literacy Prizes were announced by the Director-General of UNESCO on 31 August 2016, following the recommendations of an international jury.

The King Sejong Literacy Prize was awarded to:

~ the Center for Knowledge Assistance and Community Development’s programme “Books for rural areas of Viet Nam’

~ the Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia of the Mahidol University in Thailand for its programme ‘Patani Malay-Thai Bi/Multilingual Education Project.’

The UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy was awarded to:

~ the South African Department of Basic Education’s ‘Kha Ri Gude Mass Literacy Campaign’

~ the Jan Shikshan Sansthan organization in Kerala, India for its programme, Vocational and Skill Development for Sustainable Development

~ the Directorate of Literacy and National Languages in Senegal for its ‘National Education Programme for Illiterate Youth and Adults through ICTs

The awards will be presented by the Director-General in a ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters on 8 September on the occasion of the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of International Literacy Day.

Interview with the five 2016 laureates

Literacy prize-winner starts library revolution in rural Viet Nam

An alternative to conflict in Thailand through bilingual literacy and education

Volunteers give a second chance to older literacy learners in South Africa

A literacy prize recognizing the needs of rural poor in India

Literacy prize recognizes hard won achievements of women in Senegal

Previous editions

2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009 - 2008 - 2007  - 2006