America’s Adult Literacy Crisis

About three years ago, I began to seek opportunities to get involved in some sort of community service in Nashville. Opportunity abounds in this town but I struggled for quite some time to find a cause that I could really put my weight behind. Passion cannot be manufactured nor should it be in the realm of community work. So, I waited for the right thing to come along.

I work for the international division of a publishing company so information and statistics regarding literacy often weave their way into my workday. Like many, I assumed that illiteracy wasn’t a major issue in the U.S. so data from developing countries was my focus. Until. Until I came across these facts outlined in the National Commission on Adult Literacy’s 2008 report, Reach Higher, AMERICA:

• Among the 30 OECD countries, the U.S. is the only nation where young adults are less educated than the previous generations.
• 2 million immigrants come the U.S. per year and 50% of them have low literacy skills.
• 88 million adults have at least one major educational barrier and thus are unlikely to earn a family sustaining wage. The barriers are: no high school diploma, no college or English language needs. And, it’s unlikely that you’ll earn a family sustaining wage without at least two years of post secondary education.
• 56% of inmates have low literacy skills. 95% of them will return to our communities.

In sum, 91 million adults in the U.S. cannot read at a functional level. That is, nearly 30% of individuals over the age of 18 in this country cannot read at an 8th grade level or higher.

Knowing these statistics, coupled with conversations I’d had regarding the socioeconomic, familial, relational, spiritual and financial implications of illiteracy I knew that I had to do something to address the adult literacy needs in my city.

So, for a little over a year now I’ve been volunteering with the Nashville Adult Literacy Council, tutoring adults that are wanting to improve their skills in the areas of reading, writing and listening. Start Now, the specific program that I’m a part of, has allowed me to tutor a different student nearly every week.

The diversity of cultures, experiences, goals, dreams, challenges and triumphs I’ve encountered in my students has compelled me to continually look at every facet of this issue. The need to help these individuals is great and the resources available to them are scarce so I am passionate about activating individuals, companies, nonprofits, churches and the government to address this issue. It is one of the most foundational elements to the empowerment of individuals and communities; without the eradication of illiteracy it’s unlikely the challenges faced in the areas of poverty, health & healthcare, teen pregnancy, fatherlessness, imprisonment, education, citizenship, drug addiction, our economy, apathy, injustice and the like will ever be removed.

Season-less

When I was 10 my family moved to the Lone Star State after a 7-year stint in Tennessee. There were quite a few differences between to two locales most notable of which was the lack of seasons in Texas; you’re far more likely to wear a t-shirt than a scarf at Christmas, spring turns into summer in a matter of days, the sun seldom sets before dinner and the AC is always running.

In my early 20’s I spent a few years living and studying in Scotland. I experienced enough days of cold, rain and biting wind there to make up for all of the tropical winters I’d had in Texas. Being so far north, the days concluded before they began in the winter and were endless come June. It was a rare day in August that the temps rose high enough to warrant dipping even a toe into the North Sea.

I felt cheated of winter when I lived in Texas and cheated of summer when I was in Scotland. And, it affected me. There is a certain clarity and assurance that results from the rhythmic progression of the seasons. I think this is true of not only our physical lives but our spiritual ones as well. There is just as much beauty to behold in times of conflict, death, pain, darkness, cold and contemplation as when life is blossoming with a cacophony of events, joy and light. Brings to mind one of my favorite lines from Keats’ poem, To Autumn:

“Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—”

I don’t want to leave the seasons life grants prematurely; I want to be present and embrace what is happening around me, be it fallowness or growth.

To 2010 and Intangibility

While I have a host of tangible goals for the year ahead, I’ve decided to set a few slightly more intangible ones as well. You know, the kinds of goals that weave an over-arching intentionality into the seemingly mundane activities and happenings of life.  And, breed depth of relationship, greatness of character and courage to conquer the difficult.

On my list of tangibles are things like traveling more, attending the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, visiting my dear friends Marion and Renata whom I haven’t seen in over a year, helping my little sister train for and complete the Country Music Kids’ Marathon in Nashville in April, running the half marathon the following day with my running partners in crime, hosting more dinner parties, completing a triathlon, eating more fruits and veggies, racing the Muddy Buddy, getting to know the families at my church, hiking and reading more, etc.

