Literacy – Spanning North America :: Bartlesville OK :: Canada :: Wood Co WV

Literacy: Spanning North America

Library announces upcoming health literacy programs

Pawhuska Journal Capital: 9.07.2017

Bartlesville Public Library and BPL Literacy Services are gearing up to help promote healthy living in Washington County throughout the 2017-2018 year — thanks to a grant that will fund education to area citizens on a wide range of health topics.

The Library/Literacy Services was awarded a health literacy grant, written by Library Literacy Coordinator Karen Kerr-McGraw and Senior Librarian Nadine Hawke, from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries of almost $9,000.

The grant has allowed the library to offer free health education programs for the public for the third year in a row.

“The money will be used to promote healthy living in the Washington County community by providing a series of free programming on health issues from September 2017 through August 2018,” Kerr-McGraw said.

The federal Institute of Museum and Library Services is providing the funding for the grants, Kerr-McGraw said.

“The better understanding individuals have about their health choices, the better the outcomes, which is why this project is so important to Washington County,” she said.

According to the 2014 State of the State’s Health Report, Washington County did not fare as well as hoped, Kerr-McGraw said.

“America’s Health Rankings, an annual report by the United Health Foundation, lists Oklahoma near the bottom,” she said. “We rank 46 out of the 50 states.”

Literacy issues likely play a role in the low ranking, Hawke said.   READ MORE @

Canada’s Premiers Announce 2017 Literacy Award Recipients

Canada’s Premiers: 9.08.2017

In honour of International Literacy Day, Canada’s Premiers today announced the recipients of the 13th annual Council of the Federation Literacy Award. The award is presented to recipients from all 13 provinces and territories to celebrate outstanding achievement, innovative practice, and excellence in literacy.

The recipients of the 2017 Council of the Federation Literacy Award are:

Lethbridge Public Library – Alberta

Project Literacy Kelowna Society – British Columbia – Manitoba

Rosalie Simon – Newfoundland and Labrador

Lise Beaulieu – New Brunswick

Howard Lane – New Brunswick

Scott Atigikyoak – Northwest Territories

Jocelyne Boutilier – Nova Scotia

Elizabeth Dean – Nunavut

The LearningHUB – Ontario

Shawn Stewart – Prince Edward Island

La Fondation pour l’alphabétisation – Québec

Marilyn Stearns – Saskatchewan

Peter Morawsky – Yukon

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Created by Premiers in 2004, the Award recognizes the important role that literacy plays in facilitating Canadians’ participation as full and active citizens in all areas of society. The Award celebrates adult learners who undertake literacy training, as well as the valuable contributions made by Canadians in the field of literacy, including family, Aboriginal, health, workplace, and community literacy. The Award is presented to learners, educators, volunteers, community organizations, and businesses in each province and territory.

Each Award recipient receives a certificate, signed by the Premier of their province or territory, as well as a Council of the Federation Literacy Award medallion.   READ MORE @

Literacy Volunteers

Mid-Ohio Valley

Literacy Volunteers needs tutors

News & Sentinel: 9.09.2017 by Paul LaPann

Fifteen out of 100 Wood Countians do not read at a level that allows them to find cross streets on a map, read a newspaper article or understand medical prescriptions or instructions, a local organization says.

The nonprofit Literacy Volunteers of the Mid-Ohio Valley is trying to reverse this statistic by offering free, confidential one-on-one tutoring.

But volunteer tutors are needed to provide life skills to area residents.

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Dea Smith of Wood County has enjoyed being a Literacy Volunteers tutor for the past three years.

Smith has tutored young working parents learning English as a Second Language to create a better life for their families. She also has helped teenagers improve their reading skills.

One foreign-born woman sought help through LVMOV because she wanted to learn how to enroll her children in Wood County Schools, Smith said.

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Smith said an older gentleman reached out to Literacy Volunteers because he wanted to read his Bible.  READ MORE @

Health Literacy Month :: Health Literacy Out Loud (HLOL) Podcasts

#HealthLiteracyMonth

Health Literacy Out Loud (HLOL) Podcasts

What's New in Health Literacy Consulting: October 2017

Efforts to Improve the Readability of Medication Labels. Dr. Joanne Schwartzberg's leadership has helped health literacy flourish and grow. She now is working with others to improve the readability of medication labels. In this podcast, Dr. Schwartzberg talks about why this is needed, what is being done, and how podcast listeners can help.

