Literacy:
Spanning the U.S.
Library
tutors introduce people to English
Grand
Junction resident Valerie Domet wants to volunteer as a literacy tutor at Mesa County Libraries because she knows
what it's like to feel isolated.
"When
I was younger I stuttered really bad and had a hard time communicating,"
she said. "I found it kind of isolates you, and it's the same thing with
not knowing the language."
Domet
was one of eight people who attended a training on Saturday to become a
literacy tutor and help non-English speakers learn the language.
James
Price, head of literacy services at the library, said while the literacy
program has existed for more than 30 years it has grown exponentially in the
past 18 months. Student enrollment and volunteer participation have both nearly
doubled, from 50 to 100 tutors and from 100 to 200 students. Price said the
growth is due to increased awareness and actively working to tell people about
the program.
"Our
tutors are our greatest ambassadors, because they come and make a connection
with a student from a culture that they have no experience with outside of
these walls. Tutors go tell their friends about spending Thursdays with their
Cambodian friends and teaching them English," Price said. READ MORE >>
Statewide
Conference Sponsored By Literacy Volunteers Of Bangor
Addressing
educational strategies for those working with adults, was the goal of the 6th
annual statewide conference sponsored by Literacy Volunteers of
Bangor.
Tutors
and educators from all over the state attend seminars that address the best practices,
as well as strategies for adults struggling with literacy.
Organizers
say the event helps prepare educators.
"36
million adults in the U.S. don't read, write, or do basic math above a third
grade level . . . WATCH VIDEO
Creating
a better life through education
Meena
Desai remembers when she moved from India to the United States and the only
English words she knew were “yes, “OK,” “no” and “thank you.”
Paying
for gas, shopping for groceries, meeting neighbors on the sidewalk was nerve
wracking, the 55-year-old mother of three recalled.
Help
came by way of the Literacy Council
of Fort Bend, where she joined dozens of other non-English
speakers improve their lives one word at a time.
In
the 30 years it has been in existence, the Literacy Council of Fort Bend has
improved the literacy of thousands of people — foreign-born citizens new to the
country and native-born Americans who need to brush up on their English or earn
their GED to get ahead in life.
Located
at 12530 Emily Ct. in Sugar Land, the Literacy Council has various classrooms
ranging in size, where adult students can learn basic literacy, ESL and
computer skills, or prepare for their citizenship exam or obtain their GED.
In
a few of the rooms, a student will learn one-on-one with a tutor. In others, an
instructor will be teaching in the front of the class of a mixture of students
from different corners of the world. READ MORE >>
Author John Gill Helps Celebrate Literacy Volunteers Fall Soiree
Language
is so important to him, and he believes it is a way of forging a connection
between different cultures, while creating opportunities – which is why author John Freeman Gill said he felt proud to
be invited to speak at the recent Literacy
Volunteers of Somerset County Fall Soiree.
The
soiree, held Oct. 6, is an annual event to raise money for the non-profit
organization, which pairs tutors with non-native English speakers to help them
learn the language.
Gill,
a former “New York Times” reporter who recently released his first book “The
Gargoyle Hunters,” said it was wonderful for him to support a program that
teaches new readers of English.
“I
spent five years on the book, and I believe strongly in it and trying to get it
into the hands of those I feel will be moved by it,” he said. “There was an
added attraction here of having written a novel and caring so much about
literature. Books meant so much to me growing up, language is so important to
me.”
“This
is a program that serves as a gateway to bring new speakers and readers of
English into our language,” he added.
The
soiree was held at the Bridgewater Township Library, which was turned into New
York City for the evening, and included food, drinks and prizes, all to support
the worthy cause.
“Every
year, we work closely with our partners at the Somerset County Library System
to co-host the fall soiree, which directly benefits LVSC’s free literacy
programs for adults,” said Aimee Lam, executive director of Literacy
Volunteers. READ MORE >>
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