REACH, TEACH, UNITE

LCCT Update: 2012 Annual Providers Meeting

2012-02-27T11:34:00.005-06:00


Executive Director, Meg Poag and Operations & Communications Manager Maegan Ellis review the 2011 Impact Report with partners February 15, 2012 at the Annual Providers meeting.

In case you missed it- the 2012 Annual Providers Meeting was held Wednesday, February 15^th from 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM at LCCT offices. It was quite a sight to see representation from over 30 partner agencies together in one room, working to identify our coalition’s priorities for literacy services in 2012!

The meeting included highlights from the 2011 Impact Report, updates from LCCT programs, partnership renewals as well as a review of the goals and strategies for the upcoming “Literacy Illuminates” campaign.

Feedback was also gathered from brief surveys and smaller break-out discussion groups. We spent time considering several key questions in regards to agencies’ individual literacy programs and the direction for LCCT support in 2012.

Partners completed a dotting exercise, marking current LCCT programs and services that were most important to their agency.

The overall “voice” from the discussion groups was extremely dynamic, however several key themes are highlighted below:

Increase Volunteer Support!

50% of Adult Literacy Providers responded that Volunteer Recruitment/Retention/Management was “High” or “Very High” priority for their program to improve in this area in the next 12 months. Other literacy providers also agreed that increased volunteer support would address a variety of programmatic needs in regards to capacity building and improving services.

Increase Funding!

42% of Adult Literacy Providers identified (increased) funding as the #1 thing LCCT could do to help increase service capacity for their programs in the next 12 months.

Increase Information Sharing!

This theme included a call for greater dissemination of program success stories, including both the individual stories of clients as well as programmatic best practices and key contacts. Providers felt that this would contribute to a further integrated literacy community and further familiarize and “map” the literacy community in Central Texas.

Increase Technical Support!

Themes of increased centralization and integration also emerged in the call for increased technical support. 75% of Adult Literacy Providers responded that Measuring Impact was “High” or “Very High” priority for their program to improve in this area in the next 12 months. This included but was not limited to providing training and guidance on data collection and management and exploring possibilities for a centralized coalition-wide database.

If you were at the meeting, what was your experience? Did you hear a different “voice” emerge in discussions? If you weren’t at the meeting, what ideas/priorities/needs do you see for literacy services in 2012?

LCCT continues to build on the experiences and insights of partners each year- the feedback from annual meetings is crucial for identifying both strengths and weaknesses of the coalition. We look forward to continuing these conversations among Advisory Committees throughout the year.

Want to continue the conversations this week?

The Advisory Committee for the Literacy Illuminates campaign is meeting this Friday, March 2 @ 9 AM. Partners are encouraged to join this open committee as we work to design a massive literacy campaign in the Austin area tailored not only to address the issue of literacy, but bolster the existing literacy programs in the community. For more information on the campaign or committee meetings, contact Maegan Ellis.

Not a partner, but still want to get involved today?

Visit our website for information on Volunteering -Or- join our cause by Donating!

Illiteracy is EXPENSIVE

2012-02-24T14:35:00.003-06:00

Did you ever consider the fact that low literacy rates might have a HUGE economic impact? Not just for the families who experience low literacy, but ALL of us. Check this out-

Low literate adults are more likely to: 1. Be involved in crime: 85% of juveniles in juvenile court are functionally non-literate 2. Be in poor health: Literacy level is the number one predictor of a person’s health status 3. Have children who drop out of school: Mother’s literacy level is the number one predictor of her kids’ achievement in school 4. Rely on public assistance: 50% of adults without GED or equivalent receive Temporary Assistance for the Needy.

It takes about $500 to get someone their GED. In the Austin area, adults who get their GED earn an average of $9,000 more annually. Not only will they earn more for their families, they will pay more taxes, rely less on public benefit programs, and stay in jobs and out of jail. I think most economists would say that that is a pretty good return on investment!

Now consider this- less than 4% of adults in our community who need a GED class has access to one. NOT SMART.

Do your community a big favor, and donate to a local adult literacy program now! You can find a list of area programs here:

http://www.willread.org/Our-services-to-Central-Texas-literacy-service-providers.html

And rest assured that between your donation, the Literacy Coalition's support services, and the courageous work of the professionals in these programs, we'll be doing our part to help our community have a stronger, healthier economy.

Online Videos for Adult Educators

2012-02-21T14:25:00.009-06:00

Spending hours on youtube doesn't have to be a waste of time... it can be educational! Here are just a few of my favorite videos for ESL, ABE, and GED instructors:

What happens in a tutoring session with a literacy student? The pros at Literacy DuPage have helpfully put videos of ABE and ESL tutoring sessions on their youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/LiteracyDuPage?feature=watch. Watch an example of word study, check out ESL experience stories, and more!

The Media Library of Teaching Skills for Adult Learning and Literacy compiles videos from all over the internet so that they'll be easy for adult education instructors to find. The project has created one of the best online resources for ABE and ESL teachers. Check MLOTS out at http://mlots.org/.

How do I teach grammar/writing/vocabulary? On Dr. Andrew Johnson's youtube channel, you'll find a variety of interesting and useful topics for teachers: learning strategies, tutoring basics, literacy for English Language Learners, multi-level literacy... the list goes on and on. Dr. Johnson is a professor in the MSU department of Education. He's also an engaging and opinionated speaker who is good at breaking down tough concepts. Check out his channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/andyaxe1976.

There are so many great resources and videos online that can't possibly list them all here today. Subscribe to our blog and stay tuned for more!

2012-02-13T11:19:00.002-06:00

How low can they go?

Rising health care costs and shrinking budgets have forced many health service providers, particularly hospitals, to examine ways of reducing costs by preventing readmissions. A readmission is defined as a patient admission to a hospital within 30 days of being discharged from an earlier hospital stay. There has been considerable debate surrounding the issue of whether or not readmissions are preventable. While not all readmissions are preventable, even with optimal care, there is increasing evidence showing that readmission rates are related to and reflective of hospital quality and performance.

In 2010 the Joint Commission, a national accreditation body for hospitals, released new standards emphasizing the importance of effective patient-centered communication and cultural competence on patient outcomes and readmissions. A recent study published in the January 4th issue of JAMA found that heart attack patients in the US were more likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days after the heart attack than patients in 16 other countries (including Canada, Australia, and many European nations). The higher readmission levels in the US suggest that there are components of the US care system that could be modified to reduce readmissions to similar levels as those in the other countries. Some of these components include length of stay, coordination of care, and patient follow up procedures.

In August 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finalized the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program which reduces the amount hospitals are reimbursed when they have an excessive number of preventable readmissions. While the program does not go into effect until October 1^st, many hospitals across the country are being proactive about increasing the patient-centeredness of their programs to see how low they can go reducing readmissions. One example is St. Vincent’s HealthCare in Northeast Florida has been proactive about reducing readmissions by evaluating and modifying existing procedures to prioritize clear communication and coordination of patient care.

In Texas, the Literacy Coalition’s Health Literacy Forward works with health care providers to reduce preventable readmissions through health literacy interventions. One big project on the horizon is a collaborative study with Seton Healthcare Family to identify best communication practices to help reduce preventable readmissions in their hospitals. While we aren’t the first group that has wanted to look at which components of clear communication and doctor-patient interaction have the most significant effect on improving an individual’s ability to understand and act on health information, it seems like we will be doing some fairly groundbreaking research! We had a great planning meeting on Monday and I am really excited to continue developing the project over the next couple of months. Stay tuned!

Ignorant, Stupid, and Poor!

2012-02-09T18:31:00.011-06:00

Did I get your attention? Good!

I’m going to go a bit out of character here and into a bit of a rant. My colleague, Maegan, is right. The Success by 6 findings are troubling at best. Though, let’s be honest here, those findings are why we exist as a literacy coalition and why it’s our mission every single day to fight for those neighborhoods, those families, and those children. We work our tails off trying to connect individuals in need of literacy services with programs, to give those same programs the resources and help they need to do the best job they can for those individuals, and to raise awareness for the overall cause.

So where’s the rant, you say? Shortly after the findings of Success by 6 were released, a morning radio show in Austin attacked the very communities that need us most with hateful words like “ignorant,” “stupid,” and “poor.” These radio hosts (who shall remain nameless, using all my willpower to not link them here) even went so far as to say that the very people we work day-in and day-out to support and help are not worthy of pro-creation. I’m sorry, what?????!!!! These men have the power to reach thousands of people with their words, and this is what they choose to say? And we’re supposed to look up to them and give them our support by tuning in as we make our morning commutes?

I am appalled that this radio station feels these men are worthy of airtime when, instead of using their voices for positive change, they’re relying on their own ignorance and stupidity to infuse their listeners with venomous misconceptions.

Imagine if one of them had taken the 30 seconds needed to simply google “literacy services Austin” and then had taken another 10 seconds to mention just one of the seven agencies or programs that popped up, imagine how much good 40 seconds of their time could have done!

Just one person could have been listening who might have then picked up the Fight for Literacy Torch by donating, volunteering, or just plain old talking about the Success by 6 findings to a friend. For shame. Maybe we should take away their ability to procreate!