Using Technology to Share and Communicate the Experience of Illness. Pam Ressler is my go-to person about social media and health. In this podcast she talks about how digital communication helps patients make meaning of illness, and move toward personalization and action.

Each Patient's Information Journey. Andy Rosenberg is creating an important online patient education tool that is filled with accurate, up-to-date, personalized content. This builds on Andy's professional experience in health policy and government affairs with his personal experience as a caregiver. Listen as Andy talks about matching education to where patients are along their information journeys.  READ MORE @

Literacy – Spanning North America :: Red Deer AB :: Winona MN :: San Diego CA :: Topeka KS

Literacy: Spanning North America

Living books for International Literacy Day in Red Deer

Red Deer News: 9.03.2017 by Kirsten Dennis

The Red Deer Public Library and the Adult Literacy Program are hosting a unique event on September 7th.

In honour of International Literacy Day, a Human Library will be hosted from 6 – 8 p.m. at the Dawe Branch.

Adults can come out and interact with the volunteer “living books” to gain insight in to their tales.

“The idea is to encourage people to check out living books. So when they come to the library instead of borrowing a [paper] book they’re going to be checking out a living book with living experience and diverse backgrounds and so on,” said Adult Literacy Program Manager Alla Mysko-Henke.

The Human Library idea was formed by Mysko-Henke while working with Dawe Branch Manager Tatiana Tilley. Mysko-Henke said it’s a great project and Tilley had the prior experience and connections to be able to pull it together as a successful event.

“We were thinking about what we could do to celebrate international literacy and the idea of a human library came up,” said Mysko-Henke, adding that it’s a great way to celebrate cultural diversity.

There will be approximately 12 "living books" on hand for the evening, each of them with a different background or a different culture to share with those present for the event.

“We will have one person talking about Ukraine Russia conflict and right now that is stirring a lot of questions, so we have someone giving some historical background. We will have a German Canadian who will have that conversation with people trying to break the stereotypes and tell people what it’s like to be a German in Canada.”  READ MORE @

September Volunteer of the Month: Encouraging others to volunteer

Winona Daily News: 9.04.2017 by Samantha Stetzer

It was a passion for education that led Susan Derks to tutoring elementary students more than 15 years ago, but it was an interest to do something different with that passion that led her to volunteering with the Adult Literacy Program.

And she’s now the program’s most experienced volunteer.

Run through the community education department with Winona Area Public Schools, the Adult Literacy Program offers education for adults looking for a either a second shot at education or to pad their educational skills. The program offers classes for older students who use English as a second language, those looking to earn their general education development — or GED — and students interested in basic educational opportunities.

As the September Volunteer of the Month, Derks is just one volunteer in a program in search of more volunteers to assist the educational opportunities and its teachers in the classroom.

The program works with volunteers to find which areas suit their talents, Adult Literacy Coordinator Chris Dahlke said, and the openings really depend on what they have open and are necessary to fill. READ MORE @

@SDLiteracy

Jose Cruz, CEO of the San Diego Council on Literacy

WS Radio: 9.01.2017 by Drew Schlosberg

Discusses the recent San Diego Festival of Books; the importance of partnering with diverse agencies to enhance literacy in our communities; and strategies in Health Literacy that address communication breakdowns between patients and the healthcare system.  LISTEN

East Topeka Learning Center will spur growth

Postsecondary education is becoming more and more important for Kansas workers

CJ Online: 9.05.2017 by The Capital-Journal Editorial Board

Momentum 2022 is a holistic development plan for Topeka that emphasizes quality of life, economic growth, civic engagement and education.

In many ways, the last item on that list is the most important — education gives workers the skills they need to secure better jobs, which benefits employers and the entire community by increasing economic output, reducing poverty and enlarging the tax base. It’s also a gateway to financial security and job satisfaction — in the 21st century, workers who lack the proper training will find themselves competing for a vanishing set of low-skill, low-salary jobs.

