NLA Discussion: The Improved Life

[TaylorWill at aol.com]

I want to echo Brenda Bell's comments. As one of the sites participating in
the Civic Participation Standards project, I can speak to the changes we have
seen in the learners who have participated in this project and the difficulty
in quantifying those changes. A team of ten learners, many of whom had never
participated in group interaction have come together to 1) define an issue of
concern to them, 2) identify the skills they need to address the issue, and
3) develop an action plan to tackle the issue. Not surprisingly, their issue
was literacy awareness. 

What changes have occurred in their lives as a result? These changes range
from having the confidence to ask questions in the group to being able to
tell their own story at a local service club or meeting of potential
volunteers in the business community. They have also found personal power
through their group interaction. Even with the "project" coming to a close,
they are continuing to meet and learn about local and state legislators with
the intent of taking their message to the decision-makers. These are powerful
changes, but don't fit any existing quantifiable scale. Maybe the ultimate
measure will be when they take their concerns to policy-makers and are able
to affect policy. Surely this is a quality of life issue. But the cynical
part of me (granted it is a small nagging voice) wonders if this is a measure
of success that will be embraced by those outside of our field who control
the purse strings. Hmmm?

Taylor L. Willingham
Director, The Reading Program
Santa Clara County Library, California
TaylorWill at aol.com