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BULK BAG SOft. C s r r r I F IM S ir \ \ I I > \ l S I >.Yi \ l \ l {( I I J 7 . _*< k » _» · I iv^( I `.I Glen O aks / ? J\ Memorial Gardens .a A beautiful landmark cemetery offering a full range of services including traditional erouna interment, indoor mausolea and Oakville' s only cremation centre. Forfurther information call or visit Ninth Line at Dundas Sc, Oakville 905-257-1100 www.^lenoaks.ca SDonsor Official Media Sponsor Editor Wilma Blokhuis Phone: 905-845-3824 (ext. 250) Fax: 905-337-5567 e-mail: blokhuis@haltonsearch.com Learning to read Volunteer tutors teach basic skills one-to-one By Mary Collett SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER If you are experiencing difficulty reading the words printed on this page, ,, chances are that you could benefit 3 from the services o f the O akville -J. Literacy Council. The O akville Literacy Council describes itself as "a non-profit volun. teer group dedicated to helping adults ' in our community achieve basic litera cy and math skills." According to UNESCO, basic liter acy means that "a person is able to read and write with understanding a short, simple statement about one's everyday life, can function effectively using lit* erary skills, and can use reading, writ ing, and calculations to develop him/herself." The lack o f fundamental English lit eracy skills may be far more rampant and common than most people, who tend to take these abilities for granted, realize. Recent studies suggest that 1.6 milI lion adults in Ontario (one in four) are I functionally illiterate, w hile on a - national scale, 2.9 m illion adult 7Canadians cannot deal with the major*ity of written material they encounter. Lest you attribute these shockingly high figures to an influx o f immigrants ' to Canada from non-English speaking nations, it should be noted that 70 per cent of functionally illiterate adults were bom in Canada. Maureen O 'K eefe, President and Board Chairperson o f the O akville Literacy C ouncil, citing a report released by the O rganization for Economic C o-operation and Development (OECD) in conjunction with Statistics Canada, reveals that these numbers are in fact, significantly higher. "The International Adult Literacy Survey, prepared in 1994 states that 22 per cent of Canadians function at what is termed a Level One, or below," she relates. "This means that they have great difficulty decoding words, work ing with texts, and have very few basic skills." She further notes that, "an additionpainfully aware o f the stigma attached to illiteracy in today's society, and who legitimately fear the loss of their pres ent jobs if their lack o f literacy should become public knowledge. Tutor Kay Hamilton's student, who asked to remain nameless, knows first hand the perils o f trying to navigate this demanding world without basic lit eracy skills. "I worked in an auto parts factory for a year and a half, until they asked me to write a basic test and I failed the English part o f it," she recounts. "I was let go without notice or severance pay, and because I never want to be in that position again, I realized I had to do something to improve my literacy." Now three years into the program under Hamilton's ongoing tutelage, the soft-spoken native o f Ghana smiles shyly as she proudly reports that she is progressing in her current job due to her improved literacy skills. And she can now read her Bible, an important acquisition for this quietly religious woman who one day hopes to preach. H am ilton, in turn is justifiably proud o f her student's dedication and self-motivated discipline. "My role as a tutor has been enhanced by this student," says Hamilton. "English is a really tough language, but she's very bright and leams probably easier than I do, so I get a lot out of it too." The tutoring sessions take place in the various branches o f the Oakville Public Library, where staff form an integral part of the Literacy Council. Hamilton explains that this is an im portant partnership since the libraries contain vital resource infor mation and texts such as dictionaries, atlases, and encyclopedia sets that can be easily accessed. The O akville Literacy Council presently has a num ber of trained tutors waiting to be matched to incom ing students. Those interested in learning more about the Oakville Literacy Council, or who knows someone who could bene fit from its service, should call 905469-8528, or e-m ail oakvilleliteracy@ yahoo.com. Barrie Erskine · Oakville Beaver Tbtor Kay Hamilton and Maureen O 'Keefe, President, look over some of the teaching materials used by the Oakville Literacy Council. Volunteer tutors use the Laubach method for teaching English literacy. The service is free. al 26 per cent o f Canadians operate at mentally and academ ically delayed required literacy skills for the job and a Level Two, which means they can due to being bom into illiterate fami want to improve, or, are tired of hiding read, but not well. They can deal with lies, is an ongoing concern for all of it," she reports. simple materials, and because they can us," O 'Keefe advises. "For others, it may be something as get by, they're not aware that they have O 'Keefe describes the literacy pro simple as just being able to read a bed a significant problem." gram as one that is student-driven, and time story to their grandkids." The subsidiary effects of w ide individually tailored to the needs of W hatever their requirem ents, all spread illiteracy reverberate through each student, since most participants participants receive one-to-one tutor out our entire society, exerting an start off with some basic skills, but ing by volunteers trained in the influence well beyond those directly have different goals for what they want Laubach method of teaching adult lit involved. to accomplish down the line. eracy. The service is free, and it's con "The impact o f illiteracy on taxpay "Some of our students are high fidential. ers, seniors and their health care man school graduates, currently in the work Confidentiality is o f crucial impor agement, and on kids who are develop- world, who still don't have the tance to all of the students, who are T h e B o d y S h a p in g Fitness S tu d io F o r W o m e n . 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