Could you imagine living your life without knowing how to read? In Broome-Tioga counties, one out of five residents has a literacy problem that negatively affects their lives and 14% of the adult population cannot read at a 5th grade reading level. Without the ability to read, job opportunities are greatly restricted and simple tasks that people usually take for granted, like filling out a job application or reading a newspaper, are nearly impossible.
The Literacy Volunteers of Broome-Tioga Counties is a local organization that aims to assist adults in developing literacy skills by providing free one-on-one volunteer tutoring. They are the only local organization that provides these services and they help hundreds of adults every year. They have two major programs: Adult Basic Education and English for Speakers of Other Languages. Adult Basic Education is weekly tutoring with a trained volunteer to work on basic math and reading skills. English for Speakers of Other Languages is a similar program which focuses on speaking and listening to help new English speakers improve their skills. They also have a weekly 90 minute lab and mini sessions which are held weekly.
In my first reflection paper, I wrote about how one of my biggest core beliefs is equality of education as it gives people chances that they otherwise wouldn’t have. By educating adults in reading, math and computer skills, it provides them new opportunities to succeed and live a normal life. As college students, we all have nearly unlimited opportunities with what we want to do with our lives and I believe that the Literacy Volunteers of Broome-Tioga Counties is helping others share in that opportunity.
This organization provides an invaluable service to the community. Adults who otherwise don’t have a chance to succeed or grow professionally are given that chance. Many charities and nonprofits focus on temporary aid, but this organization focuses on stopping the root of inequality through adult education and create permanent change in their student’s lives. The Literacy Volunteers provide a relatively cheap service that can really turn people’s lives around.
Because of the Literacy Volunteers’ services and importance to the community, I believe in this organization and I hope you believe in it too.
Link to the Literacy Volunteers' website: https://broometiogaliteracy.org/
Hi Adiel!
ReplyDeleteMy first question is to where you got your beginning 14% statistic? I did not see it on the website you linked at the bottom, but if it’s credible that’s actually outstanding. I would like to doubt this, but unfortunately that does not surprise me. I agree that the ability to read does make the world of a difference (I wouldn’t be able to comment on this if I could not read your post). Relating to the literacy of illiterate children, this is an incredibly valid point. My mom works at socioeconomic challenged urban school and has told me much about the challenges they face. Many of the children’s first language is not english and come into school with limited knowledge of the english language. Their parents are largely unable to help with homework and expand these skills.
As a result, she has implemented many programs to increase their literacy rates. I know a large portion of your post describes adult literacy, but I agree with you in that education is the key to success. The best way to combat it is in fact through education, but if this education is done early on a large portion of the issue is erased. Therefore, I see the importance of adult literacy, but I also hope that this is being addressed at a lower level also. I am excited to hear your presentation and possibly contribute to this cause!
Adiel,
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post on the Literacy Volunteers of Broome-Tioga Counties, and was shocked when finding out that 14% of the adult population in these counties cannot read above a fifth grade reading level. However, I do have a question about this statistic. After researching as a class about the American Civic Association and the people that they serve, I am well aware of the relatively high percentage of immigrants in the Broome County area. I was wondering, when it was stated that 14% of the adult population in these counties cannot read above a fifth grade reading level, was this statistic referring to adults who cannot read at this level in English? Or, is the statement referring to 14% of adults who cannot read at this level in their native language? Whatever the answer may be, this percentage is still quite surprising!
Overall, according to the current immigration rates and population percentages in Broome County, I think this organization has a clear need in this area. Learning a second language, English nonetheless, is a very hard task to manage, especially if you are also adjusting to life in a new country. Yet, this is the issue that immigrants commonly face, and with the help of organizations like these, they are able to get the help they need to further themselves. The Literacy Volunteers of Broome-Tioga counties could be the reason that an individual was able to attain a job in the United States, and that is a fantastic achievement for the organization.
