By Youth Literacy Program Director Tonya Johnson
This is an exciting time for the Youth Literacy Program! Our collaboration with YTL (Youth Transformed for Life) was initiated through conversations over the past six or seven months about how to reach more grade school students of color. Making those connections through the regular school year had its own set of challenges. Knowing that the impact of COVID left students with even larger gaps in reading levels, the Literacy Together team decided to find a way to step up.
Janell Lassiter and Parris Finley, co-directors of YTL, invited Literacy Together to provide a reading/literacy component to all of the campers in their summer program. Cindy Threlkeld, executive director at Literacy Together saw this opportunity as a win-win collaboration. We would make this a paid internship and prioritize the recruitment of young adults of color as tutors. LuAnn Arena went to work raising funds and some great partners stepped up: WNC Bridge Foundation; TD Charitable Foundation; Dollar General; and WNC Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. Mackenzie Bennett was contracted to set the recruitment process in motion, and Rebecca Massey from Literacy Together joined the team to help plan the tutor training.
VOILA!! We hired fourteen of the most amazing young people in our city. They have been trained in how to be an effective tutor using multi-sensory techniques, and eagerly started working directly with campers three mornings a week. The students are excited to get this one-on-one time and have bonded quickly with the interns. Stay tuned for more updates on how this goes over the next eight weeks!
Here’s a picture of our team of interns.
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Our office is open again!
We're testing our students, and our classrooms are open for in-person classes. Here is a sweet post-covid story: Nancy and Adaliz started working together during the pandemic and they had only seen each other over Zoom. Last week they came to the office to have their first in-person lesson. They hugged and they told us how excited they were to be here. Below is a photo that documents the happy moment. We can't wait to see you all again in person! You can check our hours here.
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We are so excited to have won a Google Ad Grant!
Now we need a little help! Is anyone versed in Google Ads that would be willing to give LuAnn, our Development Director, a quick session? We would be most grateful! Thanks!
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Tutors: Q4 (April - June) attendance reports due ASAP!
Our 2020-21 program year ends on June 30, and very shortly thereafter we'll have to submit all data for the entire year to the state community college system, which oversees our federal funds. Please help us submit a full and complete report by sending us your attendance reports on time! They are due July 1 or as soon as you've taught your last class in June, and should cover the whole final quarter of the year: April 1 through June 30. Thank you very much!
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Bob's success story as an Adult Literacy student: "I am going to get this!"
Bob came to Literacy Together in 2019 to work on his basic literacy skills. He is a single father devoted to his three kids. Like most parents in our program, he enrolled to improve his literacy not just for himself but for his children. While reading had always been a challenge for Bob, math, and mechanics had come easily. So he used that expertise to build a career as a mechanic, and that is how he supported his family until he found himself unemployed for the first time. That's when he came to Literacy Together. He planned to strengthen his literacy to regain employment, to improve his ability to support his children in school, and to achieve more independence and opportunity in his life.
When Bob met Tim, the retired lawyer who would be his new tutor, they connected immediately despite their differences. Bob's energetic personality complements Tim’s somewhat controlled demeanor. They learn from each other and often surprise each other in their sessions. Bob and Tim would likely never have crossed paths if they had not met at Literacy Together, but this partnership has changed both of their lives and perspectives.
During the pandemic and consequential shutdowns, Tim and Bob both wanted to keep their momentum going. Bob lives in a rural community with no home computer, but they each had a textbook, a phone, and every intention of moving forward, so they made it work. Since he began in 2019, Bob has completed over half of the Wilson Reading System and moved up to the next level in his annual literacy test. He shows no signs of stopping. Tim says, "I think that I have it too easy. Bob may have the best student want-to-learn attitude ever. As I have said before, he exclaims every session about getting a word that he never got before. And as he said last time with a certain fierceness, 'I am going to get this!'"
Watch the video to hear Bob's experience! You can also read more success stories here.
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I have been with Literacy Together since September 2019.
Things I'd love to learn in my lifetime: To identify bird songs and to learn to watercolor.
My favorite things to do are: Kayak on wilderness lakes and slow-moving rivers; play a spirited game of pickleball; meander in the woods with a good friend; read a great novel, especially historical fiction.
My favorite quote: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." `African proverb
What I like best about Literacy Together: The vision of creating a just and equitable community where literacy is accessible and achievable by all; and the collaboration of staff, board, students, and community partners to make that happen.
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Save the date!
Authors for Literacy Dinner will be held Thursday, October 28th, 2021. We will share more details in the coming months about our very special guest, so please mark your calendar now!
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Our community is getting stronger every day
We have two online volunteer orientation meetings coming up: July 6th at 5:00 pm and July 8th at 10:00 am. Is someone you know ready to support a neighbor? Please help us spread the word! People can sign up online to volunteer or they can send an email to laura@lit-together.org.
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is now mailing a free book a month to the 4,363 registered children in Buncombe County! Here is the online registration form.
Literacy Together is now on Instagram! Follow us!
THANK YOU to all of you who have donated items from our Amazon Wishlist!
Thank you for your support!
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| Online Volunteer Orientations
Tuesday, July 6th
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
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DONATE
Your generosity provides literacy services to our neighbors of every age.
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