My intangibles are to ask more questions, to start viewing money as a statement of belief as opposed to a transfer of value, to love regardless of outcome, to increase my involvement in and awareness of the adult literacy movement in my city, to fight to harbor joy and not bitterness, and to live more simply. While I may not be able to celebrate the achievement of such goals with a camera, medal or victory dance I get the feeling that the incorporation of these things will greatly enrich all of the capturable moments of the year ahead.

2010, a toast to you and all that you hold! Cheers.

What’s your problem?

My little sister Lindsey has had Lennox-Gastaut syndrome since she was four. Her story is many things but it’s consistently been one of  laughter unexpectedly weaving its way into circumstances, providing the most unlikely but necessary relief and perspective.

About my sophpomore year of high school, Lindsey became increasingly aware of how very different she was from those around her. Her friends could go to slumber parties on the weekend, she still had to sleep with a baby monitor in her room so my parents could hear if she had a seizure.  My sister Ashley and I could drive, she would have to go six months without a seizure before this could even be in the realm of possibility.  These things among many others began to weigh heavily on her, leading to a long night of sobbing, wanting to know why God would allow her to have seizures and thus  prevent her from being like the other kids.

My parents have always tried to treat Lindsey just like every other child, never extending or expecting special treatment unless absolutely necessary. This particular time wasn’t any different. I distinctly remember them comforting and hugging her, saying they were sorry she was so sad but that everyone in this world has something that they’d like to fix or change about themselves. This answer surprised her. She asked my mom, dad, sister and I what problems we had. We went around the room saying the various things we wished were different about ourselves, that we were thinner, free from various physical ailments, had more friends, etc. The lesson seemed to resonate with her but you never know with Lindsey what will ’stick’ and what won’t.

A few weeks later we attended my dad’s company Christmas party. Somewhat uncharacteristically, Lindsey was going from person to person around the room introducing herself, making some wisecracks (if there’s one thing we Lassiter women are it’s sarcastic) and having a grand old time. One particular moment Lindsey went up to a perfect stranger, looked him straight in the eye, extended her hand and said, “Hi, I’m Lindsey. I have seizures. What’s your problem?” Somewhat taken aback, the man politely shook her hand, struggling for a response. Finally, a large grin came over his face and he said, “Nice to meet you, Lindsey. I’m so and so and I eat too much.” They both laughed and then proceeded to have the kind of conversation you’d expect between lifelong friends.  Lindsey’s bluntness and honesty had removed the need for pretenses.

When I was feeling particularly down about my insecurities and hang-ups the other day this memory came back to me and I couldn’t help but laugh. And laugh. And laugh. I needed to be reminded that ‘we all have something,’ that I have my problems and you have yours and sometimes the best thing is to just acknowledge it and laugh.

Conclusiveness is seldom the point

I hated wearing bows as a kid. This was much to my mother’s chagrin because I was a child of the ‘80s after all. Girls 5 to 50 were supposed to wear bows that were a match for the teased mass of hair upon which they rested.  Deep down I knew such an adornment would only draw greater attention to my glasses, braces and headgear. Plus, they only seemed to get in the way when I was riding my bike or chasing my sisters around with a pair of scissors.

In my adult life, however, I find myself trying to put a bow on everything. Let me explain. The questions, tensions and ambiguities have often reached such unbearable levels that I have stuffed them into a box, slammed on the lid and attached a bow of explanation in a strained attempt make the mayhem more manageable. We all do it.  It’s the reason that we tell friends that God is closing a door and opening a window when life has come hurtling through and left mere shards of hope in her wake. I get why I/we do this. We want life to make sense. No one wants to hear that life is actually more like one of those revolving kitchen doors that’s neither opened nor closed and hits you in the butt from time to time. It’s not exactly the sort of thing you’d cross stitch onto a pillow as a means of encouragement.

Over the past few years I’ve taken a different approach to dealing with uncertainty, not by choice but out of necessity. The questions could no longer be contained and ignored; I had to acknowledge their existence and give them permission to take up residence in my thoughts, prayers, relationships and conversations. What I’m learning, ever so slowly,  is that questions have far more to teach me than an answer ever could. Rainer Maria Rilke says it best:

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer…”

If you’re my friend, the next time you see me scrambling to bring an ‘aha’ to the ambiguous I need you to remind me that conclusivenss is seldom the point of this journey, that clarity seldom births character, hope and transformation. I’ll try to remind you of this as well.