To end on a positive and uplifting story that highlights the human ability to surpass all limits, I leave you with this:

Home is the heart of the matter. It's where literacy begins.

2012-02-06T08:47:00.009-06:00

Thanks to the massive new United Way initiative Success by Six in collaboration with the University of California, Los Angeles, the first data set about early childhood development as it relates to school readiness in Central Texas has been released.

The findings are troubling. The regional stats are bad enough: only 52% of children entering school in Central Texas are school-ready. But in some Austin neighborhoods, such as St. John's and Dove Springs, the rate is an astonishing 12-15%. That means that only 1 in every 10 kindergarteners in these neighborhoods arrives at school ready to learn.

So what do we do? Where do we even begin to fill in the gaps to get these kids more ready to succeed in school? I propose a logic model to begin the conversation:

If we know that a mother's literacy level is the #1 predictor of her children's success in school, then increasing parents' literacy rates will directly improve children's school readiness rates.

The Literacy Coalition is preparing to kick off a major campaign - Literacy Illuminates - to raise awareness of this issue and to connect parents and individuals to literacy services in our area. (Keep reading our blog to find out more about the campaign!) Success by Six is working to identify and strategize how to reach the kids in the target neighborhoods. But in the meantime, what can you do to help Central Texas kids succeed academically? Volunteer! Our partner agencies always need additional adult literacy instructors, tutors, and mentors. The Literacy Coalition even offers free training for volunteer instructors. Donate to the Literacy Coalition! For every $1 that's invested in us, we return $2.50 in resources to our partner agencies. That means we effectively double every donation that you make through our ability to leverage funds. Our community is mobilizing to address the impacts of low literacy in 2012 - especially as it affects our children. Won't you join us?

Health literacy...it's just so hot right now!

2012-02-01T17:48:00.003-06:00

Health literacy! Health literacy! Let it ring!

You MUST have heard of health literacy by now, right?!? Have we come to the point where we can stop starting conversations with, "health literacy can be defined as..." or "health literacy means..."

No, I guess not. Sighhhh. We are getting close though! Maybe it's just because I'm engulfed in the world of health literacy every day, but it seems like the field is finally starting to blow up! When I started working with the Literacy Coalition in 2009, a Google search of health literacy brought up a few measly resources. Nowadays health literacy is "the cool" thing to be talking about.

"Psshhh, yeah right!" you say. Well, it's true. And I've got some examples to prove it!

First off, although federal policy may not be deemed "cool," per se, health literacy is definitely blowing up the federal policy mini-feed. Check out this great new article that outlines 3 major federal initiatives that are pushing health literacy forward: 1) Affordable Care Act (aka healthcare reform, aka Obamacare), 2) Department of Health and Human Services' National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy and finally, 3) Plain Writing Act of 2010.

Another indicator of health literacy's coolness factor is this new national social media campaign. The campaign slogan is "R U an Xtreme Teen?" Seriously? With R U and X?!?! You can't tell me that's not cool.

Ok, seriously now, health literacy REALLY IS blowing up. Both new developments mentioned above, along with Joint Commission standards changing in October 2012 to include standards requiring the use of "effective communication", and all the buzz around improving discharge (that'll be another blog post...or could be an entire blog in itself!), you'll be hearing A LOT more about this health literacy business in 2012.

So hop on the train! Start talking about it, teaching it, blogging, tweeting, status-ing... Even the big shots are endorsing health literacy these days. I heard former Surgeon General Richard Carmona speak at a health literacy summit in Madison, WI where he said, “Health literacy is the currency for success in everything we do. In search of the holy grail for healthcare, we can no longer afford to keep health literacy on the sidelines.”

What Do You Mean by "Most Literate"?

2012-01-30T16:32:00.003-06:00

Central Connecticut State University recently released the America's Most Literate Cities (AMLC), 2011 study. Drawing from a variety of available data resources, the AMLC study looks at the largest U.S. cities (population 250,000 and above) and ranks them according to six indicators: newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment, and Internet resources.

I enjoyed scrolling through the rankings, which could be divided according to each category. Austin ranks #22.5 for 2011 – sharing the ranking spot with NYC, no less! Not so bad, according to AMLC.

However, as I continued to scroll through the AMLC list, some skepticism arose. Cleveland, OH was ranked as the #13 most literate city in the U.S. In this study, Cleveland’s ranking is justified by the city’s “great library systems and strong newspaper/magazine circulations”.

So, literate= presence of resources?

Why then, according to the Center on Urban Poverty and Social Change, are 69% of Cleveland residents functionally illiterate?

While the AMLC study examines the presence of literacy resources as an indicator for a literate city, it does little to address the disconnect between the presence of high resources and the unchanging low literacy rates in far too many U.S. cities.

More than the presence of certain resources, we must also consider specifics about the quality and availability of these resources to individuals who are low literate. Furthermore, we must continue to recognize the ways in which low-literacy is connected to almost every socio-economic issue in the United States.

Granted, a comprehensive assessment of literacy is no easy task, but one we must continue to tackle at all levels.

Have you identified ways in which the quality and availability literacy services are connected to your organizational mission?

What are the primary resources in Austin that we can capitalize on by improving quality and accessibility of services?

The Literacy Coalition of Central Texas (LCCT) published a snapshot assessment in 2010 to assess current adult literacy need and community organizational capacities to provide services in Central Texas. Click here to view the publication via our website for more information.

Wake up, Austinites! Illiteracy = Poverty

2012-01-24T15:46:00.004-06:00

Everyone was buzzing about the 2010 Census, and what kind of information it would bring us about the population changes we knew were happening in Central Texas. Well, after years of analysis and extrapolations by every federal department you can imagine, the data is clear; the number of people who are suffering from poverty is rising, and their lack of education has a LOT to do with it.

The most recent 2010 Census reports that nationally, about 20.1% of all households had income-to-poverty ratios less than 125% of the poverty threshold. Families in Central Texas are actually more impoverished than the national average. Now, in Travis County, one in three children is born in to an impoverished home. About one in five families in the Austin area is living in poverty.What you might also remember from other blog posts and reports of the Literacy Coalition is the statistic that one in five Austin area adults is low literate.

Coincidence?

No way.

Research from the National Institute for Literacy clearly shows the connection of poverty and low literacy. Over 40% of adults with the lowest literacy levels are living in poverty, compared to only 4% of those with higher literacy skills.

I have a challenge for you! Talk about illiteracy every time you hear discussions about unemployment and poverty. Public dialogue is very focused on employment right now, yet public policy and funding continues to bypass literacy and adult education programming as an integral part of the solution to our economic crisis. Whenever you hear people talking about unemployment and the recession, share the 'one in five' statistic with them and tell them to learn more about literacy issues at the Literacy Coalition's web site:

http://www.willread.org/What-is-Literacy.html

Help Austin area residents to have a more informed, thoughtful public dialogue. That is the first step to climbing out of the economic mess we've gotten ourselves in to.

Twilight: First Blog

2012-01-12T20:11:00.004-06:00

Sorry to fake you out: this post has nothing to do with vampires. It's purely a matter of timing that I'm crafting my first blog as an official Literacy Coalition staffer while gazing at one of the most stunning sunsets I've been lucky enough to witness in the big beautiful Texas sky. Some of you probably saw it, too. I got to watch it out of the window of my incredible new office (A304) at Pleasant Valley and Lyons Road. Though certain long-lived logistics of The Move continue to nip at my heels while I attempt to get other (actual) work accomplished, I am proud to say we are largely settled into our new digs, with a little extra room to spare for the new faces we look forward to calling coworkers in 2012. It's really something, what a little teamwork can do. If I let myself be honest for a second, I can admit that there's no way I could have moved the entire office by myself, even though on good days I might think otherwise. But with teammates, and a little elbow grease, we move physical objects that seem unearthly dense (I'm lookin at you, file cabinet), or transform attitudes that threaten the success of our very efforts to make things a little better for everyone. OooOooh - whoops, we just went meta. Our Literacy Americorps members are familiar with the phrase "Getting Things Done for America!" Isn't that what we're all trying to do, starting right here at home in Central Texas? Let's get things done! And why not work together to do it? Let's roll up our sleeves and pitch in to make things better. Who knows? Maybe when we're done we can all go get a pizza and throw back some cold ones. So here's to teamwork in 2012. And to vampires, even though they're mostly loners. They're obviously not going anywhere.

"I Stand for Literacy"

2011-11-14T18:23:00.000-06:00

I STAND FOR LITERACY! This was the battle cry at the United States Conference on Adult Literacy last week. It was a great conference, one in which over 600 instructors, advocates, learners, program managers, and more came together to learn, share new ideas, inspire one another, and push the field of adult literacy ahead. It was inspiring to meet so many passionate individuals, fighters for this great cause!

During the opening ceremony, the conference host, ProLiteracy, asked audience members to share their stories. To share why each one of us stands for literacy. We heard some inspiring stories, some heartbreakingly sad, and some that just seemed obvious. That's where I think my reason for "standing for literacy" fits in, in the obvious category.

