Literacy Source E-Newsletter

Seattle weather - especially in January - is certainly conducive to some delightful indoor activities. January is National Hot Tea Month, and with the additional perks of being good for your health and an excellent way to support Literacy Source, we think curling up with a good book and a cup of hot tea sounds like a great way to spend an evening!

Welcome Note

Dear Literacy Source Community,

Welcome to 2022! January often serves as a time to be thankful for the moments of growth and joy we've experienced in the past year, as well as an opportunity to reflect and think about what we hope to see - both in ourselves and in the world around us - in the future.

Our students consistently inspire us, and in reading through some of the amazing work from fall quarter of 2021, we were struck by how much the final projects of the ESOL 4/5 class, biographies of their role models, resonated with the values we espouse at Literacy Source, as well as the resolutions so many of us make at this time of the year.

Here are a few of their role models:

Azar's role model, Farah Pahlavi, was the last queen of Iran. In her country, she fought for all cultures and advocated for education for all, especially women and children. She was forced to leave her country after the revolution, but still loves her country and people and, even at the age of 84, "she still works hard for women’s rights, so she hopes that the live of Iranian women will be better everyday."
Oprah Winfrey is Zahra's role model. Oprah came from such humble beginnings that she wore "potato sack for dresses because she cant afford to buy clothes in store." However, hard work and determination led to her having one of the most successful TV shows in the world. As well, she donates to important causes such as Pathways to College.
Kaya's role model, Joni Eareckson, overcame adversity after she became a quadriplegic, learning to paint with her teeth and writing over 40 books. As Kaya says, "a positive attitude towards life and indefatigable efforts have achieved her an extraordinary life".
Wellesh's role model is Nelson Mandela, the former South African president and champion of democracy and equal opportunity. He spent 27 years of his life in prison but continued to stand up for what he believed in, and, as Wellesh admired in her biography: "He never answered racism with racism."

We encourage you to peruse the biographies of the students who wanted to share their work with the Literacy Source community, as they serve as a salient reminder of the values and leadership characteristics that inspire us all, such as education, compassion, advocacy for the underserved, equity, courage, and resilience. We look forward as well to celebrating our students' continued accomplishments with you in the coming years!

In community,

Cat Howell

Co-ED, Educational Director

Shira Rosen

Co-ED, Managing Director

Volunteer Spotlight: Supporting Incarcerated Students

Covid impacted so many of the services we offer in the community. One of the programs that underwent some big changes was our Correctional Education Program, through which we provide one-to-one tutors to incarcerated students who are pursuing their GED or high school diploma at King County Correctional Facility and Maleng Regional Justice Center.

From March 2020 until October 2021, to ensure the safety of everyone in such a high-risk environment, we were unable to access our incarcerated students. Finally, in October, we were able to start serving students again, so we thought to check in with on of our veteran tutors, Patty Foster, on how Covid has changed the correctional education experience, and how it has remained the same.

What originally drew you to working with incarcerated students?

Initially I was intrigued to tutor in an environment that was so unfamiliar to me. As I’ve gotten older I’ve challenged myself to do more things that are not in my comfort zone and at the time I was feeling comfortable enough as a tutor and decided this would be another growing experience for me personally and in volunteer work. Eventually I realized that any help an inmate is given while incarcerated is help for that person when they are released, which benefits everybody in the community.

How did the tutoring team adjust to the closing of the jails to service providers from March 2020 until October 2021?

When everything shut down and tutoring ended so abruptly it felt as though so much was left undone. Liz, the program manager, suggested meeting with the other tutors via Zoom, which helped with the void from everything suddenly ending. At the time the BLM movement became important to discuss as a part of tutoring inmates so we were sent the book Teaching For Black Lives with relevant current articles and essays, which was a good learning tool and gave us a helpful perspective for working with most of the inmates we tutor. These meetings also kept tutoring relevant during the time off.

How has the experience of working with students changed now that you have returned?

There are two changes that we have had to make tutoring during the pandemic. One is that instead of sitting at a table together we now meet in a visiting room with a window between us. We can no longer pass paperwork back-and-forth and need to to use a phone to talk. The second is now both the student and I are required to wear a mask, which is necessary but is just another barrier affecting easy back-and-forth communication.

How has it remained the same?

At first communicating through the window was more jarring for me than the student since this is a familiar situation for him. Once we start working together and dig into the reading material the window and mask barriers aren’t as frustrating for me and the changes have become just a part of the tutoring situation.

To read Patty's full interview, please go to our Volunteer Spotlights on our website.

New Partnership: Kentucky Office for Refugees

With the new year comes several new partnerships, collaborations and consulting work for Literacy Source!

One project we will be working on in the coming year is a program evaluation for the Kentucky Office of Refugees (KOR). As part of the scope of work, our team will be looking at their assessment and reporting processes to see if there are ways they may find to streamline systems and improve alignment across program sites.

We’re excited to be working with them, learning more about the wonderful work they do, and presenting

information they can use as they re-imagine their reach.

Stay At Home Tea Fully Funded!

WOW!

Thank you so much everyone for your support. Together we were able to raise over $80,000 to support our programs and students.

We are absolutely blown away by your generosity, and are so proud of our wonderful community of supporters!

Save the Date: Our 20th Annual Fundraising Breakfast

Thank you, donors!

We are so thankful for those donors who were able to go above and beyond this month:

We couldn't do this work without YOUR support!

Literacy Source is on the traditional lands of the Duwamish people, and we pay our respect to elders both past and present. To support the revival of Duwamish culture and the vitality of the Duwamish Tribe, please consider signing this petition to federally recognize them, or consider making a donation to Real Rent Duwamish.