“Having fun isn’t hard, when you’ve got a library card!”
Am I the only one who remembers this song from the TV show “Arthur” from when we were kids? Yes? Okay. I’m not surprised that I would be the only one to remember that exact episode, but I promise I do have a life, and this article does have a point! Here’s the clip to catch you up (or would it be throw you back?):
Now that we’ve all experienced that, let’s talk about literacy, which is really the point of the song. All of us are so fortunate to have made it this far- it means that we’ve had someone along the way who has helped us become functional adults, and has helped us to be literate insomuch that at the very least we are able to handle all of our coursework. It means that a teacher, a friend, a parent, relative or just someone important in our lives took the time to teach us to read, and teach us to be proficient enough to pass our SATs, write a killer college essay and come to Molloy. There are so many people in the United States who are not nearly as blessed as we are. Actually, according to ProLiteracy, approximately 36 million adults living in the United States are illiterate. Of that 36 million, only 3 million of those people will receive help to improve their literacy rates. This creates significant economic instability, as nearly 15% of those without literacy skills are unemployed, and there is about $60 billion in missed opportunities because adults who cannot read have a difficult time succeeding in the job market. Additionally, they are over 50% more likely to be hospitalized. Stats from BeginToRead tell us that approximately 66% of students who do not receive help with reading will either end up in jail or on welfare, with over 90% of welfare recipients being high-school dropouts. 85% of youth who come face to face with the law are illiterate, and there is a 77% likelihood that people who do not get help with literacy while incarcerated will end up back in prison. 75% of food stamp recipients are low-literacy individuals, 43% of adults with low literacy levels are living in poverty, and young women who are illiterate have a significantly higher chance of having children out of wedlock. The stats are staggering, overwhelming, and sad. It would seem as if this is a problem with no solution, but what you might not know is that there are many groups, even in the local area, who are trying to combat illiteracy.
Do those stats make you angry, sad, worried, or concerned? They should! Want to do something about it? You should! Here are some ways that you could get involved in combating illiteracy:
- Donate your time/resources/money/books, etc. Organizations such as The Book Fairies, Hudson Link, Reading Partners, Reading Empowers, Literacy Nassau, and Literacy Suffolk are all doing a lot of work to provide resources for the illiterate, and they are in constant need of help. The Book Fairies is in constant need of people to organize and facilitate book drives, donate books, make monetary donations, and volunteer to sort books. They use all of the books that they collect to provide Free Book Fairs for local schools, provide reading materials to incarcerated youth and children in pediatric wards, and create libraries in community centers and schools. They currently have over 25 schools on a waiting list to receive books! Hudson Link works to provide education to prisoners in Ossining, NY so that prisoners, upon release, do not become repeat offenders. They are always in need of monetary donations and volunteers to help them tutor, teach, and perform general office tasks. Reading Partners and Reading Empowers bring tutors to students who are at-risk to help them hone their reading skills, develop new skills, and remain on the path to high levels of literacy and are always looking for tutors. Finally, Literacy Nassau and Literacy Suffolk provide tutoring, ESL classes, workplace literacy classes, citizenship classes, and other literacy-related services to those in need, and again, are always in need of volunteers to help fulfill their mission.
- Support your local library! Arthur speaks the truth…the library can be a really fun place to be! Go to your local library, check out some books, partake in some of the many programs they offer, and spend some time studying there. Libraries will exist as long as they are used — they’re there for us! They provide critical services to the community, and often can be a safe haven for kids after school, or can be sources of free entertainment, and of course, they promote reading!
- Send letters to Congress! That same ProLiteracy article that we got the stats from pointed to another upsetting figure – funding for adult literacy programs has decreased drastically in recent years. How is that acceptable? Since it’s such a big problem in the U.S, shouldn’t our government be doing something about it? Let your members of Congress, your Senators, and the state legislators know how you feel.
Together, we can fight the fight to end illiteracy! It’s important to me, and I hope that you all have causes that are important to you!
What causes are you passionate about? Let us know in the comments!