William Penn Life, 2001 (36. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2001-09-01 / 9. szám
JL Literacy Programs Teaching essential life skills International Literacy Day has been celebrated every Sept. 8 since 1965, when it was first established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Many organizations and governments throughout the world take advantage of the day to consider the status of adult and child literacy, note progress, and identify work still to be done. While this special day helps focus attention on the importance of literacy not only to individuals but also to our society as a whole, efforts to improve literacy must be constant and continuous. The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 defines literacy as "an individual's ability to read, write, speak in English, compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family of the individual and in society." This is a broader view of literacy than just an individual's ability to read, the more traditional concept of literacy. As information and technology have increasingly shaped our society, the skills we need to function successfully have gone beyond reading, and literacy has come to include the skills listed in the current definition. Very few adults in the US are truly illiterate. Rather, there are many adults with low literacy skills who lack the foundation they need to find and keep decent jobs, support their children's education and participate actively in civic life. Between 21 and 23 percent of the adult population or approximately 44 million people, according to the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS), can read a little but not well enough to fill out an application, read a food label, or read a simple story to a child. Another 25-28 percent of the adult population, or between 45 and 50 million people, can perform more complex tasks such as comparing, contrasting, or integrating pieces of information but usually not higher level reading and problem-solving skills. Literacy experts believe that adults at these levels of literacy lack a sufficient foundation of basic skills to function successfully in our society. What can you and your branch do to help? First, find out if there are local literacy programs. There are thousands of literacy programs throughout the country, and it's very likely there's one nearby. • To volunteer to work one-on-one with an adult learner, contact Literacy Volunteers of America, Laubach Literacy Action or a local public library (see links). Many public libraries run volunteer adult literacy programs. Most adult learning centers offer group classes in which volunteers sometimes act as teachers' aides. You can also call the NIFL Hotline at 800-228-8813 for a referral to local volunteer programs. Search the Internet or check the metro or community sections of newspapers for notices of volunteer opportunities. • If you're interested in working with children, contact America Reads at unmv.americareads.org or Everybody Wins at unviv.ebodywins.org or the closest public school. Many elementary schools and some middle and high schools run their own tutoring programs. • If your interest is family literacy, contact the Even Start office in your state at or the National Center for Family Literacy at unmv.famlit.org. • If there isn't an existing program in your area, begin planning a new program by looking for partners in the community. Partners with experience in providing education or other human services, business expertise, and links to the community can help ensure that a new program provides high quality services and can sustain itself financially. |U 1*1.1 Charity Links To learn more about literacy and what you and your branch can do to help, contact the following agencies and organizations: 3 The National Institute for Literacy (202) 233-2025 www.nifl.org 0 Literacy Volunteers of America (315) 472-0001 www.literacyvolunteers.org O Laubach Literacy 1-888-528-2224 www.laubach.org llilliiini IVnn Lilf, September 2001 3
