What is Literacy Volunteers of Laredo?
Literacy Volunteers of Laredo (LVL) is an independent affiliate of ProLiteracy America, composed of lay and professional volunteers actively working together to combot low literacy rates in our community.
LVL was established in 1986 as a local affiliate of the national network, organized to promote literacy throughout the Laredo and Webb County. The program consists of volunteers who recruit, train, and match volunteer tutors with adults with limited reading, writing, and/or limited English proficiency skills, who need individualized basic reading and/or English as a second language (ESL).
LVL services include:
- Basic Literacy
- English as a Second Language
- Citizenship
- Family Literacy
Some of the numbers about our programs:
- 29 is the total number of unduplicated volunteer tutors who assisted LVL in 2009-2010
- 10 is the current number of active tutors with 3 or more contact hours per week
- 12 is the total number of active tutoring sites
- 1,677 is the actual amount of tutoring hours offered in 2009-2010
- One-to-one, small-group, and large-group instruction are the typical methods of delivering instruction.
- 184 active students accumulated 1,677 tutoring hours in 2010
- About 88% of LVL students in 2009 were between the ages of 19 and 59.
- Nearly 36% of our students are either unemployed or not in the labor force.
- About 18% of LVL students had employment as a primary goal and achieved it during 2009. Nearly 10% increased involvement in their children's educational activities.
The Literacy Problem in Laredo
They can’t read street signs or complete a job application. They can’t read phrases such as “contaminated materials” or “danger.” They can’t even read to their children. The U.S. Office of Education estimates that 27 million adults are illiterate. These alarming numbers mean a large portion of our nation’s adult population lacks essential skills to live in or contribute to our technological society. Unless we do something now, the growing illiterate population will severely tax the nation’s economy and way of life.
The Economic Costs
Illiteracy in America affects more than the non-reader. It affects us all. Our government suffers loss of revenue as well as higher welfare costs. It even affects our national security. More than one-fourth of Army enlistees can’t read training manuals written at the 7th grade level. Illiteracy means loss of manpower, loss of money and lower productivity. Illiterate employees cost their companies daily in terms of work place accidents, poor product quality, absenteeism and lost management time.
The Human Costs
Reading is so simple for most of us; we have forgotten how important it is for our self-esteem, our self-sufficiency and for improving our lives. Although illiteracy cuts across social and economic lines, many illiterate adults are just subsisting. Most keep their inability to read a closely guarded secret. Illiterate citizens fail to reach their full potential as parents and functioning members of the community.