Whatever Literacy Is – It is Apparent, Relevant, and Compelling…

• The majority of people view literacy to be relevant to their lives in some way – and see it as serious relative to other social issues.

• Literacy is bundled up with numerous other issues: isolation; family crises; substance abuse; income assistance and financial constraints; anger management; poor lifeskills; poor communication skills; inappropriate social behavior; learning disabilities; fetal alcohol syndrome, etc. The origins of any cause-and-effect patterns, if there are any, are not clear.

• Various government agencies – income assistance, family services, employment placement, social services, corrections, mental health – encounter people with low levels of literacy and describe them as having “fallen through the cracks of society”.

• In many communities, the need for literacy programming is greater than the interventions that are available.

• Literacy in the family is critically important. However, “at risk” families, while relatively easy to identify, have been difficult to engage in the learning process using current strategies.

• Literacy in the school system is seen to be a significant challenge – with figures of 20-30% below grade level skills frequently reported and drop out rates as high as 45%. Literacy issues with teenagers are well-hidden and undetected.

• Literacy is a significant issue among First Nations peoples. A number of factors compromise the relevance of traditional paths to literacy and learning among native peoples.

• Literacy is also a significant issue for new Canadians whose first language is not English – and who may not be literate in their first language – but, again, drawing these people into upgrading programs has been difficult.

• Literacy is closely related to one’s ability to find and keep employment. Many existing and displaced workers do not have access to the basic skills upgrading they need – with significant socio-economic consequences.

• While many people recognize the pivotal importance of literacy in our society, its significance is often seen as a “gave at the office” philanthropic issue rather than as a more “bottom line” socio-economic issue.

Traditional Learning Paths: Not Everyone’s Road to Success…

• Estimates that traditional approaches to education just don’t work for approximately 30% of children, teens, and adults are relatively consistent. There are many who believe educators and those in the literacy community need to stop trying to wrap learners around a system that doesn’t work for them and, instead, begin wrapping our interventions around them – in a more inclusive and holistic way.

• There are no guarantees that a grade 12 education “guarantees” certain basic skills.