A mother's literacy level is the number one predictor of her child's success in school. An individual's health literacy level is the STRONGEST predictor of a person's health status. Twenty percent of the Central Texas population is reading below the 5th grade reading level! It's so obvious why we all need to stand for literacy. Literacy is the best avenue to a healthy, employable, empowered community!

So tell us, why do you stand for literacy? Share your stories with us here, and check out the ProLiteracy website to share your story with them, too!

I Stand for Literacy!

You can also hear other people's stories HERE

If Mr. T Had a Choice ... He would have picked his Bee Team

2011-10-19T19:28:00.000-05:00

Are you grateful for spell check on your emails? YES (Me too!)

Do you enjoy happy hours and fabulous prizes? YES (Who doesn't)

Then you will LOVE this ....

If you were a fan of the Coalition's Happy Bee and have been sad to see it go as the Belmont closed ... I have great news for you! We have a brand new format that is BIGGER AND BETTER! We have combined the fun of the spelling bee, with your favorite trivia night and are now doing it in teams! Teams of up to four will compete in the most unique trivia challenge in Austin once a month at the COOLEST new bar, the Yellow Jacket Social Club!

So you are probably wondering how this works, so let me give you the low down. In the new Bee Team Trivia Challenge teams (up to four) compete for just $10 (per team)! So you might be wondering how spelling and bees relate to trivia? Do you know how to spell? Can you use those words in a sentence? Do you know where words and phrases come from? Have you ever read a book? Well you have a head start on some of us ... and we made the questions! Here are a couple of examples from the first two rounds in the Bee from October that will give you a better idea of what to expect:

Spelling Example:This word, meaning "steady persistence in a course of action" is often mispronounced, leading to incorrect spellings.

persaverance
perseverance
perseverence
perserverance

Trivia Example:
What Hogwarts House did Harry call home?

Gryffindor
Slitherin
Hufflepuff
Ravenclaw

The October teams had a GREAT time and the feedback was really positive - people loved the game, working in teams & the location! The next Bee Team Challenge is next week ... Tuesday November 1, 2011 @ 6:00pm! I hope to see more new faces there, and would be happy to field any questions you might have about the event. Please feel free to email Shannon or call the office!

Is blogging worth our time?

2011-10-10T19:47:00.000-05:00

This post may seem a little unorthodox, but hell, I need to know! Is blogging really worth our time? Are people out there reading this, and if so, what are you getting from it?

As most of you know, in the non-profit world there is never enough time to do everything we want to do. So here I am...7:30PM and I'm trying to catch up on list of "overdue" items on my ToodleDo.com (a great tool but can get frustrating when you have a list of 10+ things that are bolded with the label "overdue") and sure enough, in red type, bolded, is the word, "BLOG!". Written just like that. Except there may even be two exclamation marks added to it.

I know my colleagues are in the same boat. I mean, I hope they at least have it on their calendars! But really, I understand if they don't. Blogging can seem futile. Unlike Facebook, where everyone and their mom "likes" your status that took three seconds to write, a blog post takes thought. Am I being engaging? Do people actually care about what I'm saying? Getting a comment on a blog post seems harder than winning a Grammy.

Here at the Literacy Coalition, we started this blog to "put a face" to our organization. As an organization that doesn't provide direct support, you won't see us out in the community feeding the homeless and you can't come to our office to watch an ESL class in action, we thought a blog would be a good way for the community to get to know us a little bit. We wanted to provide a little window into the everyday work of the Literacy Coalition. A novel idea, if you ask me.

But as noted above, blogging seems to take a backseat. And now I'm asking you, readers, to inspire us. Should we keep writing? If so, what do you want to hear about? Scroll down through some of our older posts and tell us what you think.

Thanks y'all,

-Peter

It made a difference to that one... (Part 2)

2011-09-16T15:51:00.004-05:00

I must jump in and piggy back on what my colleague, Peter, wrote about: the issue of feeling too small. I manage the Literacy Coalition's digital literacy project, and it's easy to feel like we're not making a big enough difference--just a drop in the ocean. Thousands of hours have been devoted to trying to help people learn how to use a computer and the internet in hopes of moving them into more meaningful jobs. But how much good are we really doing? More often than not I need a reminder that we really are changing lives, even if it's just one. So as a weekend send-off to myself, here's what our digital-literacy learners have to say:

"There’s a whole world in the computer and I didn’t know that. I suspected it, but I had no idea how to access any of it. But these classes showed me how."

"[My new computer skills are] going to help me in school. Before I took the class all I did was check my email and my facebook. And that’s it. I’m entering university in the fall. And I’m going to use the computer for I suppose all my classes, any research I’m going to do."

"[Now]I can find anything I want. Simply type it in and there it is."

"I feel better about how I can use the computer. I don’t feel helpless now. I’m learning. It’s easy to catch on. Sometimes I get lost but I ask the teacher and he helps me get back on track."

"Now that I am doing the computer I’m thinking about going back to work. I’m thinking about writing a book on the computer.

We all need an ego boost once in a while.

It made a difference to that one...

2011-08-31T17:24:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."
---------------

Sometimes in my work I feel as though the issue at hand is too big for one person, or one organization, to make any difference. That we can't do enough to affect literacy rates because we don't have the support we need from the system. Or in regards to health literacy, that poor communication and lack of empathy for the low health literate patient is commonplace, and that no matter what we do, the change will be minimal at best.

This story, written by anthropologist, Loren Eiseley, reminds me that everything we do as individuals really does make a difference, albeit minor. But when all of our individual efforts are combined, these minor differences become much greater, lasting changes.

It's worth it, y'all! Keep doin what you're doin!

Discussion Series: Social Innovations for Adult Literacy

2011-08-18T16:17:00.009-05:00

Did you know that 1/3 of American adults own a smart phone and that African Americans and Latinos are more likely to use their phones for non-voice applications (games, videos, etc.) than whites? In today's rapidly changing world, we must expand our definition of literacy to include the influx of new media available at our fingertips. With new technologies emerging on what seem like a daily basis, how can programs change the way they're addressing communities' literacy needs to capture the skills necessary to stay competitive across the lifespan?

The National Coalition for Literacy is currently hosting a discussion series that addresses these issues of digital literacy head-on, starting with the most basic question: What is digital literacy and how can we best define it? There's a whole slew of guest bloggers and lively discussions taking place. Check it out!

Social Innovations in Adult Education

We’re not crazy, we’re just a non-profit.

2011-08-10T12:04:00.009-05:00

I won’t lie, it’s not uncommon for us to get told that we should scale down our plans, or that we may be getting in over our heads. LCCT has been dealing with that feedback for years, and dealing with it very successfully.

Today, we met with another small organization doing very big things for the Austin community. The meeting reminded me of how small organizations can have such a large impact, and it never ceases to amaze me how these groups are making the most of their resources. The literacy programs in our network also do this every day, and it’s their support and dedication that in turn makes our influence on the community possible.

It’s difficult for some organizations and companies to understand the dynamics of the small nonprofit world. It’s understandable that we find ourselves up against doubts about our capacity, and our ability to reach a large audience from those outside of the non-profit world. In a non-profit, you have to be creative and open enough to transform limited resources into valuable services. Unfortunately, good intentions don’t always make successful organizations, and several end up closing their doors soon after they’re opened.

I’m proud to be part of a successful, 9-person organization that does the work of a mid-sized company. From my time at the Literacy Coalition, I’ve learned that the mutual respect and dedication built among a small group of hard working individuals can make for a surprisingly efficient non-profit machine. At LCCT, we’re open to changes that will allow us to make a greater impact on the community. We’re supportive of each other. We base our decisions on the people we serve. We believe in a solid work-life balance. We’ve built the trust of local non-profits and for-profits alike, and as a result have a network that helps us reach a variety of audiences. These are the things that have allowed LCCT to grow its services exponentially over the last three years, and we have no reason to slow down.

Less can most definitely be more. If you don’t believe me, take another look our previous blog posts, our Facebook page, and our website. Now that you know a little more about our inner workings, you’ll see all of those projects we’re working on in a whole new light.

Now I want to hear from other organizations in our shoes. What obstacles have you overcome as a small organization playing with the big shots? What are you proud of? What advice do you have for other small organizations?

Learner Web Turns 50!!

2011-07-18T13:23:00.014-05:00

No not really. At least not in terms of age. But last week we did reach the milestone of 50 learners enrolled in the project, and that's something to celebrate!! When I first joined the Coalition and was handed this nebulous project with the basic instructions, "Here, run with it!" I had no idea what to expect. I didn't have a clear vision as to what Learner Web was or how it could be most beneficial to our partner agencies and the community at large. I couldn't really define 'digital literacy' much less talk to others about the need for increased computer literacy in Central Texas.
Now that we've got a full quarter of implementation under our belt, we're at the very beginning stages of seeing the fruits of our labor take shape. The ambiguity is gone, and we're growing by the day! We've brought on partners beyond the initial implementation team and we've trained almost 40 Learner Web tutors (affectionately referred to as CLICs or Computer Literacy & Internet Coaches). These CLICs have spent over 150 hours in the computer lab helping learners. Now that's a whole lot of giving!

advice from my mom

2011-06-27T18:01:00.000-05:00

I turn 25 next week and have been a health literacy trainer since the ripe age of 23. Just writing that sentence is liberating. In my job, I feel like I am constantly avoiding any discussion about my age or "credentials." Healthcare providers are incessantly asking me how old I am and what my background is. To them, 25 is the same as 23, and 23 is the same as 18. At least that's how it feels to me when I walk into a room of established healthcare providers who have been taking care of their patients for more years than I have age. And credentials...well, I have my B.A. I double-majored and did two internships abroad. Both things I'm very proud of, but when everyone else in the room has an MD, RN or MPH...well, my BA is something I'd rather keep tucked away.

