The Tennessee Literacy Coalition initiates, promotes and supports adult literacy service producer programs. Through information and shared resources, we advocate in the community for adult literacy, emphasizing the importance of volunteerism. It is our goal to assist providers in offering every Tennessean the fundamental ability to use language- empowering adults to read, to write, to speak, and to ultimately succeed.
Statewide Adult Literacy Conference:
The Tennessee Literacy Coalition held its inaugural statewide conference in October, 2012, for professional development and networking opportunities. More importantly, it provided a forum to actively engage adult literacy providers in the development of programming that will directly affect and support their services.
The Online Tutor Training Program:
The Tennessee Literacy Coalition, with generous support of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, is creating an online tutor training curriculum in order to address the shortage of literacy volunteers statewide. The training allows potential volunteers to work at their own pace while freeing service providers from the time consuming and costly task of training their much needed tutors. Another advantage of crafting the online tutor training program is the standardization of best practices through the collaborative efforts of the Tennessee Literacy Coalition’s many member providers.
AmeriCorps*VISTA Intermediary Project:
The AmeriCorps*VISTA project is incredible! Individuals volunteer for one-year terms of service in literacy and other nonprofit organizations statewide. These volunteers help to build capacity of the organization through indirect service. The Tennessee Literacy Coalition manages several VISTA projects across the state that, since 2007, have managed to leverage approximately $5.4 million in cash resources and in-kind donations.
Regional Summits:
Designed to encourage collaboration, these informal half-day gatherings of literacy provider staff, volunteers, and interested businesses and community members provide a regular opportunity for networking. Discussion among participants typically covers a broad range of topics, including student recruiting and retention, volunteer management, fundraising, board development, teaching materials and curricula, learning disabilities, and more. We send notices of each regional summit to organizations within about an hour’s drive of the hosting location.
The Information Clearinghouse:
One of our most important programs is to serve as a central resource for literacy information. TLC strives to collect and share information regarding literacy in Tennessee. Managed through our website, newsletters, networking forums, and printed materials, this service includes the referral of learners and volunteers, literacy statistics, as well as basic information for those nonprofits in the literacy realm. Please continue to contact us with any additional resources or programs.
Advocacy Toolkit Training:
Tennessee Literacy Coalition developed this program in partnership with the National Coalition for Literacy to educate the public on the ease of effectively advocating on behalf of the adult learner in minimal time. Working in collaboration with the National Coalition for Literacy and Tennessee Association for Adult and Community Education, the Tennessee Literacy Coalition created an awareness campaign and uses the trainings on a local and state level.
Award for Excellence in Adult Education:
The Tennessee Literacy Coalition’s (TLC) member organizations are continually innovating and honing the work they do to help learners achieve their goals. Each year, TLC presents a monetary award of $1,000 to the member organization whose submitted program best demonstrates achievement in serving learners through a significant classroom or tutoring success, a resource development success, or an effective volunteer mobilization or learner outreach.
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