As the city focuses on attracting businesses and new residents, the East Topeka Learning Center will be a valuable resource for the cultivation of talent we already have.  READ MORE @

New Project: States Align Adult Education/Workforce Systems :: Adults to Build Skills :: Achieve Economic Mobility

New project will help states align adult education/workforce systems, equipping adults to build skills and achieve economic mobility

National Skills Coalition: 9.27.2017 by Amanda Bergson-Shilcock

National Skills Coalition is leading a new project to help states align public and private investments to improve skill-building and economic mobility for workers with limited foundational skills. Titled “Building the Foundation: Strengthening Public-Private Systems for Upskilling Workers,” the effort is an initiative of NSC with support from National College Transition Network at World Education Inc. The project is funded by a grant from Walmart, as part of Walmart Giving’s Retail Opportunity Initiative, a five-year, $100 million sector-wide effort aimed at making it easier for front-line workers to advance their careers in retail or adjacent sectors by building transferable skills.

There are more than 36 million workers with foundational skill gaps in the US today – including people who have reading, math, spoken English, or technology skill needs. The issue is especially acute in the service sector, where a recent NSC study found that 74% of workers in the target occupations lack key foundational skills. These skill gaps are an invisible drag on productivity, compromising economic progress for workers and their employers.

As part of this new initiative, NSC will select several states to receive technical assistance starting in Fall 2017. The 18-month project will capitalize on momentum in states that are innovating in the area of adult education and upskilling, providing a boost that enables state leaders to better-align existing public and private investments and increase the number of individuals who benefit from effective upskilling approaches.

Leaders from the selected states will also be invited to participate in peer learning activities where they can share expertise with other state administrators and advocates. NSC will also support the engagement of business and industry leaders in upskilling systems alignment efforts via the Business Leaders United for Workforce Partnerships (BLU) initiative. BLU is co-convened by NSC and the National Fund for Workforce Solutions.

An additional component of the project will provide technical assistance to localities within select states. This component will be carried out by the Boston-based National College Transition Network (NCTN).

NCTN will amplify the work being done at the state level by helping selected localities implement effective upskilling frameworks on the ground. A key consideration will be how to ensure that local leaders can use their expertise to implement state policies in a way that is responsive to both adult learner/jobseeker and business needs.

More information on this project will be made available in Fall 2017 when states have been selected.  READ MORE @

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Rowan Co NC :: Amherst MA :: LaPorte Co IN

Literacy: Spanning the U.S.

@RCLiteracy

Two new volunteers join Literacy Council

Salisbury Post: 8.30.2017

Two new volunteer tutors have joined the ranks of the Rowan County Literacy Council after completing a training program though ProLiteracy, the country’s largest adult literacy organization.

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“After reading an article in the Post about the Rowan County Literacy Council and discovering that the program currently has students on a waiting list, I decided that volunteering was something I could do to be a blessing to someone waiting for a tutor, to help make a positive difference in their life,” Boyd said.

“You can tell she believes in the motto ‘Each one, teach one,’ and now I am a believer,” Bruce said. “The motto is true — if you have the capabilities to teach, then you better be doing it.”

Harry said about 60 percent of the council’s students are Spanish-speaking, 30 percent are English-speaking and the remaining 10 percent speak other languages such as Chinese, Vietnamese and Arabic.  READ MORE @

Passing the citizenship test

Amherst's Jones Library helps immigrants learn English, become American citizens

Amherst Bulletin: 8.31.2017 by Marietta Pritchard

Try this challenge: You are working with an immigrant who is relatively new to the United States and has limited English but who is eager to pass the citizenship test. One of the questions on the practice test asks: Name two cabinet positions. Your student, who has answered the previous questions with no trouble, is momentarily stumped. But she is a quick study and good at storing away obscure bits of information. Devise something to help her.

Here is how Dimi DeRose worked this out with her student: “Remember,” she said, “that the people in the cabinet are called secretaries. What is a secretary?” Dimi offered two definitions, the usual one of someone helping do office work; the other, a piece of furniture. “Think about the furniture,” Dimi said. “Maybe it has a cabinet in it. A separate compartment to keep things in. Can you keep that picture in your mind? Secretary, cabinet?”

A hot July day. They sit at a picnic table behind the apartment complex where Nafie Diop Sane and her family live. At the table are Nafie, Dimi and Nafie’s preschooler. There are coloring books, colored markers, a couple of favorite small toys for the little boy. And there is a copy of “Citizenship, Civics and Literacy: Passing the Test” for the adults. Nafie is working to master the skills and information required for citizenship. Dimi is her tutor. 

