NLA Discussion: waiting lists issue

[Nancy Hansen]

David and others:

You are right.  Small rural programs do, as Catherine stated, have
personality and challenges all their own.

I visited your website.  Thanks for the address.  I have to be truthful here:  I
have registered learners whose limited writing skills would mean they'd
*never* be able to do this.  Likely  they would say they couldn't "fit all
those words on *this* little **card**" and copy them so they were spelled
even close to the message on the web.  I did print the advocacy site
information, David.  I will keep the ideas close at hand.  And the # of
months is going to be really variable.  I have a couple guys who have been
waiting since February.  That is too long for our program.

I do believe your second idea has more merit than sending postcards.
(You wrote:  "... Perhaps there are better ways to reach legislators for
small, rural programs.  My guess -- since I have no experience with rural
programs -- is that face-to-face meetings with a legislator and a group of
current students would be best.  These often have many positive effects --
for students learning about government and their elected representtaives
-- and for legislators learning about what their constituents need."

I agree.  In fact, our literacy program has been asked by Senator Daschle
to host a Town Meeting of adult learners from the different entities and
non-profit agencies in the Sioux Falls area.  The Senator has done many
Town Meetings during the times the legislature isn't in session.  We just
haven't made much headway in accomplishing this, but maybe we should focus
on it for 2001 and just do that.

I ran into a problem when we started to discuss this after Daschle's staff
brooched it.  My adult learner leaders are really, truly fearful of this whole
scenerio.  He's a "big wheel" .... "an authority" .... "he speaks with big words
that I didn't understand."  If anybody has ideas on how to train their
learners to "kick the fear in the head" and say the "right stuff", I'd
appreciate input here.

Can I end with a story?  Learners really do make a difference.  United
Way funding is *thee* topic of conversation for us right now.  We are in
the throws of allocation application review for 2002.  We are scrutinized
by a Community Impact Panel this year.

In addition to being reviewed by different volunteers, there was a new
format.  We would be holding two meetings:  the first would be to explain
the workings of our United Way-sponsored agency.  The second, addressing
budget changes.  Ours would be scheduled back-to-back.

Well, one of the issues I have been "doing battle" about has been United Way
staff's vision of what our *outcomes* are going to be in 2002.  "How many books
will your students finish?" ......."What grade level will they be at after 12
months in your program?" ..... How many of your people got their GED in
2000?"  I kept saying over and over, "That's not what we are about!?!?"

So for the first meeting, I called in the powerhouse. We are going to tell about
the program.  Right?  So who better than our learners.  I asked three of
our five leaders to come tell either how their program worked or, in the
case of the learner tutor, tell what she was using for materials to tutor
her learner.  They are all studying in different programs at different
levels.  Then alongside those three learners, I asked participation from
three tutors (one is also an assistant trainer.)  The six represented
seven study programs (matches) in all.

We use as our core materials four to five series.  They are each different.  All
participants brought their books ... which they passed around the table as they
told about them.  Q&A time was allowed and during that period, the chair
asked me to tell the panel about the criteria for each learner.

I started talking about our assessment process and he interrupted
me.  "No/no/no, Nancy.  I don't want to know *any* more about your
materials, I want to know what criteria each of these learners and tutors
had to have to get into your program." I had the learners tell how they
came to us.  The asst. trainer and I talked about the tutors.  The 45
min. was over.

The second meeting started.  The panel just wanted to know about our increases,
they said. THAT part lasted (with a different set of volunteers from our board
executive committee) all of 15 min. because the learners "sold" the program
convincingly.

I think the biggest compliment the panel could have given came from the
chairman. He told them how courageous he felt they all were.  And each
panel member individually thanked each learner and tutor for their
presence before they left the room.  The learner does have impact.  I
think we will get the funding increase that we requested so we can move
into a larger office and hire a 2nd part-time paid staff.  Don't you
think?  It's too bad the House of Representatives and Senate aren't next
door to Sioux Falls.

Nancy Hansen
Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
sfliteracy at mcleodusa.net

David J Rosen wrote:

> Nancy and others in small, rural programs,
>
> On Wed, 4 Apr 2001, Nancy Hansen wrote:
>
> > And if "thousands wait" in the big
> > cities -- you say, three <years>?!?!? -- **there** is the power of adult
> > learner voices in-mass.  My dozen doesn't compare now, does it?  There is No
> > Power in having a dozen cards go to "the senator" saying they have been
> > waiting **I** don't think.  Someone either confirm with me this thinking
> > or tell me I'm off-base.
>
> I don't know if 12 applicants to your program sending postcards to their
> Senator about having to wait would have an effect. Perhaps there are
> better ways to reach legislators for small, rural programs.  My guess --
> since I have no experience with rural programs -- is that face-to-face
> meetings with a legislator and a group of current students would be
> best.  These often have many positive effects -- for students learning
> about government and their elected representtaives -- and for legislators
> learning about what their constituents need.
>
> Perhaps small rural programs who have done advocacy work could speak up
> now.  What have you found that works in terms of reaching legislators?
> LVA and Laubach colleagues on this list -- you have experience with
> advocacy, and perhaps some of the smaller affiliates have been
> involved with legislative advocacy.  Tell us what you think works best.
>
> Nancy, you also said:
>
> > I *would* be interested in seeing/hearing how the postcards "get written"
> >for a  non-reading adult to send.
>
> I have not been directly involved in helping learners complete the
> postcards, but if you would like to see what one of these
> fill-in-the-blank postcards looks like, you'll find the text at
>
>         http://www.alri.org/advocacydocs.html#postcard
>
> While you're there, you may find some other interesting advocacy documents
> on this Web page.
>
> David J. Rosen
> <DJRosen at world.std.com>
>
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