Declaration for the Right to Literacy

Declaration for the Right to Literacy
September 22 – 3:15pm

The Scroll will be presented to the co-chairs of the newly-formed House Adult Literacy Caucus, Congressman Dan Maffei and Congressman Phil Roe on the steps of the Capitol. This bipartisan caucus aims to bring attention to the critical need for literacy services for the estimated 32 million adults in the country who have below-basic reading skills.

. . . from Margaret Doughty, Literacy Powerline

Invite your representatives to this historic event on September 22nd. See the sample invitation below:

Dear __________,

On behalf of more than 30,000 signatories, we invite you to join a delegation of adult literacy advocates and adult learners. On the steps of the Capitol, we will present the Declaration for the Right to Literacy scroll to the co-chairs of the newly-formed House Literacy Caucus, Congressman Dan Maffei and Congressman Phil Roe, on Wednesday, September 22nd, at 3:15pm.

This scroll began its journey across the United States 13 months ago, following the Right to Literacy Convention in Buffalo, New York. It highlights literacy as a means to individual self- sufficiency and community economic prosperity and calls upon our government to support initiatives that promote basic literacy skills for all Americans.

This coming Wednesday, we will call upon Congress and the Obama Administration to establish a National Task Force on Literacy, Numeracy, and Lifelong Learning. The National Task Force will create a comprehensive National Literacy Plan to raise literacy levels for adults and children.

We hope you will join us for this exciting and historic event. If you will be able to join us, please contact [put your contact information here].

Sincerely,
(Your Name)

Not Sure Who to Contact = Click Here !

Find elected officials, including the president, members of Congress, governors, state legislators, and more.

. . . related links of interest:

Declaration for the Right to LiteracyLiteracy Powerline: June 17, 2009

Right to Literacy Convention delegates from across the country determined and voted on the first United States Declaration for the Right to Literacy. The Right to Literacy Convention was part of the National Community Literacy Conference in Buffalo, New York on June 13, 2009.

Literacy leaders, using the model of the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848, convened from across the nation. The need was clear; tens of millions of adults and children do not have the skills needed to succeed in life. Literacy is the number one tool to change that plight. The right to literacy must be a national priority.

The resolutions support 5 Pillars of Literacy:
1. Building the Community
2. Strengthening the Family
3. Ensuring People’s Self-Determination
4. Improving the Workforce
5. Transforming the Literacy System

Newport Beach Library - Literacy Event Honors Volunteers, “Learners”

Literacy Event Honors Volunteers, “Learners”
Corona Del Mar Today: September 16, 2010

About 150 people gathered at the Newport Beach Central Library today to celebrate International Literacy Day with an international feast, speeches by library officials and “learners” who participate in the library’s literacy program.

“When I came two years ago to the U.S., I felt extremely lonely,” said Yana Newberg in her first-ever public speech given in English. “It was difficult every time when I went out. In a store, it was difficult to explain what I would like.”

Then she found the library’s literacy program, which offers one-on-one tutoring as well as computer skills, life skills assistance and help in preparing for tests like driver’s license exams, or GEDs.

“People tell me I speak English well,” she said. “It’s a great feeling.”

The library’s literacy program was established in 1986. The program currently has 130 learners and 100 volunteer tutors, with a waiting list in spite of training about 50 tutors annually.

One tutor, Corona del Mar resident Rochelle Hoffman, loved the program so much that two of her friends established a scholarship in her name after she died in 2004.

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This year’s Rochelle Hoffman Memorial Award winner is Claude Bonham, who made his first appointment for tutoring in August 2007. READ MORE !

Lompoc Library - Reading program helps adults learn

Reading program helps adults learn
Lompoc Record: September 15, 2010

Adults who cannot read may face barriers in learning the critical skill. They may not be able to attend conventional classes because of employment or child care issues. They may be embarrassed or fearful. Some may believe it is too late for them to learn.

There is a free program at the Lompoc Public Library, however, that provides adults the opportunity to learn to read with a qualified tutor in one-to-one sessions.

Sessions even can be scheduled on evenings and weekends.

The program allows students to set their own goals, from filling out a job application to getting a drivers license to being able to read to a child.

