Michael Kraft
The folks at the Humboldt Literacy Project estimate that some 14,000 of our neighbors in Humboldt are functionally illiterate. That means they would struggle to fill out a form or understand important issues. As a percentage, it turns out that Humboldt runs pretty close to the national average.
To improve the situation, the organization works on a twofold mission: 1) to help adults improve their literacy, and 2) to educate the public on the importance of literacy.
Executive Director Emma Breacain told me that the rubber meets the road with volunteer tutors who work one on one with clients on topics that are important to the learner. Tutor and learner together get to decide what kind of engagement works best for the pair. Some, for example, meet at the Literacy Project office, some at home, and some at a library or coffee shop. About 50 active teaching/learning pairs are active at any one time.
I asked about the math of this, the ratio of 50 to 14,000. Emma said “I may spend my entire life trying to answer how to help all of those 14,000 people. Our 50 are the ones that could find some time around their other commitments to devote to learning and have the courage to say that they need help. A lot of adults are prioritizing others’ needs ahead of their own.”
She also addressed the shame someone might feel and the risk of raising their hands to seek help. “Our learners have to wade through so much,” Emma said.
To volunteer, go to the website and look for the “give help” button on the home page of the website. (There’s a “donate” button too.) The website provides a good idea of the commitment. There’s a form to apply. To help new tutors get underway, there’s an orientation that will set expectations and includes a current tutor providing input on how they perform their tasks for the organization. Emma added that If you’re not comfortable to teaching a stranger to read, the Humboldt Literacy Project needs board members and they need volunteers to work at events.
Here’s something she wants you to know: it’s a lot more fun than you might think to combat this issue. It’s fulfilling. “We have a lot of little celebrations, a lot of pride.” One example of something to celebrate: last year, someone came in who didn’t know the complete alphabet, just the letters in her own name. Just last week, that learner wrote her first complete sentence. “It’s feel-good work.
A lot of people want to know what qualifications we want in a tutor. The good news is that almost anybody can be a tutor, since there are so many needs and clients vary in many ways. People have more to offer than the realize.”
Emma recalled a NorCAN seminar where part of the lesson was to collect “Mission Moments.” She reflected on that seminar when her father was hospitalized a few weeks ago. He’s in intensive care. It’s a safe, well-equipped room with signage everywhere. Her dad was at risk of falling so he was strapped to the bed. Looking around, there was a large volume of signage in English. You wouldn’t know what to do—what button to push to call the nurse for example—unless you could read it. And, of course you want the people working on your medical charts to be literate and to avoid the dreaded euphemism of “medical accident.”
Emma related that the Project has experienced a few little funding scares but, “so far we’re holding steady.” A good chunk of money comes from the California State Library. Private foundations and individual donors provide much of the rest. When the board’s discussions turn to financial backing, people have a whole lot of things to care about now and there’s a lot to worry about. “My sense is whatever you are passionate about, you need literacy as scaffolding,” Emma said.
There are also just straight up fun ways to provide your support. Be on the lookout for their events, such as a spelling bee and a trivia challenge.
The Humboldt Literacy Project empowers adults to improve their literacy and strengthens the community through volunteer support. Anyone can help—whether as a tutor, board member, or event volunteer—making a real difference in our neighbors’ lives.
Michael Kraft writes the Good Work series, volunteering on behalf of the Northern California Association of Nonprofits (NorCAN). NorCAN supports connections between people and organizations that work every day to keep our communities healthy and strong by offering professional development, board support, networking connections and more. Learn more at https://norcal-nonprofits.org/. To nominate a deserving nonprofit organization to be profiled, email michael@kraftconsultants.com.
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