Dear Colleagues:

 

Join the Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion List January
19-23, 2009 to explore the role of adult literacy in international
social change initiatives and what it could mean for you in your
community. Literacy for Social Change is the term ProLiteracy uses to
describe its approach to adult basic education and literacy in more than
50 developing countries worldwide. Lynn Curtis, Vice President of
International Programs at ProLiteracy, will be our guest. Author of
Literacy for Social Change and several literacy and action manuals used
in developing countries, Dr. Curtis directs the international work of
ProLiteracy.

 

Subscribe to Participate (free):
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Professionaldevelopment 

  

Visit ProLiteracy's International Literacy for Social Change Training
Project Web page to view over 100 resources to support literacy for
social change and to take free online courses - Overcoming Poverty
Through Action-based Literacy or Literacy for Social Change. 

 

Literacy for Social Change International Training Project Web page:

http://www.proliteracy.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=420&srcid=379

 

This is the second discussion in a miniseries on Literacy for Social
Change. The first in the series explored Student Involvement and
Critical Thinking in Adult Literacy:

http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/professionaldevelopment/08student.
html 

 

(For a Web-based version of this announcement, visit:
http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/professionaldevelopment/09PDrole.h
tml)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About the Discussion 

 

Literacy for Social Change (The Integration of Literacy and Action) -
What could it mean for you?

 

Literacy for Social Change is the term ProLiteracy uses to describe its
approach to basic education and literacy in more than 50 developing
countries worldwide.  It is a methodology that integrates four critical
components-fundamental skills, critical thinking, cultural expression
and learner-initiated action.  In practice, this integration involves a
wide range of educational programs combined with an equally diverse
spectrum of community change projects.  

 

In Moshi, Tanzania, literacy classes emphasize the vocabulary and
information to start a small business and as part of the curriculum, all
learners initiate and expand their own businesses.  In Madurai, India,
women confront the forces of gender violence through a learning and
action program they call "Literacy to Eradicate Female Infanticide." In
Calamar, Colombia, literacy learners discussed health vocabulary and as
a class project, built and managed a village health clinic.  

 

In thousands of similar classes worldwide, facilitators organize
learners to practice and apply their emerging literacy skills in such
life changing projects as building and running schools for their
children, preventing and treating AIDS, constructing latrines, drilling
clean water wells, combating malaria, creating aquaculture ponds,
planting community gardens, documenting citizenship, fighting domestic
abuse and a host of other applications.  Many of these literacy programs
not only develop local community applications, but also participate
actively in advocacy effort to influence policy, legislation and
practices on a community, district and even national level. 

 

Could or should this approach be applied in your community?

 

Some observers in the United States and other industrialized nations
question the practicality of this method in developed settings where
health, income, schools and community infrastructure are already in
place.  They often site the many rules and restrictions that would
inhibit such programs.  Others champion this approach and are in fact
making it happen in their communities.   Have you encountered or worked
with a literacy for social change program?  What barriers or drawbacks
do you think are associated with this type of programming?  What
benefits do you think might be realized through integrating literacy,
community action and advocacy? What problems?  Could or should there be
legislation or funding to advance literacy for social change?  Should
literacy be mixed with the inherently political process of community
change?

 

Feel free to share your thoughts, experiences, perspectives and
questions about this compelling topic.  For more insight and information
about Literacy for Social Change, you may want to sample one of two free
and very brief online courses from ProLiteracy.

 

Discussion Resources

 

Enroll in ProLiteracy's free self-paced courses: Overcoming Poverty
Through Action-based Literacy or Literacy for Social Change by visiting:
http://207.10.202.152/home/ 

 

Literacy for Social Change International Training Project Web Site

http://www.proliteracy.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=420&srcid=379 

 

Related Link:

 

Education for All (EFA) Movement

http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=47044&URL_DO=DO_TOPI
C&URL_SECTION=201.html 

 

About Our Guest

 

Lynn Curtis, Ph.D.-Vice President of International Programs, ProLiteracy
For more than 3 decades, Lynn Curtis, Vice President of International
Programs for ProLiteracy, has served in consulting and leadership roles
to advance grassroots learning and development among high need
populations in 65 developing countries and the United States.  

 

Dr. Curtis is an international authority on literacy and community
development in less-developed nations.  He is author of the guidebooks
Literacy for Social Change, Picturing Change, and manuals in the
Literacy Solutions series - Literacy in Action, How to Start and Grow
Your Own Business, Good Health Begins at Home, Overcoming AIDS,
Overcoming Diseases in Your Community, Literacy in Action and Earth
Connections.  

 

Dr. Curtis spearheaded ProLiteracy Worldwide's expansion from seven
countries in 1986 to 65 countries in 2008.  He provided the leadership
to initiate and implement the global Women In Literacy initiative to
reach 1.1 million women through literacy and action during the decade of
the nineties.  His pioneering experience in developing the FAMA and
Literacy Solutions training systems provided the basis for program
expansion, overseas intern placement and multi-national agency
collaborations.  Since 2000 he has successfully enabled
venture-philanthropist donor activists to launch high impact, multi
nation programs of learning and community development including the
Learning-based Micro-Finance and Enterprise Initiative, the Africa
Learning and AIDS Initiative, the Literacy, Women and Human Rights
Initiative and the International Family Literacy Initiative.

 

Join us for the discussion! Subscribe now:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Professionaldevelopment 

 

Jackie

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jackie Taylor, Adult Literacy Professional Development List Facilitator,
jackie at jataylor.net   
National Institute for Literacy http://www.nifl.gov/
Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers
http://www.aalpd.org/

 

 

 

 

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