But c'est la vie! I'm 25 (wait, 24!) and don't have any degrees above a BA...judge me if you will, doc. But I'm also a damn good trainer (excuse my french). And in my two years of researching health communication, patient-centered care, patient-empowerment, yada yada yda, I've become a subject matter expert. And in our research-based, half-day workshops that teach healthcare providers about the prevalence of low health literacy and their role in improved communication with patients, the providers learn A LOT! 96% of providers who attended our workshop reported increase awareness and knowledge of health literacy, and learned at least 3 communication interventions that they planned to utilize with their patients. I think those numbers are something to call home about.

So that's what I did. I talked to my mom about the ageism hangups I was experiencing and, per usual, she had some great advice for me.

"You have a unique knowledge, this health literacy thing that you do. It's obviously important and will help the doctors provide better care for their patients...maybe even save lives. If you go into the trainings with the mindset of, 'I have this knowledge that you all don't, and it's my duty to share it with you.' Then your age won't matter. You've studied this stuff because they don't have time to. And you're sharing it with them because you know it's important...and they'll learn that it's important."

Thanks, mom!

Interview Tips....

2011-06-24T12:29:00.001-05:00

Literacy AmeriCorps Central Texas begins in September and I have been in full swing planning mode since January. In the last two months we have had nearly 300 applicants, conducted more than 80 interviews (a few more scheduled), and I have absolutely loved getting to know all of these terrific individuals that are interested in serving in AmeriCorps! I have learned a lot about myself and the millennial generation throughout this process. People I’ve talked to throughout the last few months have introduced me to new ideas and sometimes just new music! The creativity, passion for service and engagement of these applicants has been obvious. As you can imagine the interviewing process – recruitment, review, interview, assessment, matching, etc has taken up the majority of my day time hours in the last two months so I have a few tips for folks that find themselves interviewing out there.

First off CONGRATS to all the new graduates out there!! I remember the elation from that time in my life, and the anxiety that quickly followed as I started searching for a job. In this tough economy I can’t imagine what you are all experiencing and I hope that this will help someone out there… I have a few tips I have been mentally collecting over the last few months for job seekers:

Remember that you are a perfect fit for some agency/corporation out there. If you don’t get the first, second, third, or even eighteenth job you interview for - continue to go on interviews with your head held high. You are learning something new at every interview. You will be better prepared at each and every interview….
LOOK PROFESSIONAL. The interview is your first and sometimes only chance to make a good impression. People that show up to an interview looking disheveled don’t leave the interviewer with a sense of confidence in your professionalism. Show your interviewer how confident you are by looking them straight in the eye dressed appropriately – slacks, appropriate length skirts, nothing to tight or revealing. Don’t wear jeans – no matter what, no matter where. Don’t wear tennis shoes. Wear something that you are comfortable in but be classy folks! Carry a lint roller in your car – get the dog/cat hair off of you on the way in! Iron your clothes whether you think they need it or not! Sit up straight, don’t slouch … it will wrinkle your clothes!
Interviewers CAN SEE YOU on Skype. Make sure that you have something behind you that is blank or appropriate (i.e. beer signs and pictures of your friends doing a beer bong are a bad idea for interview backgrounds). Dress up for your Skype interview, at least waist up. Showing up to a Skype interview in your PJ’s is not winning you any points!
BE ON TIME. Don’t arrive too early. When someone is conducting interviews, particularly for multiple positions schedules are tight. If you get there more than 20 minutes early wait in your car. Arrive no more than 5-10 minutes early for your interview.
Know what you have to offer. Be prepared for all the basic questions – “What can you offer to us?", “What is your strength/weakness?”… Know how you plan to answer these basic questions.
Take time answering questions and give depth. It's better to answer slowly, accurately and with detail than it is to go on and on or add "umm", “you know”, and "like" in between every word. Give examples, even when people don’t ask – but especially when they do!
Don't wear perfume. I am personally highly allergic to a lot of perfumes, as others are and in a small office sometimes even a little is overpowering. There were a few interviews that I had a horrible headache by the time my interviewee left the office because of the perfume in the air. Take a shower, be clean and don’t smoke on your way in to the interview. Just smell naturally nice!
RESEARCH the place you are interviewing with. When someone walks in for an interview and knows NOTHING about your company/agency it does not leave the impression that they really want to be there. Know everything you can about the place that you can – Google them, look for their partners, know what the job is and the programs that they offer. Study for this like you study for a test in college to make a good impression.
Have questions. Along with doing your research, you should have questions about the job and about the supervision prepared. Candidates who don’t ask questions also come across as unprepared and unengaged. Questions show interest, prove again that you did your research and help to make sure that the position is a good fit for you. Not having questions communicates you don’t have any interest in the company and are just looking for a paycheck. If you have no specific questions make sure you have good general questions like “What would be the three major goals in this position,” or “What are some qualities of successful people at your group?” Sometimes interviewers are more impressed with a candidate based on the questions that they ask rather than the answers that they give… if you walk in with good, insightful questions and show them that you did your research they will remember you when you walk out the door.
Closings are not just for realtors and lawyers. When you think about it an interview is about selling yourself. You want to be a good sales person – be the closer! Your goal for an interview is to get a job, or at least move to the next round so don’t walk out (or hang up) until you have made your final pitch. Ask what the next steps in the process are and what the decision-making timelines might be. Reiterate your interest in the position and why you are a good fit!

I sincerely hope that this helps someone out there looking for a position right now! I wish you the best of luck and just want you to remember - know what you want and where you are!

Derailed by thieves

2011-06-20T14:59:00.006-05:00

Devastating news lurked in my inbox this morning. One of the Literacy Coalition's partners will have to shut down indefinitely due to vandalism and theft. The air conditioning units at the Austin Public Library's Ruiz branch were destroyed by vandals over the weekend leaving the library without A/C units. Why anyone would want to derail the wonderful services our libraries provide to the community is beyond me. Clearly the vandals have never taken advantage of the library's open door policy, welcoming anyone in the community in need of its services. They've never met the wonderful, often volunteer-driven staff that dedicate their time and energy to answering questions, promoting local programs, checking out books, meeting members of the community, and helping to provide computer and internet access. An awareness is missing that by forcing a library to close, the vandals are hurting their very own community! There's nothing quite so satisfying as stepping in to a cool library on a hot Texas afternoon and sitting down to read in a quiet corner. What an unnecessary tragedy this is! Our thoughts go out to our wonderful friends and partners at the Ruiz branch.

Fragile fund raising for fragile families

2011-06-14T15:02:00.006-05:00

Yesterday evening I participated in a panel discussion at the University of Texas. There were for of us; all Executive Directors of local non-profits. One non-profit has a very large client population of families that were very affluent. His fundraising efforts looked VERY different from mine. He was able to go to the users of his services, appeal to their inside knowledge and appreciation for the value of those services, and raise millions of dollars from the very families the agency services. I have a starkly different perspective- I am trying to raise funds to support a very vulnerable, often very silent, invisible population that has little to no financial means available to donate to a non-profit. Low literate parents most often work one in very low-paying jobs, barely making ends meet, unable to afford clothing for their kids, a night at the movies, or a sports uniform for team sports. I cannot ask them to donate to our cause. I have to ask other families to try to understand their struggle, and the fragile nature of their existence, and donate on their behalf. And I undertake my fund raising efforts with very fragile, meager resources, because I work for a relatively small non-profit. I can't afford a massive staff to run a capital campaign or multi-million dollar planned giving initiative. Each day my team and I devote our very limited time to try to raise tens of thousands of dollars for a multi-million dollar problem. But miraculously, we're doing it. By very strategically allocating our time and attention, we've been able to secure hundreds of thousands of NEW dollars for literacy programs in 2011 alone. It's a fragile, but amazingly effective effort. And I'm so proud to be a part of it.

Test Your Knowledge of Health Reform

2011-06-13T17:31:00.006-05:00

Who's read the full Affordable Care Act? … That’s what I thought.

We’ve now got a Public Health Intern at the Coalition, so we’re looking forward to getting his expertise in this area out to the community! Until then, here’s a 10-question quiz to assess your understanding of recent health care legislation. The tool even ranks your performance against the rest of the nation! Come on… You know you’re curious!

What was your score? Were you surprised? Let us know!

Now go, develop for us!

