[AAACE-NLA] Re: AAACE-NLA New Orleans

Fri Sep 16 06:04:38 EDT 2005

Sandra, et al...

In as much as New Orleans area evacuees are now, reportedly, in every state in “The Union” calls, emails and other forms of contact with local, state and federal level elected politicians regarding this particular problem would go a long way to garnering the kind of broad based support need to bring my idea to fruition. 

Across America there must be a “ground-swell” as well as a “hue & cry” that basic literacy skills development assistance coupled with vocational skills training be provided to every New Orleans area evacuee who is found in need of them. That is the only way they will stand a chance of living a better life than the one they had the day before Hurricane Katrina ripped the lid off on America’s <dirty big secret>! As someone noted in an earlier posting, “Nearly every major city in America has a similar population of “invisible, poorly educated citizens, living at the margin.”  

The Hurricane Katrina disaster makes it possible for America to truly become “The Land of the Free” as well as “The Home of the Brave”.

This means that YOU must be "Brave" and utilize every ounce of influence you have in your community to shine the light of attention on getting the aforementioned literacy and training assistance effort underway if the New Orleans area evacuees are to have a chance of forever being "Free" of the oppression of poverty begat largely by illiteracy. 

If not YOU! WHO? 

If not KNOW! WHEN?

UNITED BY OUR ENDEAVORS

Lou C.
-- 
Lou C. Johnson, Executive Director
YMCA Educational Services (YES!)
2525 Canal Street
New Orleans LA 70119
504-566-READ(7323)
504-568-1938(FAX)

National Faculty-YMCA of the USA
Member, Literacy Alliance of Greater New Orleans Board of Directiors
Member, Louisiana Coalition for Literacy Board of Directors
Member, South Central Literacy Action Board of Directors
Member, ProLiteracy Worldwide Board of Directors

Literacy And Justice For All!

"We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and
prosperity for our community...Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and our own."
--- César E. Chávez

David Collings <david at collings.com> wrote:

>The message below is from Sandra Robinson.
>
>David C.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Sandra Robinson [mailto:sandrarobinson at education.state.vt.us]
>Subject: RE: [AAACE-NLA] Re: AAACE-NLA New Orleans
>
>Lou,
>Sounds to me like just the sort of project those of us concerned about literacy,
>poverty and the situation in New Orleans could take on. I wonder if there is
>some way to lend support for a program that would begin just as soon as
>possible for evacuees as well as for those who have returned and/or stayed, as
>well.
>
>Sandra Robinson
>Vermont Adult Education & Literacy
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org
>[mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org] On Behalf Of Lou C. Johnson
>Sent: Thursday, September 15, 2005 9:50 AM
>To: aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org
>Cc: david at collings.com
>Subject: [AAACE-NLA] Re: AAACE-NLA New Orleans
>
>I write to give an "amen" to John's point!
>
>As the Director of what was the largest non local education agency (school
>district) in New Orleans and a founding member of the Literacy Alliance of
>Greater New Orleans I am able to attest firsthand as to the nature of the
>problem of adult illiteracy John has described. Additionally, I have an idea as
>to a possible solution.
>
>I am trying to mount a literacy assistance program for the New Orleans area
>evacuees wherever they have ended up. There was a report on the Tom Joyner
>program regarding the fact that many of the evacuees were/are too illiterate to
>complete various forms and related documents required for them to receive
>assistance.
>
>The Louisiana Dept of Education's Adult Ed. Division was to allocate some
>$800,000++ for Adult Ed. Services in the New Orleans area, primarily via the
>New Orleans Public School's Adult Ed. Department. Since there is no one in the
>Greater New Orleans area to serve, those $$$$ should be used to provide
>services to the evacuees.
>
>Said services could/should be tied to vocational training so as to prepare
>evacuees to return home and participate in the rebuilding of the City of New
>Orleans and make a living while doing so. A process that will not start anytime
>soon, thereby giving the program at least 12 to 18 months to work with folks
>preparing them for their return home..
>
>My vision is the formation of an alliance between Proliteracy America & the YMCA
>of Greater New Orleans, who have been partners for nearly 30 years, which
>establishes a program to provide literacy services for the evacuees.
>
>Peter Waite, of ProLiteracy America, is on board with the concept as are the
>folks at the "Y".  The issue is "where would the money come from to support the
>program?". I say LA Adult Ed, & FEMA.
>
>If my idea makes sense to you help me to create synergy for the program.
>
>Lou C. Johnson
>--
>Lou C. Johnson, Executive Director
>YMCA Educational Services (YES!)
>2525 Canal Street
>New Orleans LA 70119
>504-566-READ(7323)
>504-568-1938(FAX)
>
>National Faculty-YMCA of the USA
>Member, Literacy Alliance of Greater New Orleans Board of Directiors Member,
>Louisiana Coalition for Literacy Board of Directors Member, South Central
>Literacy Action Board of Directors Member, ProLiteracy Worldwide Board of
>Directors
>
>Literacy And Justice For All!
>
>"We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and
>prosperity for our community...Our ambitions must be broad enough to include
>the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and our own."
>--- César E. Chávez
>
>John Comings <comingjo at gse.harvard.edu> wrote:
>
>The following letter appears in today NYTimes:
>
>Literacy in New Orleans
>
>Published: September 15, 2005
>
>To the Editor:
>
>"In Reviving New Orleans, a Challenge of Many Tiers" (news article, Sept.
>12) describes the large-scale task of rebuilding infrastructure, housing,
>businesses and services.
>The people of New Orleans need help to make them strong enough to overcome the
>cycle of poverty that the storm revealed.
>
>One component must be educational opportunities for adults to improve their
>literacy and math skills, gain a high school credential, and move on to
>postsecondary education or training for skilled, well-paying jobs.
>
>Before the storm, almost 50 percent of the city's working-age adults had low
>literacy and math skills or lacked a high school diploma. Providing them with
>an opportunity to improve themselves is also a big task, but one that is just
>as important as the effort you outlined.

>
>John Comings
>Cambridge, Mass., Sept. 12, 2005
>The writer is director of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning
>and Literacy, Harvard Graduate School of Education.
>
>
>John Comings, Director
>National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy
>Harvard Graduate School of Education
>7 Appian Way
>Cambridge MA 02138
>(617) 496-0516, voice
>(617) 495-4811, fax
>(617) 335-9839, mobile
>john_comings at harvard.edu
>http://ncsall.gse.harvard.edu
>
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