Dear Literacy Source Volunteers,

 

As you know, I will be transitioning to my next adventure in the New Year. I want to express my deep, personal gratitude to all of you for your support in helping this last six years be such a great experience for me at Literacy Source. I am so proud of what we all do each and every day and what we have accomplished together. We are truly blessed with an amazing group of volunteers - without you, we literally could not do what we do. With your ongoing commitment we are able to fulfill our mission of offering equitable opportunity for education to all of our students. I am very excited for the next chapter in the  Literacy Source story, and look forward to  us continuing to serve the needs of adult learners in our community.  

 

A heartfelt thank you to all, and a big thanks for your continued support for Literacy Source as we transition to a new Executive Director.

 

Warmly,

 

Lynn Livesley

Executive Director 

As mentioned in our last volunteer newsletter, we held focus groups and community meetings during all of our classes this term. We combined classes taking place at the same time, and students were grouped by language with facilitators and/or interpreters to discuss questions about student leadership, resources, what they like about Literacy Source, what they would change, and how they like to give feedback. The purpose of these meetings was to facilitate a space for students' opinions to be heard, to encourage the participation of students as leaders, and to bring everyone together as a community to send a message that student feedback is valued and important.

The first two questions involved voting with dot stickers (students were given 4 dots per question to vote with), and there was a voting poster for each question at each table. Our students shared many fantastic ideas about visions they have for Literacy Source and what they'd like to see at the learning center. They also liked giving feedback via community meetings. We received so much feedback - here are some of the many ideas:

• Support for getting a driver's license
• Participation in activities in the broader community as a school
• More opportunities to interact with students from other classes (ie. community meetings, game nights, assemblies to share center-wide test results, etc.)
• Activities involving youth
• Community forums (a chance to speak to those in positions of power)
• A student-led study club
• More teachers and tutors who speak their languages
• More physical space for classes and tutoring

Check out this folder on our Google Drive if you are interested in seeing the materials, questions, and results summary. We have also taped some of the posters and a graph summary throughout the center, so be sure to look for those the next time you are in. We'll leave these up throughout winter quarter for students and volunteers to view and reflect on, and will be working with our ABE 4/5 class on a related follow-up project to help us move the process forward, continue the conversation, and decide what new actions to take. We are also incorporating the feedback into our strategic plan for the coming year. We are grateful for our students who shared their opinions and ideas as we try to build more opportunities for student engagement at Literacy Source to advise and inform the work that we do.

Last month, local leaders Cesar Garcia of Lake City Collective and Mark Mendez of the Lake City Mural Project came to Literacy Source to discuss the Lake City neighborhood, local politics, and the organizing work they are doing. Cesar and Mark talked about the unique projects they're engaged in (check out: North Helpline Mural and Environment Equity Assessment Project), and then participated in a Q&A discussion with students about the most pressing issues for Lake City residents right now, from affordable housing to school access and the development of green spaces. 

This was an important evening to collaborate with veteran organizers and leaders of color in Lake City, and to connect as neighbors. Mark and Cesar talked about the importance of getting political leaders to recognize what's happening in our North Seattle neighborhood, the diversity of Lake City residents, and what's important to them as community members. As we all know, many minority communities in Seattle have been pushed out of their neighborhoods with the city's growth, but Lake City remains a diverse, vital, and engaged community. Cesar left us with an important call to action: with the challenges of growth and gentrification in the city, we have to organize and work together to prevent displacement, keep communities living where they are, and encourage them to thrive. This means making sure immigrant and minority residents are better represented within the neighborhood and city - whether at City Council meetings or school PTA meetings. This also means building community by bringing various groups together in discussions, initiatives, and events. Lake City Collective strives to do just that.

While a lot of the conversation was focused on the Lake City community more broadly, the evening also invited us to reflect on an ongoing effort within Literacy Source to create more opportunities for student involvement, collaboration, and leadership. Students asked many great questions about issues that are important to them during the panel, and some approached Cesar and Mark afterwards about how they can become involved. Our focus group sessions also indicated that some students are interested in participating in activities in the broader community as well as at Literacy Source. We are in the process of determining next-steps in response, and are continuing to seek feedback about learners' experiences as we work together on ideas for the future. We look forward to seeing them in action in the New Year!

Hi Volunteers! I'm Sarah Olson and I'm excited to be here as Literacy Source's new Digital Literacy Coordinator. Part of my role is to support staff, students, and volunteers in their digital/tech work here at Literacy Source. We are happy to announce that we will be offering some round-table workshops in February for volunteers who are interested in learning more about Google Drive, Google Docs, and other digital tools and programs that we use. If you are interested, please make sure to check next month's volunteer newsletter for dates and times. Also, if you have any computer or tech questions related to your Literacy Source work, I am more than happy to help. You're welcome to stop by my desk if I'm there, or you can call or email me at [email protected] to arrange a time to meet. You may also refer students to me with computer/tech questions if needed. I look forward to meeting more of you and supporting you in the great work that you do!