News
Poetry Festival in Greenfield to Benefit The Literacy Project
September 27, 2011
The Literacy Project Gets High Marks from the Department of Education
September 16, 2011
Listen to an Interview on WRSI With Former Literacy Project Student, Kipp Williams
October 2010
The Literacy Projects Offers Students Scholarships Toward College or Vocational Training For the Fifth Year.
October 12, 2010
Adult Literacy Educator Makes an Impact
September 22, 2010
United Bank Foundation Supports Adult Literacy in Northampton
April 14, 2010
Nonprofits Share Space, Collaborate to Maximize Resources
January 26, 2010
$8,000 Challenge Grant Helps The Literacy Project Keep the Doors of Opportunity Open
September 30, 2009
Greenfield Annual Word Festival
September 27, 2011
Greenfield - The Literacy Project and Human Error Publishing present the Greenfield Annual Word Festival on Saturday, October 15. Students at The Literacy Project will join over 70 local and nationally recognized poets at ten venues in downtown Greenfield to read original works. Proceeds benefit The Literacy Project.
“We’re so happy to help sponsor this event because our students understand the value of words,” says The Literacy Project’s Executive Director, Judith Roberts. “When our students find their voices as writers, they gain the power to tell their own truth.”
Roberts quotes one Literacy Project graduate who said:
“Words still, they’re still very much a weapon. But I have taken them back and I’ve been using them. Learning to go ahead and write them. Learning that you have a right to write down anything you want to write, whether or not somebody likes it. Learning that you have power.”
Helping others find their voice motivated local performing artist and author Paul Richmond, www.humanerrorpublishing.com, to create the Greenfield Annual Word Festival. Now in its second year, Richmond says the festival is “a celebration of words and the confidence to say them. Having a voice, being able to put into words what you feel and think, helps create the ground floor for a working democracy,” explains Richmond. “You are powerless without your voice.”
Poets are scheduled for two times slots in the afternoon and evening of October 15th,, at 3:00 and 6:30. An additional reading from 4:00-5:00 will feature poetry for children. At 9:00 pm, the Festival concludes with readings from nationally recognized poets Tantra Zawadi, www.tantra-zawadi.com, and Timothy Mason, www.timothydmason.com. All of the readings are free and open to the public, and donations will be collected to benefit The Literacy Project. Maps and programs will be available on the Greenfield Town Common throughout the afternoon and evening of the Festival.
The Literacy Project Gets High Marks from the Department of Education
September 16, 2011
GREENFIELD – After a thorough review by an evaluation team from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), The Literacy Project, based in Greenfield, MA, was commended for “providing quality instruction and consistently striving for excellence.”
A team of four Program Specialists from DESE visited The Literacy Project’s adult literacy and GED classes in Ware, Amherst, Northampton, Greenfield and Orange. For three days, the team interviewed students, staff and volunteers and made a careful review of classroom lessons, records and finances.
In the team’s final report, they commended The Literacy Project’s “dedicated, creative and hardworking staff” who are “committed to providing quality instruction and consistently striving for excellence.” In addition, the team commended The Literacy Project’s emphasis on helping students move beyond the GED to enroll in post-secondary education and training. “Support services involving volunteers and counseling address the holistic strategies needed to ensure that each student may succeed.”
“We are very pleased that our major funder recognizes the hard work of both our dedicated teachers and our courageous adult students who are using the power of education to improve their lives, ” comments Judith Roberts, Executive Director of The Literacy Project. The Literacy Project receives 72% of total revenue from DESE.
The Literacy Project is one of the largest community-based, nonprofit adult education programs in the state. Each year The Literacy Project educates over 400 adults in basic skills, preparing them for the GED test, community college, vocational training programs and the workplace. Last year, 75 Literacy Project students earned a GED.
Scholarships for Our Students
October 2010
This fall, The Literacy Project is offering five $1000 scholarships this year to current or former TLP participants who are continuing their education in college or a vocational training program. The funds have been generously provided by the Wapack Foundation. Applications are due by November 10, 2010 and recipients will be notified by December 6, 2010.
We are pleased that this grant can be somewhat flexible for the recipients. The award can be used to pay for tuition, fees, materials, or books at an accredited college or vocational training program. It can also be used for expenses crucial to the applicant’s academic success. The award is intended to be used in the 2010-2011 school year, but it can be deferred with special permission from the Scholarship Committee. The award can be paid directly to the school or program, or it can be paid to the applicant, if they submit receipts/documentation for expenses already paid this semester.
Click here for a copy of the application, instructions and more details on eligibility.
You can also get a flyer for posting this information.
Adult Literacy Educator Makes an Impact
Sept 22, 2010
WARE – There is no one right formula for success when it comes to helping an adult who is giving education another chance. But one thing all involved agree on is that having a supportive and encouraging teacher who makes a student feel comfortable and capable is a critical part of the mix. Carl Coniglio, site director of The Literacy Project’s Ware classroom, is one such teacher.
