LA Femme International Film Festival: A Passion for Literacy is Rekindled by the film Maestra!

LA Femme International Film Festival:
A Passion for Literacy is Rekindled by the film Maestra!
Hollywood Today: 10.09.2012 by Kathy Leonardo

Independent filmmaker Catherine Murphy has been on a mission. For the past six years she has been consumed with the issue of literacy. Meeting a group of Cuban women while in Havana during the 1990s opened a door to a new passion. Maestra, the film, was born out of a revelation. Compassion, strength, hope, dedication, and love were all traits that the nine women in this film had in common – which they credited in large part to participating in the Cuban Literacy Campaign of 1961.

.       .       .       .       .       .       .

Murphy is also the founder of a nonprofit organization known as The Literacy Project. “It was during the process of making this film that I started to research and learn about what a massive unsolved global problem literacy still is…including right here in the United States,” she adds. READ MORE !

Maestra will be screened at the LA Femme International Film Festival
Oct 13 @ Noon
Davidson/Valentini Theatre
1125 N McCadden Place LA 90038

Easy Voter Guide: November 6 Election

EASY VOTER GUIDE: Nov 6 Election

For new readers and busy voters.
Your nonpartisan quick guide to statewide elections since 1994. The Easy Voter Guide is available online (PDF) in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean.

Read about the Candidates and Propositions:
U.S. President
U.S. Senator
U.S. Representative
State Senator (for half of California)
State Assemblymember
Proposition 30 - Temporary Taxes to Fund Education
Proposition 31 - State Budget
Proposition 32 - Political Contributions by Payroll Deduction
Proposition 33 - Auto Insurance Companies
Proposition 34 - Death Penalty
Proposition 35 - Human Trafficking
Proposition 36 - Three Strikes Law
Proposition 37 - Genetically Engineered Foods
Proposition 38 - Tax to Fund Education and Early Childhood Programs
Proposition 39 - Tax Treatment for Multistate Businesses
Proposition 40 – Redistricting

The Easy Voter's Guide was started when a group of public library adult literacy students [ Bay Area New Readers Council ] felt that there was a lack of nonpartisan voter information accessible to adults still working on their reading skills.

Some of their innovations, job descriptions for each political office, have been adopted by the Secretary of State's official Voter Information Guide.

The nonpartisan “Easy Voter Guide” (formerly Easy Reading Voter Guide) has been published for every California statewide election since 1994.

It is a collaboration of:
~ League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
~ California State Library
~ Common Knowledge Group

Online Voter Registration – Deadline: October 22
California’s new online voter registration system has been launched!
Spread the word that it’s simple and easy to register or change your registration.

Centro Latino for Literacy - Manos Amigas/Helping Hands Graduation

Manos Amigas/Helping Hands
Centro Latino for Literacy
Graduation

On Friday, September 28th, joy and excitement were in the room as the 6th Manos Amigas/Helping Hands Celebration got under way.

This was a celebration of firsts!  This was the first time that:

- 155 adults completed either Leamos, Listos, or Leamos/Listos literacy courses. What a sense of accomplishment!
- Each student not only received a certificate of completion from Centro Latino, but also received a personalized City of Los Angeles Certificate for "their commitment to learn which inspires us all in the Latino community" signed by Councilmember Ed P. Reyes, 1st District.
- Manos Amigas graduation was held in Spanish, with simultaneous translation available for all the non-Spanish speakers in the room; and
- Manos Amigas was podcast live.

Memorable moments of the evening:
Inspiring oratory from Octavio A. Pescador, Ph.D., Keynote Speaker
Moving remarks by Councilmember Ed P. Reyes
Encouraging words from Melody Nava, Adult Literacy Champion
Loads of smiling faces and our gracious MC, Claudia Botero

CA & National Literacy Event Calendar: October 2012

October

Health Literacy Month

National Book Month

Southern California and
California Literacy Events: October 2012
Oct. 5+ LitQuake = San Francisco
Oct. 6 Youth Symposium: Day for Those Who Learn Differently = San Diego
Oct. 7 WordUp Fair!: LiteracyWorks = San Rafael

