Make an Impact for Literacy

We use our literacy skills every day to accomplish tasks such as reading medical information for ourselves and family, shopping either online or at the store, dealing with banking needs such as applying for a loan, following a recipe to make a meal, reading & writing messages, and supporting a child with their homework.

When we stop and think about where and how we use our reading and writing skills to do things in our life, we gain a better idea of the value of literacy in our life.

Try this activity:

1. Write down everything you have read in the last 48 hours. Include the reading you did outside of your work. (Anytime you read ‘print’ it counts as reading even if it was on a digital device or on signs.)
2. Write down everything you wrote in the past week. (Outside of work we may read more than we write)
3. Look over your lists and decide what that reading or writing helped you do in your life. For instance, reading a product label for ingredients helped to make a choice on whether to buy it or not.
4. Think about how your life would be different if you couldn’t read or write the things you listed

There are people who take their literacy skills for granted. They may believe that all adults have the same literacy skills as them.

It may surprise you to know that 19% of Canadians may not have the skills needed to do all the things you listed in the activity. In fact, Advanced Education states that “one in five adult Albertans face daily literacy and numeracy challenges.” (This statistic is based on the 2012 international literacy survey, Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), and includes learners who scored below PIAAC level 2.)

Understanding the importance of literacy in adults' lives can help you promote the value of literacy in your community. CLN has designed several tools and resources to support CALP staff in sharing data and telling stories that highlight the importance of literacy.

To recognize the 60th anniversary of International Literacy Day, choose something that you can do in your community from the following tools and resources. Make an impact for Literacy this year.

Here are some examples of how Community Adult Learning Programs share data:

• Empowering Lives: The Crucial Role of Adult Literacy in Canada (Words Work Literacy Society)
• Foundational Learning in Alberta: What It Is, Why It Matters, and Where Adults Can Study (Vision Learning Centre) 

Share a personal story of how a learner gained confidence to get a job, courage to move into their own place or the impact their learning had on their child’s learning. Hearing how literacy has changed a learner’s life creates a personal connection and ‘speaks’ to the heart.

Here are some ideas for sharing stories:

• Your Marketing is Part of the Relationship explores how our marketing sends a message to build a relationship with potential learners. It shares some good tips for sharing learner stories.
• The Power of Learner’s Voices helps us understand what we mean by learners' voices and how we can encourage CALP participants to share their experiences as adult learners. 

Looking for ways to support learners in sharing stories?

• Reluctant Advocates: Write Letters includes ways to support adult learners to write letters and explains how their words can have an impact on the reader.
• How to demonstrate the impact of your adult literacy program shares that collecting the right information and telling a compelling story with it will demonstrate impact.