The Lompoc Library Adult Reading Program operates with one paid employee and more than 50 dedicated volunteer tutors who guide adult learners through a structured series of reading instruction workbooks.

The more than 1,700 students who have participated and met their reading goals have been empowered to find better jobs, open their own small businesses, pass the GED exam, and become U.S. citizens, according to a program spokesperson.

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For more information about the Lompoc Public Library’s literacy programs, call 735-7323. READ MORE !

Carlsbad Library - Young library volunteer makes most of time

CARLSBAD: Young library volunteer makes most of time
North County Times: September 5, 2010 by Dan Bennett

For years, Joanna Tang heard that volunteering looked good on a college application. What the 16-year-old La Costa Canyon High School student has learned during the past three years is that volunteering also makes her happy.

Tang is in her third year volunteering at the Carlsbad City Library Learning Center, working on administrative tasks, organizing the archives, and helping plan and execute special events. In other words, Tang is doing what so many volunteers do at an organization ---- helping it run efficiently.

"The staff here is amazing, and that makes it an even better place to volunteer," Tang said. "I've learned that doing the little things properly is what makes everything better. The library is a place where so many different people visit for so many different reasons, and people are learning all the time, every time they come in. All different ages learn together. It's important to me to be a part of something like that."

A library is also a place for inspiration, she said.

"This is a place where imagination is everywhere," Tang said.

Carrie Scott, literacy coordinator for the Carlsbad City Library Learning Center, says Tang's abilities and dedication are inspiring. READ MORE !

Professional Development Day: October 15

SCLLN Professional Development Day

October 15, 2010

7:00 am - 4:30 pm

Holiday Inn Buena Park

7000 Beach Blvd - Buena Park

" Preparing For The Good Times "

Tired of focusing on how bad things are ?
Looking for ways to energize your program ?

Join SCLLN for an info-packed day of techniques, practices, and methods to position your literacy program for the upswing. A day of workshops on leading your literacy program into the future and maximizing your impact with your stake holders:

~ marketing
~ branding
~ volunteer management
~ outreach

Rekindle The Spark !

Start the day with a Mini-Workshop
~ a brainstorming session about best-practices and great new ideas.

Morning Sessions - choice of 1:
~ Marketing & Branding - practical, hands-on information
Karla Palma, Marketing & Advertising
~ Holistic Approach to Volunteer Management - Recruit, Retain, Support, Recognition
Cathay Reta, Literacy Consultant

Afternoon Sessions - choice of 1:
~ Outreach & Touch Someone - who are the stakeholders, how to build relationships
Bob West, Sales & Marketing
~ Rekindling the Spark - lost your enthusiasm, get it back
Carol Chapman, Program Manager-READ Ventura County Library
Marianne Tromp, Software Development

Registration: $175.00

Includes: Continental Breakfast, Lunch, and a Closing Session with snacks plus a drawing for an iPad

Deadline: October 5, 2010

Space is limited, please register as early as possible.

Literacy in Libraries Around California - International Literacy Day 2010

September 8, 2010
International Literacy Day

California Celebrations

Newport Beach Public Library
Event:International Literacy Day
Join us for this annual celebration and awards ceremony that recognizes the accomplishments of the dedicated learners and volunteer tutors in our Literacy Program.
September 16, 2010 10am – 1pm

Mendocino County Public Library
Bammer: Thoughts about International Literacy Day
The Reporter: September 8, 2010
Today is International Literacy Day, and it has always been somewhat shocking to know that 1 in 7 adults in the United States is functionally illiterate. That is, they have reading and writing skills that are inadequate to cope with the demands of everyday life.

One of my first stories as a professional journalist was writing a feature story about the literacy program at the Mendocino County Public Library. The program's coordinator introduced me to four of her clients and it opened my eyes to the problem, made so clear in books by writers and social activists such as Jonathan Kozol, author of "Death at an Early Age" (1967).

Monterey County Free Library
Monterey County set to celebrate fourth annual Literacy Week
Although it officially starts on Wednesday, Literacy Week will begin a day early with a Literacy Open House today at the Monterey County Free Libraries' Seaside branch, 550 Harcourt Ave.
The event will give tutors and interested learners to find out more about the free "READ with MCFL" service. It includes a free book giveaway.

