A new program for adults who’d like to polish their reading and writing skills is available through Wollongong City Libraries. Photo: Wollongong City Council.
A new program for adults who want to hit literacy goals has been launched by Wollongong City Libraries.
Read and Write for Life has been developed in collaboration with the Reading Writing Hotline, Australia’s national referral and advisory service for adults wanting to improve their literacy.
Ten volunteers have completed an adult literacy tutor training course through the library and are ready to help others in the community.
Gareth Robinson is one of those volunteers.
He said the program focused on achieving goals that were meaningful to the people who signed up.
“The sessions are tailored to the individual,” he said.
“They might want to read bedtime stories to their kids or need to be able to read more technical material to get a qualification for work.
“We’re not teachers; we’re here to facilitate people to achieve what is important to them.”
Difficulties with reading and writing are very common.
More than 40 per cent of Australians experience challenges, even if they speak English as their first language.
The Reading Writing Hotline receives more than 4000 calls from people asking for help each year, with the majority of callers from English speaking backgrounds.
Libraries and community facilities manager Sarah Taylor said it could be tough for people to come back to learning, especially if they had bad experiences at school.
Read and Write for Life aims to make that transition easy and enjoyable.
“With Read and Write for Life, the learner sets the goals,” she said.
“They meet weekly with their tutor in a private space in the comfort of the library.
“There are no other students, no assessments, and our goal is to ensure that they feel safe and supported as they work towards their literacy goals.’’
Gareth said he felt the one-on-one approach offered something for both learners and volunteers.
Semi-retired after a career in journalism, he felt the program was a way he could offer his skills and enrich his own life.
“Reading and writing skills don’t tell you anything about who a person is or what their skills and achievements are in other areas,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to sitting down with someone and helping the to achieve their goals, but I think I could learn a lot too.”
To support the program’s success, the library service has also invested in a range of resources to help boost reading confidence and engagement in learning, with quick reads across a range of genres that can help adults feel more confident and enjoy reading, perhaps for the first time.
If someone you know is ready and would like to find out more, they can speak to a library staff member, or phone the libraries’ Community Connections and Learning team on (02) 4227 7414.
