Michael Symonds, Staff Reporter
This article was published by the Western Herald on December 16, 2022.
https://www.westernherald.com/news/article_d03e9658-7994-11ed-8d3f-ef09974d9103.html
The Kalamazoo Literacy Council held an Adult Literacy Research and Training Symposium with Western Michigan University at the Fetzer Center Dec. 9.
The symposium aimed at educating and training attendees on how to best approach instructing and teaching adults.
WMU Assistant Vice President for Community Partnerships, Lisa Garcia believed the event could assist volunteer educators and community members by giving them useful tools they could use in their work.
“We’re hoping to give them ideas, innovative ideas, to help them in their tutoring sessions, and really to bring much more engagement to the work that they’re doing,” Garcia said.
Attendees could register for workshops and presentations covering subjects like digital literacy and English as a second language.
Emani Love appreciated the variety of topics covered in the presentations, hoping to apply what she had learned to her position as the manager of OutFront Kalamazoo’s transitional housing program.
“I’ve received so much food for thought and so many very powerful, important concepts as we tackle the issue of literacy within our communities,” Love said.
KLC Executive Director Michael Evans expressed the importance of the event during the opening presentation, stating that literacy is a skill that is paramount for success.
“We look at literacy not as a skill that you can have or not have, like basketball … that’s just a skill you don’t need,” Evans said. “But to not be able to read your bill? … that is a skill that is more like a right.”
To learn about future KLC events or volunteering opportunities, visit their website.