2011-06-02T10:25:00.000-05:00

A few months ago, our talented Development Officer moved on from LCCT. It was a sad time for us and we missed her (self-proclaimed) snarkyness around the office. On top of missing her personality, we gravely missed her high-quality development work. But rather than stretching our budget to hire a new development employee, we decided it would be best to split her roles (and they were many!) between a few of us here at LCCT.

Here's how my initial development meeting went down...

"So Peter (who admittedly has very minimal development experience), how would you like to take on the role of event manager, individual giving cultivation (huh, what's that!?!), and health literacy grants writing and management?"

"Umm, yeah that sounds good. Thanks." (Peter immediately heads to his computer to Google "Individual giving cultivation" and spends the following nights reading books on "The Benevon Model.")

Well, maybe it wasn't that simple...I mean, I did have a bit more to say than "umm, yeah that sounds good." But walking away from the meeting I felt like I was in a whirlwind trying to wrap my head around the new roles.

It's been a sharp learning curve (that I'm still in the midst of!), and my first big event is coming up this Sunday. It's called Literacy on Tap and it's going to be a friggin blast! It's an invite-only event (ooo la la!) and we're going to have live music, free appetizers from Zax, free beer from Jester King and Live Oak Breweries, and lots of word games. All is coming together these last few days before the event and (the purpose of this blog post) I have collaboration to thank for it.

Although I came into this position feeling a bit nervous about my new jobs, I was fully supported by colleagues, board members and volunteers. Take the Literacy on Tap planning committee for example, our planning committee is comprised of a development coworker and our ED, two members of our board of directors (one of which is the chair), and three highly committed volunteers (who happen to be two close friends of mine and my gf). This eclectic group coalesced and planned the most successful event in LCCT history! Well, that's a bit of stretch considering the event hasn't even taken place yet, but I can say that with only three more days to prepare I'm feeling very calm and stress-free. I'm confident it'll be a great event.

I've been with the Literacy Coalition for 2 years now and I've come to realize that it's the collaborative effort on projects and unending support that allows me to really love my job. I know that on any given day I can reach out to colleagues, board members, volunteers and community members for guidance and collaboration, and they'll be there without hesitation.

Fish Have a Philosophy?!

2011-05-30T14:22:00.000-05:00

I hope that this long weekend is treating everyone well! We had plans to go to the beach this weekend with some friends but plans fell through and I found myself stuck in town. It has been a great weekend and I decided to catch up on my reading with some of my free time... Recently a friend told me about these Fish! books, and I was a little intrigued but also a little unsure. I read a lot of productivity, leadership, non profit management and business books and the books sounded a little sappy to me at first. I have to tell you I devoured the first book in about three hours (quick read)!!! I discovered that Fish! is a book that should be read, shared and lived.

I think we all go through periods of burnout. Times in our lives or work that where you are just too overwhelmed or too tired to feel like you can keep moving forward. I personally have not been burnt-out but I have been tired and like many of you have been working lots of extra hours and could easily let burn-out set in if I gave myself too much time to think about it! This book helped me develop a new energy for my work, and brought me to understand a little bit better how passion and attitude play into our daily tasks.

The book told a story to illustrate how work issues that we are all too familiar with - including employee retention, employee engagement and burnout - and deal with them in a positive, productive, meaningful way. There is a series of books in the Fish! family and I just ordered Fish! Tales from an internet bookstore, and borrowed Fish! for Life from a friend so I will keep you posted!! I am super excited to get further into this series and I plan to pass the books around the office too! I would highly recommend the Fish! books!

Though It May Be Too Early to Start Shopping for a Halloween Costume...

2011-05-22T10:24:00.011-05:00

It's never too early for LCCT to start gearing up for October's National Health Literacy Month! You might be thinking, "do they realize that October is almost five months away?" The answer is yes, but don't worry. We do have a reason! We've got big plans for Health Literacy Month and want to get everyone involved, so we're loading up the bandwagon starting now! That means there's no better time than the present for you to tell us about what you’ve been doing, or what you’d like to do to improve communication between Central Texas patients and their healthcare providers.

Your efforts are making a difference in our community, so don’t let them go unrecognized. No effort is too small! Tell us what you're up to and let us promote your commitment to improved health communication during National Health Literacy Month!

Here’s what we need to know: What are you doing to combat low health literacy? What projects or discussions has your organization started to address the problem in our community? Do you want to join the health literacy movement, but don’t know how to get started?

Comment and tell us about it! Let's put our heads together to make this Health Literacy the biggest Central Texas has ever seen!

Just the Facts: The need for digital literacy in our community

2011-05-18T13:55:00.005-05:00

Did you know?

Almost 1/3 of American households still lack a broadband connection.
Adults age 25 and older with college degrees adopt broadband at almost triple the rate of those with only some high school education (84% versus 30%).
The broadband adoption rates for White and Asian non-Hispanics exceed those for Black non-Hispanics and Hispanics by 18% or more.
73.4% of employed Americans are broadband users, compared with 61.9% of the unemployed and 50.5% of individuals not in the labor force.

For those of us comfortable in this tech-driven world, it's hard to imagine just how wide the digital literacy divide still is. Let's make digital literacy awareness and education a priority in Central Texas--it can only make our community stronger!

Finally, a moment to blog

2011-05-10T10:58:00.000-05:00

Take a moment. Breathe. Austin's 8th Annual Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee for Literacy was a success! So many hours spent chasing sponsors, writing sentences for words, marketing, scripting, recruiting spellers, wranglin' together decorations, Rudy's BBQ, Texas Tea, bee-shaped chocolates, noise makers, black and yellow napkins, yada yada yada. But praise be, for our efforts were not done in vain! Months of preparation and support from all of the LCCT staff and our incredible volunteer Beehive Committee helped us host the BEST Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee ever!

And what's more, we didn't make this error on the certificates...

Volunteer for Computer Literacy!

2011-04-14T15:41:00.009-05:00

I’m excited about LCCT bringing volunteers and students together through the Learner Web... and the launch date is almost here! I like to know what volunteers experience with different opportunities, and there’s only one way to find out. So I decided to co-tutor a computer class at LCCT's good friend and partner program, Manos de Cristo.

So far it’s been an interesting, fun experience, and I’ve learned a lot in a short time. With ESL and ABE, I’ve worked on giving concise directions, but now I try to say each step in 3 words or less. Of course, the most rewarding aspect is getting to know the students. Almost everyone in our evening class has a job, but they still go to class after for two hours, two nights a week. What motivates them? After our first class together, I asked them to do a quick notecard quiz. Here’s one question with their responses:

Why is it important learn computers and the internet?

“I want to learn email and pictures, I want to use the computer to look for information and not fall behind on the internet.”

“Porque quiero aprender mas ingles y tener mas oportunidad en mi trabajo.”

“I want to learn to manage files in order to easily manage my small business in the future.”

"To be updated with the rest of the world. So when my kids ask me questions about anything, I can be able to say something positive and answer. Learning basic computer lessons can help me achieve part of it."

If you can get online and find this blog, you can help the workers, small business owners, and parents in your community. Most tech-savvy people of my generation take their skills for granted, not realizing the amount or value of their expertise. By sharing your knowledge, you can share the opportunity and free information that the internet can bring. Volunteer to be a Computer Literacy and Internet Coach!

Quick Health Literacy Resources To Get You Up To Speed

2011-04-11T16:42:00.012-05:00

Do you ever read our blog posts or get e-mails from us about health literacy and think, “This sounds really important, but I’m not sure I’m ready to add another issue to my catalog of causes”? We know, you need quick proof that health literacy is worth your time, and quick ways to keep up. Here are a few resources that will get you up to speed on the facts behind health literacy, and keep you in the loop once you're hooked. Who says advocacy can’t be efficient?

1. Partnership for Clear Health Communication’s Health Literacy: Statistics at A Glance is a great place to get the basics.

2. Low Health Literacy: Implications for National Health Policy-- for an added body slam of relevance.

3. The Health Literacy Discussion List is a low-maintenance way to keep posted on new issues and efforts in place to fight low health literacy. Plus, you can post your own questions or announcements to get some national input.

What is Family Literacy?

2011-04-11T09:23:00.002-05:00

By Erica Schmidt, MSSW Intern

A mother’s literacy level is one of the most significant predictors of a child’s future success in school, and family literacy is one service that works to overcome that reality and increases literacy rates throughout Central Texas. Many family literacy programs exist throughout Central Texas, and the Literacy Coalition is working to gain a better understanding of them one-by-one.

A pre-analysis of seven of the larger LCCT family literacy providers revealed that these organizations strongly believe there is great need for program support in Central Texas. For that reason, we have been conducting a needs assessment with all family literacy providers over the past weeks.

Some of what we are looking at includes populations served, program content, best practices, availability of resources, challenges, as well as establishing a standard definition of family literacy through our five-county area. We are also curious to hear about the interest of providers to participate in the expansion of literacy services in Central Texas. All of this is important for providers and us to know as we build community capacities to ensure the success of family literacy programs.

So what is family literacy exactly? Family literacy programs are most effective when they deliver services through a holistic approach that empowers families by educating the children and parents together. Family literacy fosters an ability and readiness of families to interact with printed materials of any kind. The hope is that families not only feel confident in their literacy ability but that they promote it throughout their children’s lives.