“Sometimes there’s a plan,” Dimi says about their sessions; other times, there’s “a natural lead-in” that gets them talking. She volunteers in the Jones Library’s English as a Second Language (ESL) & Citizenship program. Nafie, an ebullient 27-year-old from Senegal, has just gotten her driver’s permit, which she’d been studying for during her sessions with Dimi. READ MORE @

READ

La Porte

Literacy program reaches kids, adults alike

Herald Argus: 9.01.2017 by Jon Gard

Volunteer reading tutor Ken Berner says he can see the wheels turning as his 15-year-old student struggles to form letters into words and phrases into sentences. He can hear the barely audible whispers as the boy sounds out syllables.

“You have to listen,” Berner tells Kris Toffer during one spelling drill.

Kris, inseparable from his phone, pauses for a moment before tapping the word onto his screen and, after another moment of hesitation, showing his tutor.

“Excellent,” Berner says. “Nice job.”

Kris, a freshman at La Porte High School, has a learning disability. A year ago, he was reading at a fourth-grade level, but he’s made progress since then.

“I can tell, he reads with more confidence now. He’s better at sounding out words,” says Berner, who volunteers with READ La Porte County, a United Way agency with a mission to improve reading, math, English and digital literacy in the community. READ MORE @

Health Literacy Month :: What is Health Literacy and Why is it Important?

What is health literacy and why is it important?

AJ Constitution: 9.08.2017 by Nancy Badertscher

Health Literacy Month

What is health literacy?

It’s widely defined as the ability to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services to make appropriate health decisions. People with strong literacy skills can face health literacy challenges, if:

• They are not familiar with medical terms or how their bodies work.

• They have to interpret numbers or risks to make a health care decision.

• They are diagnosed with a serious illness and are scared or confused.

• They have complex conditions that require complicated self-care.

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

CHART/BOX TEXT AND “CHEAT SHEET”

Tips for improving your health literacy

Ask questions (see specific suggestions at bottom.) Then check to be sure you receive and understand the answers. If you don’t understand, don’t be intimidated and don’t worry about asking the doctor or nurse for more information.

Repeat information back to the doctor or nurse. (Some people say this is key to finding out on both sides whether there’s a breakdown in communication.) After your doctor or nurse gives you directions, repeat those instructions in your own words. Simply say:”Let me see if I understand this.” This gives you a chance to clarify information. Studies show that doctors and patients often have very different ideas of what the patient is going to do after leaving the doctor’s office. 

Repeating back what you heard or think you heard can help you avoid potentially serious mistakes.

• Bring all your medicines to your next doctor’s visit. Ask your doctor to go over all of your drugs and supplements, including vitamins and herbal medicines. More than one third of adults struggle to understand how to take their medicines. You may discover some mistakes, such as two drugs that shouldn’t be taken together.

• Have another adult with you. This might be especially critical when you expect to receive important information.

• Let the doctor’s office know you need an interpreter if you don’t speak or understand English very well. You have a right to an interpreter at no cost to you. Even if you speak some English, tell the doctor’s office what language you prefer when you make an appointment.

• Make a Pill Card. Create an easy-to-use Pill Card to help patients, parents, and others keep track of medicines.

Here’s a cheat sheet of questions tailor-made for whatever the specifics you face. Be bold: clip it out and put a check by each question to which you’ve been given an understandable and satisfactory response. Don’t be afraid to circle back for further clarification.

Appointment Type: To talk about surgery

Why do I need surgery?

Is there some other way to treat my condition?

What kind of surgery do I need?

Have you done this surgery before?

Which hospital is best for this surgery?

Will I need anesthesia?

How long will it take me to recover?

How long will I be in the hospital?

What will happen after the surgery?

What will happen if I wait or don’t have this surgery?

Appointment Type: To talk about a health problem

What is my diagnosis?

Will I need any more tests?

What are my treatment options?

How soon do I need to make a decision about treatment?

How much does this treatment cost?

Are there any side effects?

What happens if I choose to not have treatment?

What is the outlook for my future (prognosis)?

Will I need special help at home?

Appointment Type: To receive or change a medicine

What is the name of the medicine?

What is the medicine for?

Can I take a generic?

When should I take it?

How much should I take?

How long do I need to take the medicine?

Are there side effects?

Do I need to avoid any food, drinks, or activities?

What should I do if I forget to take my medicine?

What should I do if I accidentally take more than the recommended dose?

Should I get a refill?

Should I stop taking any of my other medicines or vitamins?

Is there written information I can have?

Appointment Type: To get medical tests

What is the test for?