National Literacy Events: October 2012
Sep 30-Oct 6: Banned Book Week = Nationwide
Oct. 4 Read For The Record: Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad = Nationwide
Oct. 5 Health Literacy in the Electronic Age = San Antonio TX
Oct. 5+ National Storytelling Festival = Jonesborough TN
Oct. 6 Star Wars Reads Day = Nationwide

for more Literacy and Library Events

visit the

Southern California Library Literacy Network

Calendar

SCLLN Tutor Workshop Calendar: October 2012

SCLLN Tutor Workshop Calendar: October 2012

For Local, California and National

Literacy or Library Conferences and Events

visit the

Southern California Library Literacy Network

Calendar

Oct 1 - Nov 6: In Our Words: Essays on Democracy = Newport Beach Library

Oct. 2 Learner Orientation = READ/San Diego – 5:45pm
Oct. 4 Tutor Training = Huntington Beach Library – 6pm
Oct. 4 Tutor Orientation = South Bay Literacy Council Torrance Library – 7pm
Oct. 8 Tutor Orientation = Ventura County Library – 5:30pm
Oct. 9 Learner Orientation = Newport Beach Library – 10am
Oct. 9 Tutor Workshop = Santa Fe Springs Library – 6:30pm
Oct. 11 Tutor Orientation = Orange County Library READ/OC – 1pm
Oct. 11 Tutor Orientation = Orange County Library READ/OC – 6pm
Oct. 11 Tutor Workshop = READ/San Diego – 6pm
Oct. 13 Tutor Workshop = Whittier Area Literacy Council – 9am
Oct. 13 Tutor Training = San Diego Co Library Vista Branch – 10am
Oct. 15 Literacy Changes Lives = Redlands Library – 7pm
Oct. 16 Tutor Orientation = Newport Beach Library – 10am
Oct. 16 READ Tour = Ventura County Library -6:30pm
Oct. 18 READ Tour = Ventura County Library Camarillo – 7pm
Oct. 19 SCLLN Professional Development Day = Huntington Beach Library
Oct. 20 Tutor Training = Los Angeles Public Library – 10am
Oct. 23 Learner Orientation = READ/San Diego – 9:45am
Oct. 26 Scrabble Tournament = Whittier Area Literacy Council – 6pm

Info about local Tutor Training Workshops is always Scrolling in the Right Frame.

Centro Latino for Literacy - NCLR Workforce Development Forum

NCLR Workforce Development Forum
October 2 – 3
Los Angeles

Centro Latino for Literacy will present a “Workplace & Adult Literacy” workshop at the 3rd Annual NCLR Workforce Development Forum. For the past 2 years the National Council of La Raza has convened over 400 workforce development professionals from nonprofits, WIBs, community colleges, employers, foundation and public agencies to discuss programs and policies that strengthen the Latino workforce.

Workplace and Adult Literacy
Aida Cardenas, Executive Director, Building Skills Partnership
Paul Garza Jr., Board Chair, Centro Latino for Literacy
Cathay Reta, Adult Literacy Coordinator, Azusa Library
Mari Riddle, President and CEO, Centro Latino for Literacy

Over 1.6 million Latino adults in the U.S., mostly women, are functionally non‐literate in either Spanish or English. In L.A. County, 11% of adult Spanish-speaking immigrants are non‐literate. At this workshop, you will learn about an innovative pre‐ESL literacy solution that transforms lives, as well as the critical role that literacy plays in empowering the Latino workforce, family, and community.

Newport Beach Library - focuses on American democracy

Newport library program focuses on American democracy
'Searching for Democracy,' which debuted in April, gave a unique perspective on the country's governing style.
Daily Pilot: 9.07.2012 by Britney Barnes

The Newport Beach Public Library brought a bit of democracy to residents through an interactive program and display.

"Searching for Democracy," a program that debuted in April, "gives people a different spin on something we all take for granted," said library Director Cynthia Cowell. "It's very easy for us not to think about it, and that's what the whole grant process was about."

.       .       .       .       .

As a finale, the library's Literacy Services involved its adult "learners" in writing an essay on America and democracy.

The essays will be on display at the Central Library until the November elections, serving as a reminder of the privilege of living in America, Barbier said.

.       .       .       .       .

Excerpt from the essay "Democracy Means to Me" by Grace Liu collected in "In Our Words"
   "Democracy is a myriad of opportunities. There are no boundaries to knowledge. Everyone is allowed to pursue knowledge as far as they can, no matter their age. Democracy is a compromise and commitment. There is hope for no wars in the world. Nation to nation, people to people, coming to a compromise, no matter their strengths or weaknesses as nation."  READ MORE !