Smith Adult Literacy (Transcript)
Emma Smith
Smith Adult Literacy
April 1, 2010
Time: 3:48
Out que: …I’m Emma Smith
Intro: From April 18th to 24th volunteers across Canada will be recognized. Volunteers here in New Brunswick are relied upon to teach adult learners basic literacy skills. And as Emma Smith explains, the province faces some particular literacy challenges.
Sound-up Johnson tutoring Cliff/close-up of work books/close-up of Cliff working
This is Sandra Johnson and John Cliff. They’ve been coming here every Monday and Friday for three years. Johnson is a tutor at Laubach Literacy. She works one on one with adults like Cliff to improve reading and writing. People come to Laubach for a number of reasons. Some, like Cliff, have a disability that wasn’t properly addressed in the education system. Others had to quit school early, or just need to upgrade.
Johnson Interview
“I did have one that was actually taking courses at the university level. And his tutor told him that if he couldn’t write any better that he needn’t come back. So he came and just took the Laubach handwriting course, and that was a success.”
People reading and studying in McCain
Literacy is something that we take for granted as university students. But outside these walls people like John struggle with the daily task of reading and writing. People can have low literacy skills for a number of reasons. Some adults had to quit school early. Others just needed special attention that they didn’t get in the education system. And so, many New Bruswickers grow up not being able to read bills, or understand a label on a medicine bottle.
Graphic of downtown
We may not think of Canada as having a literacy problem. Yet, four out of ten Canadians struggle with literacy. Here in New Brunswick that number is much higher.
Downtown Fredericton/ people walking
More than 60% of adults don’t have the basic literacy skills. In the past decade 340,000 people have moved from Atlantic Canada to another part of the country. The young and educated people leave. And New Brunswick is left with an older and less literate population.
Janette Deshairnes on computer/close-up of face/zoom out hands on keyboard
Janette Deshairnes is the only paid employee at Frontier College. The non-profit organization trains volunteer tutors who work with people struggling with literacy. Frontier College works with learning groups across Canada. But Deshairnes says New Brunswick faces some specific literacy challenges.
Janette Interview
“New Brunswicks economy is largely based on natural resources like forestry and fishery, so we have a lot of the population that’s out in rural areas, and a lot of people don’t have access to a lot of tutoring like we have programs that we have here. Or even like they’re dealing with dial-up internet instead of high-speed. So they don’t have the resources they’d have in bigger cities.”
Johnson tutoring Cliff
There’s often a stigma that’s put on people who need help with their literacy. It’s difficult for adults to go back and learn the basic of reading and writing. And so the people who most need help aren’t getting it.
Janette Interview
“I think there’s a lot of misinformation out there about literacy, about how it’s a certain sector of the population, or it’s just the young people. ‘Anyone who’s graduated from high school must be able to read’. That’s not true there are so many people who need help. You know they’ve just slipped through the cracks.”
On-cam
Canada is one of the few industrialized nations that doesn’t have a system set up for adult education. This means most of the funding and programming falls to the provinces. Because of the lack of money most of the training is done by volunteers. Literacy is more than just learning how to read. Volunteers at places like Laubach literacy help people develop a wide range of skills including how to use a computer and problem solving
Johnson tutoring Cliff/ close-up of family photos/ Herb and Ruth Cliff
Literacy groups and tutors work diligently with adult learners. They equip them with the confidence to flourish in their communities.
Herb and Ruth Interview
“Now he’s much more part of the community. He was much more isolated before. He wouldn’t say it, but he was.”
Johnson tutoring Cliff
For STU Journalism, I’m Emma Smith