How is the test done?

How accurate is the test?

Is this test the only way to find out that information?

What do I need to do to prepare for the test?

When will I get the results?

What will the results tell me?

What’s the next step after the test?

READ MORE @

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Atlanta GA :: Horry Co SC :: Athens AL :: Solano Co CA

Literacy: Spanning the U.S.

@LAIAtlanta

Literacy Action Opens Digitally Focused and Student-Centric Adult Literacy Campus

Atlanta DayBook:  8.18.2017

Literacy Action, the largest nonprofit provider of free adult basic education in Georgia, announced today the opening of its new state-of-the-art learning complex in the Peachtree Center tower, centrally located in downtown Atlanta. With the ribbon cutting on August 14, the new campus now provides the opportunity for Literacy Action to continue to meet the growing community needs of adult education students.

“We’re happy to introduce this state of the art learning space to both the local community and to our adult students who will benefit from the improvements,” said Althea Broughton, a partner at Arnall Golden Gregory law firm and Literacy Action’s Board Chair. “The new campus allows Literacy Action to reach more students in Atlanta as it focuses on ways to provide quality instruction and remove key barriers to employment or academic advancement through literacy.”

The new location provides students with technology infused learning environments. The campus will increase the number of classrooms and provide each classroom access to laptop computers, a projector and screen, as well as a technology to turn any whiteboard into a digital tool.  READ MORE @

Low literacy costs billions in productivity, health, safety

Myrtle Beach Online: 8.30.2017 by Editorial Board

Lack of reading, writing and basic math skills probably impacts the lives of more than 38,000 Horry County residents, and the number could be much higher.

The estimate is based on U.S. Census data showing that 38,621 Horry residents did not complete high school or a high school equivalency program. The high school graduate rate is the only local data currently tracked by the Horry County Literacy Council; executive director Angel Parry plans to generate much more local data.

Since starting in July, Parry’s main focus has been updating the council’s website, which is near completion, with a launch in September around the week of Sept. 24-30, National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week. During AEFL week, the council is holding a fundraiser on Sept. 26 in Murrells Inlet.

The Horry County Literacy Council started in 1976 and has programs with one-on-one help in reading and spelling for people with learning difficulties, including dyslexia; learning and improving English; General Educational Development test preparation; and Read & Create. HCLC has 75 active tutors, helping people from ages 7 to 54.  READ MORE @

Learn to Read

LEARN TO READ: Athens agency celebrates 30th anniversary

News Courier: 8.30.2017 by Adam Smith

If you're reading this article, consider yourself lucky. There are an untold number of Limestone County adults and children who either can't read or who aren't proficient readers.

Over the past 30 years, the Learn to Read Council in Athens has helped hundreds of people improve their literacy or math skills. Today, the agency celebrates the milestone with an ice cream social and the public is invited to attend.

The celebration is set to run from noon to 4 p.m. at the Revival Building, across from the First Presbyterian Church on Washington Street. Ice cream will be provided by Kreme Delite. It is open to the public.

Rhonda Andrews, executive director of Learn to Read, hasn't been with the organization for all 30 years, but she has been there for 25. The organization was founded in 1987 by Mabel Prince. Learn to Read renamed its tutoring room the Mabel Prince Tutoring Room in 2014.

“We've really grown since then,” Andrews said. “We keep evolving into different things.”

At first, Learn to Read catered to primarily illiterate adults. Most of its efforts have now shifted to after-school tutoring and summer literacy programs. There are also significantly more English-as-a-second-language students than there were 30 years ago.

The numbers tell the story — 460 of what Andrews call “basic students” and at least 654 English-as-a-second-language, or ESL, students have been served.  READ MORE @

Literacy Volunteers Needed At Solano Co. Libraries

Tutors don’t have to have prior experience; just a commitment of time is needed.

Benicia Patch: 8.29.2017

More than 60,000, or 20% of Solano County adults are functionally illiterate, meaning that the reading and writing skills they have are inadequate to manage their daily living and employment tasks beyond a basic level. This affects the ability to successfully complete an employment application, read and understand directions for medication, assist a child with homework or even order a meal from a menu.

Evidence shows a parent’s reading ability is the single best predictor of a child’s success in school—more than race, ethnicity, and family income. Literacy helps parents in their role as their child’s first teacher, helping their child to be ready to start and succeed in school and actively participating in their child’s school activities.  READ MORE @