Americorps*VISTA Literacy Project
Through the Coalition's Americorps*VISTA
Literacy project, full-time trained volunteers are placed in literacy
provider agencies across Tennessee to serve as developers of literacy
initiatives or otherwise increase the capacity of those agencies to better
meet the local demand for services. VISTA members have organized
and produced literacy-themed fundraising events, written grants,
produced agency operations and policy manuals, written and tested new
curriculums, created database tracking systems for a variety of uses,
organized and managed local volunteers - the list goes on and on.
VISTA members begin service with an agency-driven work plan which
outlines a series of targets towards which they work during the
year. In the most recently completed project year, our VISTA
members collectively met or exceeded 90% of their targeted
goals.
If you are an agency providing adult literacy services in Tennessee
and would like know more about the Coalition's VISTA Literacy Project,
click here. If you have an interest in becoming a VISTA literacy
volunteer in a Tennessee community, click here to learn more.
Adult Literacy Information Clearinghouse
The Tennessee Literacy Coalition is a resource for information
about adult literacy in our state - for referral of adult learners to
local programs, for referral of volunteers to programs recruiting for
assistance, and for provider agencies seeking to expand their capacity
to serve the local demand for literacy services. Our toll free
number (800-323-6986) provides easy access to information and
assistance. In addition, this website now includes pages
identifying Providers of adult literacy
services organized by county, and Resources for
teachers, tutors, researchers, and non-profit staff.. The content of these pages
is always being updated, so please
visit them frequently.
The Coalition newsletter, Tennessee Literacy, is mailed quarterly to members and
supporters, and covers news and issues of interest in the adult
literacy community in Tennessee. If you would like to receive a
complimentary copy of the current issue, please contact
us with your request. Or, become a member
and you'll be added as a subscriber.
Award For Excellence in Adult Literacy
Service
The Coalition wishes to recognize adult literacy provider
organizations in Tennessee for the outstanding work they do to help
adult learners achieve their goals, so we created the Award For Excellence in Adult
Literacy Service in 2005. The Award is presented annually to the applicant organization submitting the
program or initiative that best demonstrates achievement in serving
adult learners through a significant classroom or tutoring
success, a resource development success, an effective volunteer
mobilization or learner outreach, and the Award is accompanied by a
cash prize of $500.
2006 Award Winner: Read
To Succeed (Murfreesboro) for their Adult Literacy Program
2007 Award Winner: Memphis
Literacy Council for their ESL Program.
2008 Award Winner:
DeNeuville Learning Center (Memphis) for their GED program.
The 2009 Award application and guidelines will not be posted until
Winter 2009, but anyone interested in applying next year can access
the 2008 guidelines and application form below for planning
purposes.
2008 Application Guidelines
(MS Word
doc)
2008 Application Form
(MS Word doc)
Regional Networking Forums
These informal half-day gatherings of adult literacy/education
programs provide a regular opportunity for staff and volunteers to
meet together to share ideas and resources. Discussion among
participants typically covers a broad range of topics and issues,
including student recruiting and retention, volunteer management,
fundraising, board development, teaching materials and curricula,
learning disabilities, and more. We send notices of each Forum
to those programs within about an hour's drive of the location, but
any Tennessee provider is welcome at any Forum - just let us know
you are coming so that we can count you in for lunch. Funding
for Regional Networking Forums is provided in part by the Dollar
General Literacy Foundation.
2008 Forum Schedule:
Camden, January 18, 2008 - hosted by Benton County Adult
Education
Chattanooga, February 13, 2008 - hosted by READ Chattanooga
Knoxville, March 5, 2008 - hosted by Friends of Literacy
Collierville, May 13, 2008 - hosted by Collierville Literacy
Council
Nashville, June 12, 2008 - hosted by the TN Literacy Coalition at
the Green Hills Public Library
Jackson - tentative for September