Come to the First Instructor Meet-up!

2011-04-08T10:22:00.008-05:00

This coming Monday we are going to initiate an exciting new Literacy Coalition event - the Instructor Meet-Up! Come network and share your classroom stories with other ESL, ABE, and GED instructors. Instructors of all levels of experience are welcome, and we hope to turn these gatherings into a monthly opportunity to hear about what's happening in adult education around the area. In the future, we may also tailor some of our Meet-Ups to specific topics based on your suggestions, such as how to lead multi-level classrooms, strategies for teaching low-literacy students, etc. For now, however, we just want to start with a big group discussion about your experience teaching - and we're eager to hear what you have to say!

Monday's Meet-Up will be from 12p-1p at the Carver Library Branch at 1161 Angelina, in East Austin. To RSVP please click here!

We hope to see you there!

Graphs and Global Health - A Great Tool for Your Next Adult Ed Lesson

2011-03-24T17:09:00.000-05:00

In our health literacy workshops for adult ed instructors we encourage instructors to incorporate at least one health topic into every single lesson. That may seem like we're asking WAY too much because as we all know, time is always an issue in the classroom. But it really isn't all that hard to do! Health is such a major factor in all of our lives; all day, every day we make decisions that affect our health and the health of the community as a whole. What we eat and drink, washing our hands, taking our meds, and on and on. Because our health is so intertwined with all we do in life, it's easy to incorporate health-related information into any lesson. Take for example, a lesson on graphs and charts - check out this great video. It's perfect for an activating background knowledge activity to spark discussion at the beginning of the class, or the focal point of the lesson, around which you could have students work together to create their own graphs!

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojo

Try using this video in one of your next lessons. I bet your learners will be engaged in the lesson, and the video will foster active participation and lively discussion! Good luck!

The Literacy Coalition Takes on Digital Literacy

2011-03-18T12:18:00.009-05:00

These are exciting times here at the Literacy Coalition. To enhance our efforts of raising awareness and addressing the problems of illiteracy in central Texas, we're spreading our wings and taking on the ever-growing issue of digital literacy. Many centrals Texans either do not have access to computers and broadband internet or are unable to access what is available due to affordability, lack of computer skills, and a perceived lack of content relative to their daily lives.

Enter the Learner Web! Through a nationwide partnership funded by the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program through the U.S. Department of Commerce, central Texans will now have access to this innovative, online system of self-paced learning plans. The aim of the partnership and the Learner Web is to increase computer literacy and broadband use among low-income, low-literate, ESOL, and other vulnerable populations. The learning plans focus on digital literacy and consumer broadband education where students will learn how to use computers, how to access broadband in their communities, and how to use the internet including email, social networking, and job searching.

We've just wrapped up the pilot phase of the project and are ready to offer the Learner Web at computer labs in and around central Texas. The initial labs will include the San Marcos Public Library and the Austin Public Library with plans to expand the program to over 20 labs the coming months. Stayed tuned as this exciting, new project breaks ground!

Never a Boring Classroom!

2011-03-15T20:15:00.016-05:00

Only one thing will get me out of bed early on Saturday—an LCCT training for literacy instructors. Maybe you don’t kick off your weekend by getting up early to talk about the fascinating world of language acquisition, but there are some seriously smart and fun people who do. The volunteers and staff instructors I meet through LCCT never fail to impress me with their passion, insight, and ability. Yet what I enjoy most of all is how our classroom becomes a community.

We’re like-minded: we all care about literacy and the people we serve. We’re driven toward a common goal: to learn and share what we know about good teaching. We reject that a classroom should be boring, repetitive, or pointless. We pursue the prop or image that engages people, the lesson that builds on itself, and we want meaningful communication most of all. Here’s a look at last Saturday’s ESL Instructor Training!

Interest Inventory Cards let students look at images and make associations: they depict people at work, a doctor, a person holding a map, etc. Participants rank them based on what’s important to learn in class vs. what’s less important. I’m amazed at how many different associations one picture can produce.

One picture on the cards has a little blond kid holding a boombox. People in the training have said this image represents music, technology, dancing, childcare, entertainment, spending money, and Justin Bieber. Now that I think about it, I guess those are all related.

Authentic materials are props to represent the real world in the classroom. A volunteer, Ray, uses an authentic toy cellphone to make an authentic imaginary phone call.

Hard at work planning an ESL lesson—this group’s topic was “Housing” and they did a great job. If you need to find a new apartment on craigslist, I highly recommend them!

Another group hard at work planning… wait, is that a Toblerone? This group is hard at work planning a lesson and eating a Toblerone.

Classrooms don’t have to be boring, and with the people who show up for LCCT trainings, they never are. We had teachers, writers, gardening enthusiasts, musicians… and each person had a unique story that would make them great company on the weekend. I wish I could write here about how awesome all of these people were, but I’m out of space. So if you want to meet great people who make the classroom a fun place to be, get involved with literacy! Go to http://www.willread.org/Get-Involved.html

6 ways health literacy can make you a stronger instructor

2011-03-11T12:13:00.014-06:00

Adult educators often wonder what they’re getting themselves into when they sign up for one of our Health Literacy Instructor Trainings. I mean, how can one person manage to address all of life’s issues in just a few short classes a week? Well, let’s face it, that’s just impossible. But teachers know that learning is a lifelong journey and are always looking for new strategies to make their classrooms better. So, here are six ways our Health Literacy Instructor Training can make stronger instructors:

1. By offering a new perspective on their students’ issues outside of the classroom

2. By giving tools to engage every student and make lessons even more relevant

3. By creating instructors that are confident in handling student inquiries about healthcare issues affecting their learning

4. By illustrating how substantially students’ literacy skills affect them economically in the healthcare setting

5. By making it easier to keep class attendance up

6. By teaching them how to empower not only their students, but themselves as patients.

What this training won’t do is make instructors health experts or substitutes for healthcare professionals and social workers. Our goal is to, in a short three and a half hours, make instructors even greater resources for their students and strengthen their curriculum. Every student sees the health of their families as their top priority. By motivating instructors to create a bridge between literacy and healthcare, our hope is that the individuals they serve can spend more time learning and less time worrying about healthcare.

If you’re ready to learn more, e-mail me at lobar@willread.org to sign-up for our next central training on April 6th! We hope to see you there!

First impressions

2011-03-07T16:54:00.003-06:00

What a wonderful three weeks! Today marks nearly a month for me at the Literacy Coalition, where I am lucky enough to work on the trainings and curriculum side of LCCT efforts. Although my tenure is almost long enough to mean I’m already too biased to say this, I’ll go ahead anyway - the LCCT is one of the most organized and well-run organizations I’ve encountered. As you well know, the staff is incredible, and I’m nothing but consistently impressed by the work that this small but driven group of people tackles each day. I’d also argue that no other non-profit can compete when it comes to file structure. These folks know how to construct an online folder system! Sometimes starting a new job can mean getting a collection of thrown together papers and an unlabeled box that you have to sort through to make sense of anything, but the time the LCCT put into collecting and categorizing their work is well worth it. I easily jumped into their materials and started reading. Off I go.

In the coming weeks and months I hope to get to know more of you in my new role. I look forward learning more about the wonderful work at each of our partner organizations, and I welcome any questions you might have. This is an exciting time for the LCCT and I’m very glad I get to be a part of it!

A Happy Bee Blog!

2011-03-04T15:39:00.003-06:00

Each first Tuesday of the month, spellers from all over Austin gather to compete at the Literacy Coalition’s Happy Bee at The Belmont. These monthly events are fun, raise awareness, and act as small fundraisers to help support our work to eradicate illiteracy. What exactly does it take to compete?

Being a Spell Raiser at a Happy Bees isn’t easy. By following this step-by-step guide you’ll be well on your way to becoming next month’s Happy Bee winner!

1. You’ll have to come to the realization that yes, in fact you do spell lots of words really well. Words like potato, weird, and potluck don’t come easily to everybody, so you’re one step ahead in that sense.

2. Next, you’ll want to find that courage deep down inside that you usually save for asking a girl/guy out or running a big race to sign up to compete. Draw a number - that will be your position in the Spell Raiser line of the Happy Bee.

3. Next, you’ll have to pay close attention to the rules about things like eliminations and audience shout outs. Keep in mind your friends will be having a good time at a table nearby. Don’t worry though, they’ll be ready to cheer you on as soon as the competition starts!

4. When it’s your turn to spell, you’ll come up to the microphone and stand under the bright light – sorry, it’s pretty bright. Listen carefully for the word you must spell. You’ll have to use your best listening skills, since the Pronouncer will only repeat the word once.

5. Using your noggin, you’ll spell the word to the best of your Spell Raiser ability. You’ll probably do great, spell the word perfectly, and we’ll all be super proud of you! Of course, we’ll all understand if you don’t, because who has to spell words like tintinnabula every day?!

6. After a few rounds, there’s just a few Spell Raisers left. Remember that courage you found to sign up? Use that good stuff one more time. The competition may get tough, and you may actually want to remember how to spell tintinnabula.

