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Did you know... | In 2011, Literacy Action tutor volunteers devoted over 5,000 hours to hlep adults read and speak English.
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***** "Literacy arouses hopes, not only in society as a whole but also in the individual who is striving for fulfilment, happiness and personal benefit by learning how to read and write. Literacy... means far more than learning how to read and write... The aim is to transmit... knowledge and promote social participation."
-UNESCO Institute for Education, Hamburg, Germany
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Any Unused Materials?
Please return unused books or workbooks to our office so that we may give those items to tutors in need of new materials. Thank you!
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Tutoring Weekly? Report Weekly...
We encourage all our tutors to report your tutoring hours weekly, necessary in tracking time devoted and using the hours to assess students' progress.
Feel free to report hours using your smart phone (iphone, Android, Blackberry, etc...) or simply access the tutor link included in the weekly tutor e-mail.
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Literacy Action Newsletter
New Year Newsletter
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Greetings!
Happy New Year from Literacy Action! We are off to a great start. Just this week, we added several new students to our waiting list. For every prospective or waiting student, I had the same opportunity to tell someone about Literacy Action, our students, and extraordinary volunteers. In telling of Literacy Action's success, I remind my audience that low literacy is problem that we all share; and when you cannot read, it is difficult to make a living and provide for loved ones, educate your children, achieve and maintain good health and self-esteem. Most understand this concept, and ask, "What can I do to help?" Here are ten ways you can make a difference through Literacy Action. We believe there is something on the list for everyone. - Tutor an adult literacy student.
- Contribute any books that can be used with new adult readers.
- Attend and bring friends to our annual fundraiser, Shine A Light on Literacy.
- Become a monthly volunteer trainer; prepare new tutors for a life-changing experience.
- Attend a quarterly tutor social and share best practices with fellow tutors.
- Be a guest conversationalist for a non-native English speaking adult student of Literacy Action.
- Represent Literacy Action at a non-profit or volunteer fair.
- Volunteer once a week in the Literacy Action office (Little Rock or Conway).
- Write a narrative for the newsletter or our site blog. There are many stories to be told.
- Be an advocate. Help Literacy Action spread the word about the adult literacy problem in Central Arkansas.
We invite you to pass this list along. Get others involved. If there are other ways that individuals can positively impact Literacy Action, feel free to let us know. Most importantly, help us get engaged. Literacy Action is looking forward to an "engaging January" and an eventful 2012. Join us! We are changing lives...one word at a time. Regards, Neil Jones Executive Director Literacy Action of Central Arkansas |
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The 4th ANNUAL SHINE A LIGHT ON LITERACY
Literacy Action is proud to host the 4th Annual Shine A Light on Literacy, March 8, 2012 at the Grand Hall of the Arkansas Governor's Mansion.
Literacy Action of Central Arkansas teaches low literate adults to read, and non-native English speakers to read, write, and speak English. Over the last year, our volunteer literacy tutors have devoted over 5,000 hours to low literate adults. Since all of our services are free, Literacy Action depends  on local support to advance the quality of life for individuals and families in our community. By focusing on one-on-one literacy instruction, we are changing lives...one word at a time. Please join us as we celebrate literacy, literature and art. |
An "Engaging January" for Literacy Action of Central Arkansas
ESL Training
The ESL Training Workshop scheduled for January 14, 2012 will prepare you to teach English to a non-native speaker. The workshop will include an orientation to Literacy Action's mission and the ways we are working to improve the lives of functionally low literate adults in Central Arkansas. Training includes an orientation to working with adult literacy students, a well as specific information on tutoring techniques for teaching English as a second language. We will also discuss lesson planning and documentation.Contact Shelly Owens, sowens@literacylittlerock.org, or call (501)372.7323 to receive more information. To register online, visit the Literacy Action website @ www.literacylittlerock.org.
Tutoring TalesOn Thursday, January 26, 2012, Literacy Action of Central Arkansas in Conway will host a reception for past, present, and prospective tutors, from 5:30 PM until 6:30PM at the Faulkner County Library. Light refreshments will be served while selected tutors and students share tales of how Literacy Action has made a difference in their lives. We hope you will make plans to join us for our "Tutoring Tales" reception! Contact Kelly Bullington, kbullington@literacylittlerock.org, or call (501)329.7323 with any questions regarding this event.
