[NLA] Archie's New Year Wishes

[gdemetrion]

Marsha:

Nicely put!

More than a few of us are placing a lot of hope that the new organization
will vitally contribute to a critical mass of influence and knowledge to
help establish a more enlightened adult literacy policy that places
community-based adult literacy programming on equal billing with
state-mandated ABE/GED programs in the public sector.  While both are
reflections of adult basic education and there are areas of symmetry,
nonetheless, there are considerable differences, too.  We need to sustain
the legitimacy of those differences on the playing field of student
involvement, programming, instruction, assessment, and research.

The commitment the new organization is making on the importance of student
advocacy is one such manifestation in the effort toward carving out a
distinctive niche for the many contributions of volunteer, community-based
adult literacy programs to the public good.  Developing sound work in these
other areas is also vitally important.

Establishing the infrastructure for such programming to flourish will be the
responsibility of all of us who will be participating in this renewed
network, but the top leadership has a particular burden of responsibility in
guiding this challenging effort.

Both VALUE and the new Lit.Org have very distinctive and important roles to
play in the revitalization of our field over the next decade.

Let's move this mothership forward.

George Demetrion

----- Original Message -----
From: "Marsha Tait" <mtait at literacyvolunteers.org>
To: <nla at lists.literacytent.org>
Cc: "Bob Wedgeworth (E-mail)" <RWEDGE at laubach.org>; "Peter Waite (E-mail)"
<pwaite at laubach.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2001 2:56 PM
Subject: RE: [NLA] Archie's New Year Wishes


> Thank you, Archie, for your suggestion.  Both Laubach and Literacy
> Volunteers of America have a history of commitment to student involvement.
> We intend to preserve this as a part of our collective legacy  in
> "NewLitOrg".  We have agreed, for example, that the new organization will
> have at least one student on its governing Board, and that there will be
> meaningful opportunities for student involvement in decision making
> throughout the various divisions of the organization.
>
> We have also formed a task force made up of student leaders from both
> organizations that is going to make recommendations to us about a new
> student advisory group that will advise the president and CEO of the new
> organization on matters of interest to students.  This task force is being
> chaired by John Zickefoose, whom many of you know.
>
> These mechanisms have been designed to ensure that students have
> opportunities to influence the decision-making of "NewLitOrg" on a variety
> of matters, and so that students do not simply assume token roles.  We
also
> will be open to the possibility that a student may be the best candidate
for
> new employment positions that are created as a result of the merger.
>
> > ******************************************************
> > Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm.  ~~Ralph Waldo
> Emerson
> > ******************************************************
> > Marsha L. Tait
> > President, Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc.
> > Chair, National Coalition For Literacy
> >  635 James Street, Syracuse, NY 13203
> > Tel: (315) 472-0001   Fax: (315) 472-0002
> > mailto:mtait at literacyvolunteers.org
> > http://www.literacyvolunteers.org
> http://www.natcoalitionliteracy.org