In the end there can only be one winner of the Happy Bee. You’ll get a prize if you come in first or second though, so don’t give up! Prizes for past winners have included gift cards to How Do You Roll?, Hey Cupcake!, Güero’s, Austin Java, and other great places. And really, what better prize is there than cheers, hugs, and high five’s from all your friends after you give it your all?!

*Note: The Happy Bee at The Belmont will be taking the month off in April since there are two Satellite Bees in bee-tween. Check out a Satellite Bee at The High Ball on Tuesday, March 22^nd or Thursday, April 7^th!

Literacy Day at the Capitol

2011-03-02T13:28:00.012-06:00

This year’s Literacy Day at the Capitol got off to an unusual start – we had to reschedule at the last minute because of abnormal winter weather and Austin’s rolling blackouts!

City Hall the day after what was originally going to be Literacy Day

When Literacy Day at the Capitol did happen this past Thursday, though, it was a resounding success. Nearly 300 people came out to advocate. After breakfast and advocacy training at the First Baptist Church, we all marched up to the Capitol in groups. I tagged along with Becky Rhodes and the Austin Academy. Our group went to visit Senator Kirk Watson’s staff and had a sit-down meeting. We went around the table and introduced ourselves, with each of the students explaining why he or she was attending the Austin Academy. The staffer was genuinely interested in their stories and asked quite a few questions about the difficulties adult learners face in their educational journeys. We left behind printed information about the severe effects of illiteracy and policies that affect pivotal adult literacy programs.

The Austin Academy group before heading to the Capitol

Across the Capitol, student advocates were able to help increase awareness of adult literacy programs and impress how important those programs are. Other groups had experiences like the Austin Academy's, and were able to really educate staffers about the reality of illiteracy in our community.

More groups visiting the Capitol

It was a successful day! The rain held off everything wrapped up right around noon. The only downside to my morning was getting stuck walking several blocks back to the Coalition’s offices in the pouring rain!

30 Seconds in the Life of a Low Health Literate Individual

2011-03-01T10:23:00.001-06:00

1) What has your physician recommended for you?
2) What does this procedure involve?
3) How are you going to prepare for the procedure?

Now, think about how that felt? Did it take you a second to figure out what you were reading? Did you have to look back at the short paragraph in order to answer the questions at the end? If you struggled with this exercise, maybe you will be able to better empathize with the the 90 million low health-literate Americans who face frustrations such as this on a daily basis. The average medical form, whether it be a pamphlet on how to eat nutritiously or a patient consent form, is written at the 10th grade level. The average American is reading at the 8th grade level. Herein lies one of the major problems in our healthcare system.

What can you do? If you're an adult ed instructor, incorporate health-related information into your lesson plans. Don't know how? No problem, we provide half-day workshops on how to teach health literacy in the adult ed classroom! If you're a healthcare provider or advocate, talk to your supervisors about the patient-friendliness of the materials that you provide your clients. Also, think about the care you provide low health literate clients...are they REALLY understanding everything you tell them? We provide trainings on patient-provider communication in order to improve patient-compliance. Together we can begin to increase the health literacy of our community.

It’s organic, didn’t you know?

2011-02-18T17:50:00.009-06:00

Your ideas count, or rather, my ideas count. That seems to be the unspoken motto of the Literacy Coalition. As the newest member of the team and plucked from a bureaucratic giant, words like “run with it” are not something I’m used to hearing.

Landing in such an organic, fluid, and intellectually-charged environment is daunting for someone like me who’s more familiar with the concepts of “top-down,” “vertical hierarchy,” and “boundaries” than the ideas of empowerment and cooperation. There’s no time clock. It’s you, your ideas, your team, and the community. All are dependent on each other for sustainability, expected to create an ever-evolving synergy with more direct impact than thought possible. It’s something I can get behind.

The bar is set high here where initiative, direct interaction among team members, and open communication allow for creation and flexibility. I witness community impact and capacity- and coalition-building, once vague and ill-defined notions for me, on a daily basis. It’s a collective force of energy and ideas, and I can’t wait to jump aboard. Wait, I am on board. I hope I can hold on…

The Invisible Challenge

2011-02-15T12:12:00.003-06:00

When we tell people that one in five adults struggles with literacy to the extent that they can't fill out a job application, we almost always see shock and disbelief in their faces. I, too, doubted the statistics, until I really dug in to the data and the validity of the sources. And I have to say, it's true. Not only is it true, but I now understand why it's so unbelievable. The issue of illiteracy is, by nature, an invisible one. You most often cannot tell when you come across someone who is struggling with literacy issues. Which makes this issue one of the most pervasive challenges in our community and communities across the nation. There is very little attention to the literacy challenges of families around us; very little government dollars are invested in literacy instruction in the state of Texas and locally. General awareness of the prevalence and consequences of the issue is very low. So, we continue to allow the snowball of a problem to silently worsen. Because of our collective low investment in literacy instruction for adults, kids enter school way behind, and are much more likely to drop out. Then they have children that struggle in school, and the cycle continues. The beauty of the issue of literacy is that the solution is so simple. When people have access to high quality instruction, they change their own lives, and the lives of their children. We hear everyday about the transforming effect of literacy programs. It's not uncommon to hear things like "I never really though I could learn," or "I never had goals for myself, but now I know I have what it takes to become a nurse." Research shows very clearly that when a parent enters a literacy program, the child does better in school and is much less likely to drop out. And when those parents have access to good instruction, they are finally able to lift the invisible weight off their shoulders and pursue their dreams. That's why we do what we do! Thanks for helping us make it possible.

Comic Book Literacy

2011-02-14T11:44:00.000-06:00

So you might be asking yourself what do Comic Books and Literacy have in common? In early January I came across a documentary called ... Comic Book Literacy and was intrigued. I looked into the documentary film exploring the positive potential of comics in community education and was blown away by the love of the film. The film features interviews with a number of comic book creators, publishers, artists and fans...many of whom attribute their own love of reading to comics. I had it on my "to see" list to check out ...

Fast forward to February and I receive an email from Uncle Staple of the STAPLE! Independent Media Expo and as luck would have it he informed me that as part of the programming this year the Comic Book Literacy documentary will be screening! The film will be shown at 4:00pm Saturday March 5th, after which there will be a Q&A panel with the film's director Todd Kent & James O'Barr, the creator of The Crow, who appears in the film as one of the interviewees.

Comic books and literacy are two subjects Uncle Staple feels strongly about, and the more I read the more I have to agree with him. I believe that this film has an important message that needs to be shared with those in the educational and literacy communities who may not see the connection between literacy and comics. I would encourage all of our providers to check out this film!

STAPLE! runs from 11-6 Saturday March 5th and from 12-6 Sunday March 6th... $15 for a two day pass gets you into everything but LCCT providers and friends I have news for you! I have passes for the expo & film screening that will be given away over the next few weeks at our Annual Meeting and on our FaceBook page! LCCT will be joining the STAPLE! family for the weekend, so look for our booth and come by to say hello!

Check out these awesome trailers Uncle Staple passed to me today ...

this one is an animated trailer, by local artist Yehudi Mercado:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXRB-s4pIYE

...and here is a trailer for the Comic Book Literacy documentary we will be screening at the show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUvxYzhvMDA

The gift of health literacy!

2011-02-11T10:01:00.010-06:00

A few weeks ago, a program called Austin GiveCamp offered the Coalition a belated Christmas gift. In cities across the nation, the Camp brings together area web developers and designers to do pro bono work for nonprofits over a weekend. They came to us at exactly the right time, because some pretty big plans were brewing over in the Health Literacy Department.

Next week, the Coalition will be launching its new and greatly improved Health Literacy webpage, fully equipped with a searchable library of every health literacy resource we know about. You'll be able to go to our page and search resources based on your perspective as an adult educator, healthcare provider, or patient. The page will be premiered at the Literacy Coalition's Annual Meeting for our network providers on February 16th. Have your clicking fingers ready, because overlooking health literacy just got a whole lot harder!

A Health Literacy Coordinator's Stay at the Hospital

2011-01-25T11:18:00.003-06:00

I spent most of last week in "one of the top 100 hospitals in America" at the bedside of my girlfriend who was in for a cholecystectomy. A WHAT??? Oh, sorry. She had her gall bladder removed.

"Cholecystectomy," that's a new word I learned last week, along with about 25 others such as intravenous, intraoperative, supine, phenergran, and on and on. Being that I have spent more hours in the past year researching and working with health literacy than sleeping, I felt well prepared and empowered as my gf's patient advocate. We made a list of questions upon checking into the hospital and continually added to it over the next 4 days. We were relentless in our question asking; getting opinions from everyone from the surgeon to the cleaning lady.

At one point we actually made a nurse feel quite uncomfortable as she was struggling to explain the anti-nausea medicine, phenergran, to her drowsy, scared patient. I was persistent in my repetition of, "Wait, what does that mean?" and "Sclerosed veins? I don't understand, can you tell us what the side effects are in Laymen's terms?" At all of my pestering, the nurse dejectedly admitted, "I'm not a very good teacher. I know what I'm doing but I've never been a good teacher."