Napa City-County Library
September is International Literacy Month
In an effort to celebrate and raise awareness for International Literacy Month, the Napa City-County Library‘s Literacy Center will host a number of events throughout September.
The festivities begin on Wed., Sept. 8, International Literacy Day, with exhibits, food and reading selections from around the world, featuring voices from Iranian authors moderated by published writer Soudabeh Ashrafi. The readings begin at 6 p.m., with short selections read in a variety of languages, followed by the evening’s highlight, "Of Writing and Seeking: Iranian Women Share Their Work." There will be international refreshments for all to enjoy during this multicultural event.

San Bernardino County Library
Sam J Racadio Library and Environmental Learning Center
Highland literacy coalition brings children’s author to library. International Literacy Day is September 8, 2010 and to celebrate the Highland Literacy Coalition is hosting Mary Skillings Prigger, a local children’s author who is also a professor at California State University San Bernardino. She has written two beloved books by children titled “Aunt Minnie McGranahan” and “Aunt Minnie and the Twister”.

San Mateo County Library
Visit your local San Mateo County Library branch, pick up a free International Literacy Day bookmark, and attend a Haiku Writing Workshop. The Haiku workshop will be hands on and interactive, providing a basic introduction to "haiku," an ancient poetic form originating in Japan and now practice all over the world. Participants will be introduced to many different examples, discuss the basic characteristics of the form, learn to write their own and come away with references for their future pursuits. No previous experience with "haiku" or poetry is required to enjoy this session.

Stanislaus County Free Library
Strapped finances make literacy volunteers vital
Community Voices
Modesto Bee: September 7, 2010 by Karen Williams
The Stanislaus Literacy Center, for instance, served 1,400 adults in 2009-10. But because many programs elsewhere have been eliminated, the waiting list for our programs continues to grow.

With ever-increasing needs and shrinking finances, I encourage people to think about volunteering to help with classes and tutoring to help our adults gain the skills they need.

Today's Bee contains a supplement, "Literacy More Essential Now," that is being published in conjunction with International Literacy Day. It is filled with success stories of students who have attended adult education programs. It also has contacts for adult education programs offered by nonprofits and school districts.

I hope you will read it and be inspired to support literacy by volunteering or donating so others will be able to read what you are reading now.

Woodland Public Library
International Literacy Day
The Woodland Public Library Literacy Service will join the world on September 8th for International Literacy Day as we recognize literacy as a human right, a tool of personal empowerment and a means for social and human development.

Sacramento: Capitol Events this week
Sacramento Press: September 7, 2010 by Chris Fryer

Wednesday, Sept. 8
11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Training Toward Self-Reliance will be hosting “Celebration of International Literacy Day” at the new rose garden, where volunteers will distribute information from various educational groups and feature on-site book reading. About 40 people are expected to attend.

Upland Library - Two Upland community heroes chosen for L.A. County Fair

Two Upland community heroes chosen for L.A. County Fair
Upland Now: September 2, 2010 by Sandra Emerson

The city has nominated two "Community Heroes" for this year's L.A. County Fair.

Karissa Burgos, junior hero, and Kathy Pruitt, adult hero, will be honored at 5:30 p.m. during Upland Day during the fair at Fairplex, 1101 West McKinley Ave. Pomona, on Sept. 9.

Every year the L.A. County Fair honors community heroes from 18 surrounding cities during the 23-day-long event.

Upland Day will celebrate volunteers, humanitarians, students, neighbors and community organizations working to make their city a better place to live. There will be a parade down Broadway featuring civic organizations and school bands. Cost is $5 before 5 p.m.

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Adult Hero, Pruitt, volunteers with the Upland Public Library, the Upland Public Library Adult Literacy Program and the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Pruitt was described as a "wonderful pillar" of support for the Adult Literacy Program.

She began as a tutor in 1994 and has since tutored 19 students, helping them to meet their literacy goals and logging in more than 2, 500 hours of time in the process.

Pruitt started the Reading Club for adult learners and has raised money for the literacy program - for the last seven years she has participated on the Tutor Titans trivia team at the annual Literacy Trivia Bee and Silent Auction fundraiser.

Pruitt has worked tirelessly as a spokeswoman for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. She has served as a liaison between Coiner Nursery and the National Breast Cancer Foundation. READ MORE !