*Rare Opportunity* "Back-to-Back" Adult Basic Tutor Workshops
We will be kicking the new year off with two Adult Basic Tutor Workshops. The first Adult Basic Tutor Workshop for the new year will be held on Thursday, January 31, 2012 from 9:00AM until 3:30PM, and the second Adult Basic Tutor Workshop is scheduled for Saturday, February 4, 2012 from 9:00AM until 3:30PM. We are entering the new year with a waiting list, while steadily booking intake appointments. Literacy Action is committed to teaching adults to read and assisting them in living a healthier and fulfilled life. Please tell family members and friends about tutoring opportunities with Literacy Action and the impact it has on the community.
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 Kelly's Corner: Small Steps Create Big Results
by Kelly Bullington, Literacy Action of Central Arkansas in Conway's Program Coordinator
Ms. Ella Ware is an adult literacy student in Conway. Ms. Ware, 60, relocated from New Orleans to Central Arkansas after Hurricane Katrina. Two months ago, Ms. Ware began meeting with a tutor at the Faulkner County Library to improve her reading skills. When asked how tutoring is benefitting her, Ms. Ware said, "I can read words I have never been able to read before! When I go to the grocery store, I can read labels. When I make a list, I'm spelling my words better. I had to fill out an application the other day, and I did most of it by myself. I knew which words read 'city' and 'state.' The one-on-one tutoring is making a big difference in my life!" |
Literacy Action Needs YOULiteracy Action is off to a great start in the new year. Our office is busy with ringing phones and booking intake appointments. We are excited about upcoming workshops and our annual fundraiser, Shine A Light. To meet the needs of our organization, we need support from volunteers in our office in Little Rock and Conway. Bilingual Volunteer(s) - We often have prospective ESL students that we are unable to communicate with and assist. A bilingual volunteer would be contacted to assist with scheduling intake appointments, assisting with intake appointments, and conversing with ESL prospects via phone calls. ESL tutors are welcome to refer advanced ESL students that would be willing to assist with this volunteer opportunity. We need fluent speakers of Arabic, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin, and Turkish. (Volunteer[s] needed in Little Rock and Conway.)Project: Community Referral- Every week, Literacy Action encounters about a half dozen people that we do not have the resources nor capacity to assist. We need a volunteer to compose a list of community resources so that we will be able to best help those in need. We do not want to turn anyone away without providing them with leads to other types of assistance. (Volunteer[s] needed in Little Rock and Conway.)Shine A Light Volunteer(s) - This year, Literacy Action will host our 4th annual fundraiser, Shine A Light on Literacy. We are in need of volunteers to work on our invitation mailings as well as volunteering on the day of the event, March 08, 2012. (Volunteer[s] needed in Little Rock.)Tutor Recruitment Volunteer(s) - Literacy Action is incredibly grateful for our current literacy tutors, and with our waiting list growing every week, we are always looking to recruit new literacy tutors and reconnect with former tutors. Currently, we have hundreds of tutors who are no longer active. A tutor recruitment volunteer would work to re-establish an organizational relationship with those former tutors. (Volunteer[s] needed in Little Rock and Conway.)If you are interested in volunteering with Literacy Action, in any of the above areas, would like more information concerning volunteer opportunities, or know of someone who would like to give of their time, please contact Shana Beal, sbeal@literacylittlerock.org or call (501)372.7323. You can also sign-up to volunteer on our website at literacylittlerock.org.
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Kwanzaa Benefits Literacy ActionPictured: Little Rock Community personnel along with Literacy Action's Shelly Owens and Shana Beal
Little Rock's 2011Community Kwanzaa celebration will benefit Literacy Action of Central Arkansas. We appreciate everyone that donated books at one of these seven sites: Pyramid Art & Books, Central High School National Historic Foundation, Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, Java Roasting Express, Goddess Products, and Mediums Art Lounge. The books will be made available to our students in order to promote family literacy. We appreciate being included in Little Rock's Kwanzaa celebration of faith, community, and culture.
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