The hospital at which we stayed has the mission to "strive to provide exceptional care to every patient every day with a spirit of warmth, friendliness and personal pride." I believe them. Although striving to provide this exceptional, patient-centered care, and regardless of their ranking as a top 100 hospital, my girlfriend and I saw HUGE room for improvement. I hope I see those direct-care staff again someday and I hope that when that time comes, that they are sitting in on one of the Literacy Coalition's Health Literacy Trainings. I'm proud to provide a product that drastically improves patient-provider communication and patient-care, even at a top 100 hospital.

events, more events, and sponsorships, oh my!

2011-01-18T10:25:00.000-06:00

As the Development and Communications Officer here at the Literacy Coalition, I am always thinking about how this organization can creatively bring in more income. As many of you know, we are seeing a huge expansion this year!! (For those of you that didn't know that, here are some details: We are bringing two national programs to Austin! The Learner Web and Literacy*AmeriCorps!) But, in order for all of that to go smoothly and eventually stabilize, our income must grow, and that's where I come in. Today, I'm going to talk a little about events & sponsorships and how those things can bring in money for your organization.

1) Events. Back in October, I blogged about the Literacy Coalition's events and gave you all some practical questions to ask yourselves before you and your organization embarked on a new event. It was all good advice and we actually thought through the events we had in place and have changed some things up. Our Happy Bees have taken off and are still going strong every 1st Tuesday of each month, however our monthly 'get to know us' events have been put on hold. A lot of factors played into those decisions, and the biggest one for you to consider should by 'Who are you trying to reach?' Without knowing this, you'll embark on a huge project and end up disappointed when you don't get the results you want.

Right now, our focus is on our Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee for Literacy on April 28th! (If YOU are interested in participating, reply to this blog post!) But it's not just the event itself that we're planning for... we are slaving over securing sponsorships!

2) Sponsorships. Sponsorships are a great way to earn money for your cause while also connecting with local businesses! By offering some sponsorship benefits in return, you can provide a business with great visibility. For example, we choose to recognize our 'presenting sponsors' by placing their logo and a 'thanks' on the front page of our website. (*Very Important: Make sure you know the rules and UBIT laws about what you can provide tax-free in return for sponsorship dollars!! Consult an attorney to make sure you are abiding by the laws!)

Also, don't think soliciting sponsors will be a piece of cake... just like a grant proposal, you will want to approach sponsors with the mind-set of getting them involved with your organization/cause/work. Some businesses won't see your sponsorship benefits as that great of a deal, but it's not really all about that. Sponsorship is a chance for a business to put their name on something for a good cause - you still have to cultivate and steward those relationships! (Hint: Businesses don't want to contribute to an event that only yields 15% profit... they want to know that their money is actually going to help your organization, not just pay for the event!) And follow-up is a must - let those sponsors know what you are doing with their money and how it's having a positive impact on the community! By keeping them in the loop, you'll keep them coming back for more sponsorships in the future.

My advice to you is to get creative! Do you have any stories to share about events and sponsorships? Reply below and let us know! I'd love to hear your personal stories!

Because everyone needs a little help when it comes to healthcare

2011-01-10T22:40:00.010-06:00

So, I just finished my second month as Health Literacy Specialist VISTA at the Literacy Coalition! I already take pleasure in looking back and assessing all I've learned about literacy in the healthcare setting over just a couple of months. One of the biggest surprises so far has been finding out that even I underestimated the health resources available to me before my days at The Coalition. My wake-up call came in the form of my first beast of an undertaking with the LCCT: the 2011 Healthcare Resource Directory.

As mundane as updating hundreds of addresses and phone numbers may be, the reward at the end of it all is pretty substantial. For those of you who have never used our directory, it can be best described as a consolidation of information on all of the low-cost clinics, hospitals, specialty health services, and healthcare benefits programs available to Central Texans and their families. It’s designed to be used by professionals in healthcare, social services, adult education… whoever has access to populations at risk for low health literacy. Those professionals are in a prime spot to be valuable resources to patients through personal referrals. The new and improved 3rd edition of The Directory will contain all of the helpful information the 2nd did last year, with the addition of a new chapter dedicated to healthcare navigation and patient resources. This chapter will list services Central Texans need to fill out their health benefits applications, get to their appointments, coordinate their medications and treatments, get legal advice about their healthcare, and more. The latest edition will also include a handy index, expanded glossary, and a few other tricks to help users find the information they need, fast.

I once thought that the right motivation and total access to pretty much every imaginable piece of information every person has ever documented (A.K.A. the Internet) would be more than enough to equip me for making simple health decisions. Turns out... Not so much. Having access to everything doesn’t always mean finding what you need. With The Directory, we try to fill that gap between information access and actual comprehension. We do all the sifting and sorting so that you can skip a few headaches and help more people. Cool, huh?

The 2011 Healthcare Resource Directory is set to roll out in early February, so e-mail me at lobar@willread.org A.S.A.P. to reserve your organization’s copy!

New Year's Resolutions!

2011-01-06T10:42:00.000-06:00

Yes. We are jumping on the New Year's Resolution bandwagon. Why not, right? As an organization, we have some pretty big dreams for 2011...

One big dream is to bring Literacy*AmeriCorps to Austin! Why is this a big deal? By bringing this national program to Austin, we will be mobilizing talented and dedicated volunteers to take action fighting the serious issue of illiteracy. Right now, it is estimated that less than 3% of people in need of literacy services actually have access to them. That is not ok. Our community is suffering and we believe Literacy*AmeriCorps will be a step in the right direction! By bringing this program to Austin, hundreds of families will receive thousands of hours of literacy instruction that otherwise wouldn't have been available.

As far as resolutions...I'll go out on a limb and list a few that pertain to my role as the Development and Communications Officer:

Get more community members engaged in the issue of literacy.
Get more corporations and businesses involved in supporting our work.
Get more involved with social media - as an organization, be on Facebook more, Tweet more (follow us @ReachTeachUnite), and blog more!!
Get to know our individual donors on a deeper level.

Do you have any big dreams or New Year's Resolutions?! If so, share them with us! Especially if one of yours involves volunteering in a literacy classroom, donating to a literacy organization, or learning more about a very serious issue in your community :)

Are you ready for volunteers?

2010-11-12T09:27:00.001-06:00

Last time we checked in on the Institute for Excellence in Volunteer Management (i.e. our two day volunteer management extravaganza in September) people were asking, "What do we do with all of this great information now?" ... Well you didn't think we were going to leave them high and dry, did you?!

Part of the mastery of the institute's design included continued support for the participating organizations to help them clearly focus on the identified topics where they felt as though outside help was needed. University of Texas graduate students from the School of Social Work, LBJ Public Affairs, and the College of Communications are working together collaboratively with these 15 organizations:

Any Baby Can

American YouthWorks

The Austin Academy

Austin Area Interreligious Ministries (AAIM)
Austin Free-Net

Austin Learning Academy

Communities in Schools
Caritas

El Buen Samaritano

English at Work

The Financial Literacy Coalition of Central Texas

GoodWill Central Texas

Lifeworks

Manos de Cristo
Ventanilla de Salud

It is amazing to see what is being accomplished with in the groups! The student consultants are working together in the following focus areas:

Focus Areas: Volunteer/Staff Relations and Buy in

Staff attitudes towards volunteers
Levels of training (volunteer management)
Position descriptions and roles (staff and volunteer)
Language related to volunteers (ex. mission, website, literature)
Expectations
Conflict mediation procedures
Volunteer and staff recognition

Focus Area: Evaluation of Volunteer Program, Staff & Volunteers

Establishing evaluation needs
What needs to be evaluated (volunteer program, volunteers, staff, etc)
Purpose of evaluation (efficacy, satisfaction, or both)
Forms of evaluation that best aligns with organization’s needs
Providing research, evaluation tools, applications, and useful examples

Focus Areas: Supervision & Support

Provide an overview of the supervision process
Guidelines for supervising volunteers
Effective follow up with volunteers
Methods to provide support to your volunteers.

Focus Areas: Policies, Procedures & Organizational Strategies

Assess & evaluate existing policies and procedures
Identify problem areas that could be addressed to strengthen policies and procedures
Identify resources related to strengthening policies and procedures
Develop hands on strategies and tools (including technology/data management) to successfully integrate policies and procedures into organizational culture

As the end of the semester is rolling around, the students are doing a great job at getting these consulting projects completed. The next big thing will be providing the organizations with the valuable information that they've worked so hard on all semester! Stay tuned to hear about more progress!

Celebrating Our 10th Anniversary!

2010-11-03T11:44:00.002-05:00

In celebration of the Literacy Coalition of Central Texas turning 10, check out just how far we've come by looking at our organizational timeline!

(The more you 'zoom out' by viewing less years at a time, them more details you can see about each of our entries. Scroll to the beginning and start from there!)

Literacy Coalition Celebrates 10th Anniversary! on Dipity.

Also, visit our website to find out more information about how YOU can win a gift!
(Hint: All you have to do is follow this blog, follow our Twitter account, and become a fan of our Facebook page and tell us about it!)