Taking A Literacy Friendly Approach in the Community and Voluntary Sector
As community and voluntary organisations, you are a trusted source of information, advice and support in communities. If people have literacy needs, can they fully access your programmes and supports, volunteer with you or find out about the literacy supports that might help them?
In Ireland over 500,000 adults struggle with reading and understanding information and using everyday maths. This can mean they may not feel comfortable or confident joining groups and clubs, doing courses, accessing services or applying to be a volunteer.
The National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) and The Wheel are working together on a project to support community and voluntary organisations to take a literacy friendly approach in their work.
Intro Webinar
Check out this recent introductory webinar to find out about the extent of adult literacy, numeracy and digital literacy needs in your community and how your organisation can begin to contribute to a more literacy friendly society.
How You Can Get Involved
Below you’ll find links to a range of free trainings and resources that will help support you, your staff and volunteers to understand literacy needs and design a more literacy friendly service for your community.
Find Your Local Service
Need to improve your reading, writing, maths or digital skills? The ALL Office can help. All courses are free, see this link here.
E-Learning
If your organisation works with the public, you and your team may benefit from a new e-learning course: Let’s Talk About Literacy. This is a free course for anyone wanting to learn more about literacy and who deals with the public in their work, including staff and volunteers. It will help you to become literacy aware and respond sensitively to unmet literacy needs. Find out more and take the course here.
Learn with NALA
Learn for free online or on the phone with the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA)
Learn with NALA online.
Learn with NALA over the phone.
Understanding Adult Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Literacy
In your work, do you have contact with people with unmet literacy needs?
This free online course will help you to understand the experience and impact of unmet literacy, numeracy and digital literacy needs on adults in Irish society.
Becoming Literacy Friendly
This free online course on becoming literacy friendly will help you to create a literacy friendly service that is person-centered. It will give you practical approaches to taking a literacy friendly approach in your work.
Would you like to brush up on your health literacy skills?
The Adult Literacy for Life office have two new online health literacy courses which are on their website now:
Let’s talk about health literacy: For everyone who uses health and social care services HERE
Let’s talk about a literacy friendly approach in healthcare: For health and social care professionals HERE
Let’s talk about health literacy factsheet
Health literacy research information sheet
Research into Unmet Literacy Needs among Staff and Volunteers in the CV Sector
This report presents the findings of an exploratory research study commissioned by The Wheel and supported by the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA), undertaken to survey volunteers and staff in the community and voluntary sector on the level and nature of unmet literacy, numeracy, and digital literacy needs in the sector. Funded by the Adult Literacy for Life Office.
Published in 2024. You can access the report here.
If you’d like to find out more please email Sinéad Vaughan sinead@wheel.ie.
This programme is funded under the Adult Literacy for Life (ALL) Collaboration and Innovation Fund 2023.
