Make Social Change A Reality

The World Factbook , prepared by the CIA , states that the US literacy rate is around 99%. This means that around 3 million people in America are unable to functionally read and write . That is equivalent to the entire population of Mongolia! As if those numbers weren’t enough to make you sit up and think, there is some dispute about the 99% - the actual figure could be lower, depending on the various definitions of literacy used. Jonathan Kozol, in his book ‘Illiterate America’ states that the government based the 99% literacy rate on interviews and written responses to Census Bureau mailings from a small portion of the population. Of that portion, if the responders or interviewees had completed fifth grade they were considered literate. About 5% had not completed fifth grade , but 80% of those were subsequently considered literate, and so the Bureau reached a conclusion of a 99% literacy rate. In 1993 a new study was released . Over 5 years, and $14 million spent ( the largest lite...

Because Literacy 'n' Poverty Project is all about helping adults improve their literacy skills we felt compelled to alert the community about this great opportunity. These are troubling economic times so if you have the qualifications and ready to take on something new, apply to Life Camp, Inc. and become a GED Classroom Teacher! Here are the details: POSITION : GED Classroom Teacher (2 positions) ELIGIBILITY : NYCDOE license as a teacher SELECTION CRITERIA : Satisfactory experience providing Literacy/GED instruction for at least two years preferred DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES : Provide Instruction to Literacy/GED Students in English, Mathematics, Science or Social Studies SALARY : $35.00 per hour WORK SCHEDULE : Tuesday and Thursday, Evening hours, Average 6 hours per week APPLICATION : Copy of NYC Department of Education license and resume must be received by December 8, 2008 Send your applications materials to info@lifecampinc.com with I Love My LIFE Literacy/G...

If you've ever considered becoming an adult literacy tutor but have to make a decision, listen to one volunteer's story of why he got involved. Remember, the decisions you make can change many lives. Literacy Volunteers of Rensselaer County

Since my time teaching GED classes with Columbia University’s Community Impact program has ended, many of my students have already taken the exam once or even twice. Some of them passed and successfully graduated the program; others still struggle with particular subjects or the exam as a whole. The experience of guiding and leading these people through this process was not only rewarding but also self-defining . In our last session, few of my “regular” students showed up mostly to say goodbye and wish each other good luck with the hope to meet again under circumstances that will allow us to get to know each other. These past months offered incredible insight to a person’s ability not only of self-conservation but also to reclaim the quality of life that everyone deserves but not everyone receives. Life is pretty hard in some parts of the world, but what is harder is the lack of drive, goal, purpose and dream. All my students are everyday people that merely try to better themselves and...

After reading Doing Well by Doing Good an article by Jessica Chen on entrepreneur.com, I couldn’t help but to highlight the work of another individual who – in her own way, advances social causes. It explains another perspective of how entrepreneurs are lighting the way to different business practices like social entrepreneurship where in this case, profits are not the driving force behind success or failure. When serving a community – be it online or in local neighborhood, you should be equally concerned about the impact you’ll have on the community in addition to profits. The practice of a double-bottom line not only drives business but it advances the community by challenging us to do better; asking more questions, collaborating more often, managing your resources more efficiently, all key factors leading up to what you hope will produce great results/outcomes. Here are just a few social entrepreneurs you may find of interest: Bill Gates Bell and Melinda Gates Foundation Oprah ...