[NLA] International Literacy Day Event at the UN

[DEBBYDAM@aol.com]

I wanted to add my perspective to Gail's much appreciated and detailed recap 
of events on 9/5 at the UN.  While it is true that much of what was said 
echoes assumptions most of us take for granted, I was heartened by some of 
the differences between this year's event and the 1990 one which also 
involved the LAC.  I remember how disappointed the practitioners and learners 
who attended that one were, because there was absolutely no opportunity for 
them to speak.  As Gail so movingly reported, at this event the luncheon 
featured learners reading their written responses to 9/11.  Equally 
important, Calvin Miles spoke on the main panel, along with the 
UnderSecretary of the UN and other dignitaries.  Calvin represented VALUE, an 
organization which did not even exist in 1990, and he remarked to me on the 
greater participation of learners and practitioners in the 9/5 event.  He 
also spoke loudly and clearly about learner leadership and the need to 
adequately pay teachers.  Post-lunch was devoted to discussions much like the 
one Gail reported on regarding gender.  I was asked to facilitate a fifth 
group, added at the last minute to accomodate the overwhelming response to 
the day, on workplace literacy.  We had a good discussion on connecting 
literacy to work, which echoed a main theme of the day--the importance of 
professional development for teachers and program staff.  These afternoon 
workshops provided a chance for dialogue among practitioners, but, as I said 
during the plenary discussion, need to be followed up during the upcoming 
decade for literacy with extended opportunities for practitioners and 
learners to interact across national and cultural borders.  The LAC deserves 
much credit, as usual, for shaping the day so that thre was opportunity for 
discussion and input form NYC learners and practitioners, in contrast to the 
"talking heads" format of the 1990 event.  Debby D'Amico  
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