NLA Info: THE HIGHLANDER IN MARCH

[Archie Willard]

Sometime back in the mid eighties a few adult learner got together and
they had a dream of adult learners coming together. They organized the
first adult literacy congress.  I think it was in Philadelphia PA.
Because of  their vision and hard work there are adult student
organizations all over the nation on state and local levels.  We have
them to thank for the adult student organizations and the different
adult conferences that are going on today.   The sparks from this
congress are still glowing.   I would like to name them all, but I think
I would leave some of them out, so I think I will say it was a job well
done.

One of the things that is lacking today in adult literacy is that adult
learners are not connected throughout the country on their own.  When
we as adult learners stared in life we didn't have the ability to read
like everyone else so we  gave up on formal learning.  That's when we
quit expressing ourselves.  Then we lost control of being able to find
and use our strengths so we could live a productive live.  If we as
adult learners who have found help in our lives could show the rest of
the nation that we can be successful in our lives and we are good
citizens then congress and society could see a finished product and
would think harder about founding and expanding  literacy programs.
This is what is lacking. There are not enough adult learners standing
tall in our country as role models and leaders. What we need is a group
of adult learners who are from the middle of the road in  society to be
seen as learners.

Good causes are the way things get started, but as good causes go
eventually they run out of energy along the way.  The Highlander is just
a place in Tennessee, but the Highlander has become a spirit that many
have hung onto.  It's a place where a lot of people with good causes
have gone to get started, but what they left with was a spirit.  That's
what we are lacking is a spirit to carry us.

March 27th through the 29th, 1998. The six adult learners who
put on the adult learner workshop last August at Illinois State
University are working with a few professionals in the field of literacy
to have a meeting at the Highlander in Tennessee to form a national
adult coalition.  We are asking the different states that have formed
state adult student organizations to become part of this coalition of
adult learners, and send a representative to this meeting at the
Highlander to be a part of making decisions to form this national
organization.   I would encourage other states to take a look at forming
a state organization of adult learners and to become a part of this.  If
there are large coalitions within some state they may also contact us to
sent a delegate.  There is only room for 40 people at the Highlander.

This is a good opportunity for us to move the adult literacy field
forward.  Please join or support us.

Archie Willard


Archie Willard
Eagle Grove, IA  50533 (US)
millard at netins.net
FAX - 515-448-3480
URL - http://207.28.234.137/archiew.html