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Did you know...
"76% of Arkansas employers say less than half of the recent high school graduates who apply for jobs in their company have adequate writing skills or the ability to do basic math."
(Arkansas Department of Education, 2010) |
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Thank You For Reporting Your Tutoring Hours!
Please report your tutoring hours on the weekly tutor report. For your convenience, you can report your hours from a smart phone, (blackberry, iphone, android, etc...).
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Get Involved with Recruitment
Literacy Action has flyers available for volunteer literacy tutor recruitment and AmeriCorps volunteer recruitment.
If you would like fliers to post on a church or organization's bulletin, please contact Shana Beal at sbeal@literacylittlerock.org or call the office at (501)372.7323.
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Tutors: We Have Students Waiting...
The students that are listed below have been awaiting a tutor for quite some time. If you have attended Literacy Action's Adult Basic tutor training and your time availability matches the student's availability listed below, please consider tutoring these students:
Name: Terry
Native Language: English
Preferable Meeting Area: Main Central Arkansas Library, Downtown
Days: Monday - Friday
Time: after 5:30PM
Wait time: April 2012
Name: Tony
Native Language: English
Preferable Meeting Area: Main Central Arkansas Library, Downtown
Days: Any Day
Time: Any TimeWait time: May 2012If you are available to tutor these students, please contact Shelly Owens at sowens@literacylittlerock.org.
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Literacy Action Newsletter August 2012
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Greetings!
Using the phrase of one of our students, "staying cool" may have as much to do with our attitude as getting relief from the summer heat.
There's a lot of cool stuff happening at Literacy Action! Just when much of the city is slowing down to combat the heat, the Literacy Action staff and volunteers have been gearing up to meet the demand for our tutoring services.
Here are a few examples: Over the last few months we had eight new office volunteers helping with various office projects, Shelly and Shana have attended professional training to better serve our ESL students and it seems that there is a new person every day wanting to get involved with helping to improve adult literacy in our community. That's not all....
In this issue learn about:
- Tutor training workshops
- Tutoring Tales in Conway
- Open AmeriCorps positions
- Clinton School of Public Service project
- Literacy Action student, Fang Xie
The next time you hear someone say, "Are you staying cool?," think about all the cool stuff that people are doing in our community to improve the lives of others. If you are not sure of how to put your cool talents to work, give us a call and we can work together to get you started.
Regards,
Neil Jones
Executive Director
Literacy Action of Central Arkansas
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Looking Ahead with Literacy Action
Share/Save these dates
 | | Dess Agginie talks about his first tutoring session. |
Adult Basic Tutor Training - Conway
THIS Saturday, August 11, 2012
9:30AM - 4:00PM
Click here to register
Adult Basic Tutor Training - Little Rock
Saturday, August 25, 2012
9:00AM - 3:30PM
Click here to register
Tutoring Tales and Recruitment - Conway
September 6, 2012
5:30PM - 6:30PM
Let Us Know You Are Attending
Adult ESL Tutor Training - Little Rock
September 29, 2012
9:00AM - 3:30PM
Register For An Academic and Cultural Experience
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Commit One Year to Changing a Life Forever
Literacy Action of Central Arkansas is
| Meyshana Jones, returning AmeriCorps volunteer for the 2012-2013 service year |
seeking individuals to serve as our 2012-2013 AmeriCorps service volunteers through Arkansas Reads!
Who we need: Energetic, committed, and successful individuals who are passionate about making real change in the community.
What you will do: Attend Adult Basic and ESL training where you will learn techniques on how to best serve low literate adults. AmeriCorps members will be paired one-on-one with adults in order to help them gain the literacy skills they need to thrive within the community, as well as working to raise awareness about adult literacy in the community and recruiting volunteer literacy tutors.
Where you will serve: Little Rock
Length of service: 1 year
Your benefits: A living allowance of $6,254 per year will be paid bi-monthly and a $2,775 educational award upon successful completion of 900 hours of service are offered through the program. Persons 55 and older can pass on their education award, which can be used to pay for college and books, repay student loans, and for qualified continuing education to a child, grandchild, or foster child. If you are interested in serving with Literacy Action of Central Arkansas, please fill out the application, and e-mail your application AND resume to Shana Beal at sbeal@literacylittlerock.org or call (501)372.7323. Click link for application: AmeriCorps application |
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In Conway: Kelly's Korner
by Kelly Bullington, Program Coordinator of Literacy Action in Conway
 | Kelly Bullington
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The Literacy Action office in Conway continues to grow and reach individuals who want to learn to read or speak English.
Since the start of 2012, nine new tutors have been trained as Adult Basic Literacy tutors in Faulkner County. With the addition of these new tutors, we were able to place every student on our waiting list.
This Saturday, August 11th, we will offer another Adult Basic Literacy training in Conway for prospective tutors. Dr. Mary Mosley will lead the training from 9:30AM - 4:00PM at the Faulkner County Library. This workshop will prepare participants to teach an adult to read.
The addition of new tutors brings much excitement to our program in Conway. With ready and willing tutors, we will be prepared for the new students anticipated at the start of the new school year. Our goal is to have trained and prepared tutors so our students can be placed immediately.
I invite you to be a part of the opportunities we have available in Conway. There are hundreds of adults in our area who need your help. Volunteering as a literacy tutor with Literacy Action is a great way to become involved and make a huge impact in Faulkner County.
If you have any questions regarding volunteering as a literacy tutor in Conway, please contact Program Coordinator, Kelly Bullington, at (501)329.7323 or e-mail kbullington@literacylittlerock.org. |
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My American Experience
by Fang Xie
 | Fang Xie
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I am a native of China. I attended Wuhan University in China and majored in computer science and technology. While in China, I worked in the IT department of a logistics company as a software quality assurance engineer for 5 years. My husband and I migrated to the United States in May 2010 because of my husband's job. After acclimating to new life in America I planned to continue my career, but my lack of knowledge of the English language became my biggest handicap.
A friend recommended Literacy Action and I was assigned an excellent English tutor, Mary. She helped me alot with English, reading, and writing skills. Not only that, my communication skills have improved.
Learning a language is a process of accumulation. It requires insistent and consecutive study, and it is hard to do this on your own. This is why we need tutors. To an ESL student, nothing is better than learning a foreign language from a native speaker.
For the last several months, Mary and I have worked very hard, going through my assigned curriculum, word by word, sentence by sentence. We also visited the Clinton Presidential Center, and the school Mary was formerly employed for field day.
I feel more confident in communicating with people in English. My tutor is not only teaching me the language, but the life and culture of the United States of America. Such things like conversation starters. In China, a conversation starter would be, "What are you having for dinner?" My tutor, Mary, told me that isn't exactly a conversation starter in the U.S. A common conversation starter for people in the U.S., or specifically Arkansans, is about the weather like, "Are you staying cool?"
My goal is to continue to better my English and find a software testing job in Little Rock.
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The Clinton School of Public Service announced that Literacy Action was selected as a practicum project sponsor for the 2012-2013 school term. First year Clinton School students enrolled in the Master's Degree of Public Service program are paired with community organizations to give them practical hands-on experience with projects that promote social change.
The Clinton School team will research community attitudes on adult illiteracy. They will also develop an awareness and engagement campaign to increase community involvement with the issue in Central Arkansas. Literacy Action of Central Arkansas will use the materials developed to help them empower adults through literacy to improve individual quality of life, promote family literacy, and encourage participation in community life. |
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