I also had a second question. since Broome County is home to a very large educational institution: our very own Binghamton University, does the Literacy Volunteers of Broome-Tioga counties ever utilize the university as a resource? English is a very popular major within the university, and I think it would be a great idea for an organization so close to BU to collaborate with the university. With this collaboration, those who need the help in literacy and tutoring receive it, and students studying English, or virtually any major, may gain real-time experience in teaching the information they are mastering. Nevertheless, I can't wait to hear your charity pitch!
Hey Adiel,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that you pitched this organization. Being literate is something that I think, as literate people, we take for granted. So many people in not only in our country, but in the world suffer from not being able to read or write. I want to provide a couple of other statistics to add onto the ones already provided: more than thirty million adults in the U.S. cannot read, write, or do basic math above a third-grade level. Also, it is closer to seventy-five percent of inmates that can be classified as low literate, or did not complete high school. These numbers are staggering and help show the illiteracy problem that exists in our world. Do you remember the seemingly basic reading and writing assignments you would do in third grade? Imagine millions of people not being able to complete them, or even being able to add together three-digit numbers. This is the state of the world that we are in: a world that is so tremendously ingrained with a lack of literacy.
In a previous assignment, we were tasked with creating a list of criteria that we could then use to come up with our own list of finalists. I had Literacy Volunteers as one of my finalists for two main reasons: the necessity to fund an organization such as this, and the fact that it is local. Being literate lets someone lead a successful life: they can get an acceptable job with a comfortable wage and function in everyday life. If someone lacks even the most basic skills necessary for communication, social interaction and life, then that is a problem. And so what this organization is doing is great: at its foundation, it is allowing adults who suffered from lack of literacy (either by choice or need) to pretty much re-establish their life.
A question that can then be posed is: How exactly can we fix this problem of illiteracy? Organizations such as Literacy Volunteers are a start, and I do hope that they can end up expanding on a much broader scale to help more people. I have a friend whose parents are both illiterate—they both work low-paying jobs and he cannot afford things that we may take for granted—food, new clothing—all the time. It is doubly rough for him as well, because he in a way is forced to live a double life. Away from home he speaks English, but at home he is forced to speak his native language. It is hard for him, and it would be much easier for him if he would be able to communicate in English with his family members.
Literacy Volunteers is diverse and appeals to many people. I am interested in knowing how many people this organization, or ones like it, help. Also, is there a threshold to the amount of people that can effectively be helped by these organizations? Also, to return to the question I asked previously: How can we fix this problem of illiteracy? I have a couple ideas, which are both extensions of my own thought and from a source that I will link below. First, literacy instruction needs to be much more heavily emphasized in schools at every level. If we focus on these basic skills of reading and writing, then that may be able to help tackle illiteracy. Also, there needs to be more organizations such as Literacy Volunteers that can appeal to not only adults, but also children. Whether or not people may have dropped out of school early due to choice or necessity, there needs to be some way for them to becoming literate. In a way, we need to come up with more holistic approaches to tackle these problems, as it is such a significant issue. Literacy Volunteers is making good strides in helping adult illiteracy, but I feel that as a world, we need to become much more aggressive in fixing the problem for anyone who may be classified as illiterate.
https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/education-news-roundup/illiteracy-in-america/
Hi Adiel,
ReplyDeleteI wanted to write this comment to share that I am glad that Literacy Volunteers of Broome-Tioga County are receiving our donation. I thought you did a great job presenting and I especially like the statistics you provided. As someone who likes to vote on an organization based on which of the three charities will have the greatest positive impact, your statistics were the deciding factor for me. I was shocked to find out how many people in our community could not read at a fifth grade level. I also had not realized just how much of a negative impact being illiterate has on a person’s life and chance of success. I feel like there are not enough programs in general that work to help resolve the problem of illiteracy in the United States, and I definitely think that Binghamton could greatly benefit from a solid organization such as the one you pitched.