Profile of the Literacy Volunteers Of America

Imagine not being able to read a newspaper, understand a recipe, or enjoy a letter. We don't give it much thought, and sometimes even take our ability to read for granted. However, adult illiteracy is a serious problem. When a radio program profiled Literacy Volunteers of America, I became involved as an adult literacy tutor. In a 1992 survey that measured adult illiteracy, the national capital area ranked third highest nationally. The Literacy Volunteers of the National Capital Area (LVA-NCA) changes lives of adults in the Washington metropolitan area. Through literacy, adults can achieve educational, professional, and personal goals.

Toward accomplishing this mission, LVA-NCA:

•Teaches basic literacy in an effort to strengthen related life and work skills by offering free, confidential, individualized tutoring and small-group instruction.

•Educates the community about the underlying causes and consequences of illiteracy and

•Partners with other organizations who share LVA-NCA's vision to work eliminate local illiteracy.Who They AreLVA-NCA is comprised of a small staff. Both volunteer tutors and a limited number of paid staff are members of the local community.

Tutors and staff come from different places. In various stages in their lives, the reasons for involvement are as different as the people themselves. "I had just finished college and wanted to work in a meaningful field before going back to school. AmeriCorps offers some benefits and great work experience. Working with adults was an entirely new experience for me. But I didn't know much about the PROBLEM of adult literacy until I began working with LVA. Much of my knowledge of adult literacy has come from my experiences here," explains Adult Learner Coordinator and AmeriCorps volunteer Meghan Dunn.

As Dunn's experience illustrates, each person involved brings different experiences.Volunteer coordinator Gretchen Whitney had an entirely different experience. Whitney recalls, "I wanted to sail around the world when I turned 50 so decided I need to learn to speak Spanish. At the same time, I was running a property management company and supervised cleaning and landscaping people who spoke Spanish and didn't know much English. I just assumed that they could easily learn. As I tried to learn Spanish, I realized those trying to learn English at 40, 50, or 60 years of age must be struggling too. I decided to volunteer ESOL (English as a second language).

That was 10 years ago," Whitney says. Services OfferedAs mentioned earlier, Literacy Volunteers of the National Capital Area offers small group and individualized tutoring. LVA serves adults who have level three illiteracy. Known as functional illiteracy, those at this level have difficulty completing functional tasks of daily living. For example, someone who is functionally illiterate cannot read map directions, the newspaper or recipes. To overcome such a challenge, LVA offers several small group classes. Recently, I observed a class Whitney teaches. The six-week small group course at Catholic charities in Washington DC is very different from individual, family, and workplace tutoring which are also available. Small group literacy classes may appear similar to traditional classroom based classes. However, they are quite different.

Small Group LearningSmall group classes contain a maximum of seven students. Learners are active and equal participants in the classes. Instruction is learner directed and Whitney helps to facilitate the learning process. In the six-week, "Reading for Understanding" class that Whitney teaches, learners are encouraged to read for the purpose of understanding context as well as the literal meaning of text a. take an active role in the learning process. Learners establish goals for the class. They also select materials their own and plan activities done during learning sessions.Giving BackTutoring is very rewarding for me. To me, the greatest reward happens when one of my learners read independently for the first time. Although the process of reading independently can be painstaking and requires great deal of effort on the part of learners, my heart is touched when I watch them put so much heart into reading on their own.

Volunteering as a tutor influences me personally. The experience has given me a chance to use my love for literacy toward helping others develop literacy skills, while achieving a greater sense of independence.Changing Lives Many positive life changes result from improved literacy skills. Antoine Rhodes, a learner from Northwest D.C., is a case in point. Since beginning tutoring sessions in February, Rhodes is looking for part-time work. Within the last few weeks, Rhodes has been on several interviews for part-time positions at Legal Sea Foods in Washington. "I interviewed at two different Legal Seafoods locations to be a host part-time,"Rhodes says.

Due to a lack of experience, Rhodes was not offered a position. However, the experience serves to motivate him "I did not have enough experience in the restaurant industry, but I will keep looking for a job," Rhodes states. Like many learners, literacy tutoring has given him a desire to succeed. His goal is simple. Rhodes explains,"I want to be able to read to fill out an application for a job." Reaching long-term literacy goals occurs in small steps. Toward his goal, Rhodes attends weekly tutoring. Rhodes is currently working on sounds of letters and blends. Tutoring not only improves literacy skills, but learners also receive a priceless gift. Independence.Greater IndependenceOver time, learners reap several benefits from tutoring. At first, benefits are not always noticeable.

With time and effort, not only are functional literacy skills improved, but learners also achieve an equally important goal. Learners achieve a greater level of independence in daily life. Developing functional literacy skills solves major problems experienced by learners. "Many of our learners are challenged by economic and social difficulties, as well as their difficulty with reading, and this can make learning very difficult," explains Dunn. "It is sometimes hard to concentrate on learning a new word if you're worrying about who is going to pick your child up from school or how you will make rent each month," "Raising his or her educational level can enable our learners to get jobs, or get promotions with more responsibility and higher pay.

I think most importantly, it enables them to feel better about themselves and their potential to overcome these obstacles."Like Dunn, Whitney also believes a lack of functional literacy skills contributes to difficulties for learners. "The adult population we work with are African Americans and have complicated lives. They often have trouble getting food stamps and finding jobs," she reports. This challenging problem is frequently impacted by homelessness. However, community involvement brightens this picture and increases the likelihood of learners becoming self-sufficient and independent members of society.