Carl started at The Literacy Project in 2001 and on Friday, September 17th. His passion for helping his students succeed was rewarded with a direct service award from COSA, the Council of Social Agencies of Hampshire County. Three of Carl’s students, aided by instructor Deirdre Loftus, were the driving force behind the recognition. “Carl is energetic and passionate about teaching,” Christine Kennedy said in the nomination letter the students wrote. “He will bend over backwards to try to help his students,” wrote Linda Fournier, a student of Carl’s for three years. The mark of any outstanding teacher is the influence that continues after a student has moved on, and as Crystal Tortora said of Carl, “he is always telling us he has faith in all of us and we can get our GED’s and have a successful life after leaving here.”
“We congratulate Carl on this well-deserved recognition” said Executive Director Judith Roberts. “Our students are so very lucky to have him and the many other professional, dedicated staff we have here at The Literacy Project. And we are grateful to COSA for making the effort to recognize excellence among the dedicated group of human service professionals in our region.”
United Bank Foundation Supports Adult Literacy
April 14, 2010
Northampton – Adult literacy students at The Literacy Project’s Northampton classroom are receiving help from United Bank Foundation this year as they work toward their education and career goals. The Foundation awarded $2,500 this winter to fund the classroom’s transitions program. The transitions program provides extra support for Adult Basic Education and GED students to build the skills they need to succeed when they are ready to take the next steps into college or vocational training and work that pays a fair living wage.
“In today’s economy, it takes computer literacy skills and more than a high school credential to succeed,” says Executive Director Judith Roberts. “And helping adult literacy students succeed is an investment that brings returns beyond the economic security students attain for their own lives, as they become able to contribute in so many meaningful ways to their families, our local businesses, the workforce, and our community. We are so grateful to United Bank Foundation for helping to keep the doors of opportunity open for our neighbors who are ready to move their lives forward, and for helping to make our community a better place overall. ”
Nonprofits Share Space, Collaborate to Maximize Resources
January 26, 2010
Amherst– These are difficult times for local nonprofits. With state and federal revenue down, service agencies are under pressure to meet more needs with fewer resources. In order to survive and even thrive in this economy, The Literacy Project and the Jewish Community of Amherst (JCA) have formed a creative collaboration: The Literacy Project’s Amherst classroom will now be located in the JCA’s building at 742 Main Street, Amherst.
“We’ve had a 45% reduction in our revenue for Amherst,” explains The Literacy Project’s Executive Director Judith Roberts. “We’ve had a wonderful relationship with our former landlord, Gillen and Associates, but sharing space with the JCA helps us to keep our costs down while we keep the doors of opportunity open for our students. The JCA has been extremely welcoming, and we’re pleased that we’ve been able to create a collaboration that truly benefits both communities.”
“The JCA community is happy to support the Literacy Project by sharing our home in Amherst,” according to JCA Board Co-President, Lisa Perlbinder. "In difficult financial times, collaborations such as ours can make the difference between being able to provide valued services or having to turn people away, so we are pleased to help The Literacy Project to continue their vital work."
Working with volunteers from Amherst College, Amherst High School, Smith College, Greenfield Community College and the local community, The Literacy Project moved the classroom on January 18 and held classes in the new location on January 19th.
While Amherst has a high percentage of residents with advanced education, those at the other end of the educational spectrum have few options. 1 in 7 residents in the Pioneer Valley do not have a GED or high school diploma. Without a diploma or GED, a woman living in Hampshire County can only expect to earn $17,000 – not enough to survive without public subsidy.
$8,000 Challenge Grant Helps The Literacy Project Keep the Doors of Opportunity Open in Amherst and Northampton
September 30, 2009
Greenfield – The Massachusetts Woman’s Home Missionary Union has awarded an $8,000 challenge grant to support the Passport to Success program at The Literacy Project’s classrooms in Amherst and Northampton. Passport to Success provides a vital complement to The Literacy Project’s basic, pre-GED, and GED classes, supporting adults and out-of-school youth to stay in class to earn a GED and to make the move to college, vocational training, and work.
The challenge requires that The Literacy Project raise an additional $2,000 by November 30. The funding will ensure that 35 people at each classroom benefit from the Passport to Success program this year. This is the first time The Literacy Project has been awarded a grant from the Massachusetts Woman’s Home Missionary Union, which was founded in 1879 to promote the welfare of those in need.
“We’re extremely grateful to Massachusetts Woman’s Home Missionary Union,” comments The Literacy Project’s Executive Director, Judith Roberts. “When our neighbors in need achieve economic self-sufficiency they can better support themselves and their families, and our whole community benefits. This is an exciting chance to invite the community to help us keep the doors of opportunity open.”
Last year, The Literacy Project served over 400 students; 66 earned a GED, 33 took a college course, 46 got a job, and many more achieved milestones toward those goals. “Whether adult learners and out-of-school youth want to get a job or a better job, or enroll in college or vocational training,” explains Roberts, “having support along the way can make the difference.”