Duct taped causes- aligning your organization with the right cause(s)

As I mentioned in a previous post, the best for-profit and nonprofit partnerships occur when the organizations involved share similar missions, values and goals. So, how does your organization go about creating a portfolio of nonprofit partnerships that match its DNA? The Cone Past.Present.Future. 25th Anniversary Report addresses this question and suggests that companies consider the following:

-What social or environmental issues are core to their business? Further, what social and environmental issues do you have a vested, long-term interest in? Patagonia is commited to not only using the most envrionmentally sound materials and processes possible, they also strive to structure their business so as “to find solutions to the current environmental crisis.” They aren’t involved in these causes and issues merely to give themselves a philanthropic pat on the back. They need the great outdoors to continue to be great 10, 20, 30 years down the road if their business is going to survive.

-What assets can they leverage to maximize societal impact? That is, what are your key areas of strength as an organization? Often times you can look to your mission and vision statements to gain some insight and then dig deeper into your organization’s key areas of competency. Then, look for ways your areas of strength can be leveraged for greater societal change.

-What issues matter to their stakeholders? Everything comes back to the stakeholder. Aligning with a nonprofit requires time and resources. Understandably, stakeholders will be unlikely to encourage nonprofit partnerships if they don’t see a direct benefit to your company’s bottom line.

-Whom do they want to reach? (both beneficiaries and stakeholders) Toms shoes is an example of an organization that is doing a phenomenal job of enacting the answer to this question. They are selling shoes in order to donate shoes and vice versa. That is, the consumer/donor benefits the company, which in turn benefits the cause, etc. The relationship between the nonprofit cause and company is completely reciprocal.

In sum, selecting a cause(s) should be no different than picking an area of new venture; it should be a natural fit and an advantageous relationship for all involved.

“Inhumane kindness”

It’s cool to care about Africa. Only the trendy buy Fair Trade coffee. Using plastic bags to hold your groceries? Why, that’s so 2002. There’s no doubt, nearly everywhere you turn you can find a social justice “expert.” While all of this is good and well, I often wonder what good is really done in the long run if we as consumers are merely raising funds and awareness but fail to be active participants in the solution to society’s most pressing issues.

I heard Donald Miller speak at the Love (as it turns out) is a Battlefield event Friday night, benefitting Blood:Water Mission. He talked quite a bit about the nonprofit organization he helped found, The Mentoring Project.  He stated that raising awareness for the fatherlessness crisis in America was by far the easiest part of the process. In fact, raising such awareness has recently become cool and trendy, and who doesn’t want to advance themselves further socially ? If you raise awareness and send in a donation? Even better. However, the part  he found incredibly challenging and difficult was to  begin engaging in the actual work of mentorship; hanging out with teenagers is confusing, frustrating and you sometimes have to do very unglamorous things such as explain hygeine. However, physically lending time to a kid’s life is arguably the most crucial part of the foundation’s work.

Don’s challenge for himself and those in the audience was to strive be active participants in the actual work of social justice, for funds and awareness alone won’t change the world. The approach of inactive engagement is what Phyllis Tickle refers to as “inhumane kindness.” That phrase hit me in the gut on Friday and is serving to illuminate the perversion that comes from using a social justice crisis to bring about my self-promotion. My hope is that the lesson will remain and that I’ll be quicker  to engage in actual service instead of lip service the next time around.

Scotch taped causes- aligning your organization with the wrong cause(s)

More and more, organizations are aligning themselves with nonprofit causes. While this is a good thing and absolutely a step in the right direction, the deepest synergies and progress occur when the partnering business and nonprofit organization share a common mission, values and passion.

On an individual level, people are most drawn to nonprofits with which they have a vested interest. For example, women that have battled breast cancer themselves or have lost a friend or family to the disease comprise the vast majority of the participants in Race for the Cure events. These women have been directly affected by the disease and are therefore passionate about finding a cure and inspiring others to join the movement.

In the business realm this proves true as well; the momentum created between businesses and non-profits who share the same DNA seems to be more organic, natural and therefore impactful. It makes sense for Starbucks to align themselves with the Fair Trade coffee movement. Their partnership with Ethos, the bottled water company seeking to provide as many children as possible with clean water? Doesn’t have quite as strong a connection.  The average Starbucks consumer is passionate about coffee and therefore apt to be passionate about causes directly related to coffee.

Again, I’m excited, no, thrilled by the corporate social responsibility movement that is upon us. There are scores of amazing nonprofit organizations out there desperate for businesses to be the vehicle through which they acquire additional volunteers, funds and awareness . My point is this: no one in their right mind would strike up a relationship with someone they don’t have chemistry with, why should it be any different for business and nonprofit couplings?