Beginning A Literacy Program
by Nancy Woods
Director, Adult Literacy Action
Pennsylvania State University

 

BEGINNING A LITERACY PROGRAM ASSESSING THE NEED PROGRAM STRUCTURE BUILDING A PROGRAM MONEY MATTERS RECRUITMENT PROMOTION TRAINING HORIZONS

PROMOTION Public Awareness Public awareness of a literacy program begins with its leadership. The public needs to know that you are knowledgeable about adult illiteracy. And once you have an established program, the community needs to see its positive track record. Two internal ingredients are vital to a successful public relations program: Good rapport among members of the program staff, both paid and volunteer. The public will respond in a positive manner to confidence, pride and cohesiveness on the part of the literacy team. Word-of-mouth evaluation of the program by students, tutors, staff and others who observe its day-to-day activities. The grapevine has a powerful impact on how the community perceives literacy efforts. Once a literacy program's own house is in order, it can begin to talk with the community. A speakers bureau is an effective vehicle for community relations. Presentations allow program executives to raise awareness both about literacy issues and about how your program addresses them. Speeches can also be effective for recruiting volunteers, developing sources for student referrals and enlisting financial aid and in-kind services. Staff and advisory board members are logical choices for a speakers bureau, but also consider involving students and tutors - they can be most effective speakers. A speaker needs to take into account the way the community perceives illiteracy; often, the community attaches a stigma to the person who cannot read. An effective way to begin, for example, is to tell the audience that an adult who is illiterate is just like you or me, except that he or she cannot read. Those in the audience - your argument continues - are not diminished because they are not able to play professional sports or expertly repair a car. But adults who are illiterate may be able to do these and other things the audience cannot. The skill they lack is reading. Another approach is to invite audience members to picture in their minds an adult who is illiterate. Then describe some of your program's students to discredit the stereotype. Teachers in the audience sometimes feel 'blamed," and believe people think illiteracy exists because "'the schools are doing a bad job." Yet records show that the majority of those who cannot read never learned for reasons unrelated to formal teaching. Adult students may have had a great deal of absenteeism in early grades, or perhaps their families moved several times at critical learning points. As children, they may have experienced traumas like alcoholism in the family, abuse or divorce - or they may have had undetected problems with hearing or vision. Some were simply not ready to learn at the time the information was presented. If, at the end of his or her remarks, a speaker has convinced the audience that education is something to be proud of - for adults as well as children - then the public will have come one step further toward not just seeing your program but also viewing education as a community need. It is important for speakers to be trained and prepared for presentations. A speaker's kit could include: An outline or script the speaker may choose to follow A brief history of the literacy program An overview of state and national literacy activities Statistics and facts about illiteracy, along with the source of the data Information about local program needs - for instance, recruitment of students and tutors, financial assistance, in-kind contributions, and equipment - and tips for the speaker to use in asking the audience to help fill those needs Information on what a literacy program costs: all books for one student, telephone for one year, newsletter for one year, etc. Handouts, such as brochures or fact sheets Dates and times for upcoming events - for example, an open house or training workshops Sign-up sheets for those who would like to volunteer Several of the director's business cards for anyone requesting further information A brief report sheet, for the office's records, to include the name of the organization spoken to, the location, date and time of the meeting; the approximate attendance; the contact person (name, address and phone); the name of the speaker; and the results of or comments about the presentation A thank-you note from your program that the speaker can sign and mail Additional resources for speakers could include a brief slide show or videotape about literacy as well as charts, posters and sensitivity activities. In participating in Project Literacy U.S. (PLUS) many public television (PBS) and ABC stations have developed very effective new features and public service announcements (PSAs) about adult illiteracy. Contact the PLUS coordinators at your local stations to see if a videotape is available. Directories of available speakers are prepared by many local libraries, United Way offices, Chambers of Commerce, and other organizations. Request that your organization be included in future editions. Talking to the Media The media in your community are a vital link to public awareness. To avoid confusion or duplication of request, one person from your program should be designated as the press contact. That person should take time to establish personal contact with public affairs officers and reporters at local television, radio and cable stations and at local newspapers. A program media kit will be a valuable resource. Once a supply of kits has been produced, a cover letter, additional press releases and/or details of a special event can be easily added. A good media kit should include: A history of your program An overview of your program's accomplishments Highlights of current activities Information on upcoming events Annual dates such as national literacy week, adult education month, your annual dinner, etc. Student stories (Use with their permission.) Black-and-white photos of program activities (Be certain you have release forms from the people pictured before you issue the photographs.) Statistics on literacy. Have your program's press contact keep on hand a current compilation of literacy books, articles, statistics and other references and resources as well as a list of students, tutors and board members who have agreed to be interviewed. Following are some additional tips for the press contact: Develop an accurate and current media mailing list. Include appropriate departments, contact names and titles, and phone numbers for reference. Be aware of deadlines for submission. Be brief and direct. Keep the message clear and simple. Be aware of the value of human-interest stories. Respect confidentiality at the same time you let theaudience or readers see the unique experiences of your students and tutors. Be adaptable so the message appeals to the target audience. Request guidelines on how submissions should be prepared (double-spaced, 1/2-inch margins, contact person's name and phone number at top, etc.). Include information about your sponsoring organization; your address, phone number and contact person; the title and description of any event, its date, time, location and cost; requirements for enrollment; RSVP information; and other relevant data. Make requests at reasonable intervals and only when you have something of special interest to the public. One of the most effective means of publicity is the television and radio public service announcement (PSA). These are sometimes referred to as 'commercials" for non-profit organizations. PSAs range from brief announcements to highly produced spots. They run at the discretion of the broadcaster. If you would like to develop a PSA, first make certain that local television and radio stations run PSAs, and ask what 'format" each station prefers. (Some want just scripts, and others want different kinds of video and audio tapes.) A station may even offer to produce a PSA for you , and may share it with other stations in your area. But if you need to develop your own PSA, you can make an appointment with the audio-visual department of your intermediate unit, college, university or vo-tech school to see if it might produce your PSA. You should also check with local advertising agencies and public relations firms in your community; one of them might be willing to donate an entire public awareness campaign, including a PSA, for your program.