Read and Write Is Our Fight
The coalition is focusing initially on adult literacy. That is, on supporting the many organizations working on adult literacy for the people of Detroit. We believe that increasing adult literacy will have the greatest impact on the city by increasing opportunities for a large segment of the population and increasing the quality of the work force, attracting new businesses. We believe that helping the organizations working on adult literacy is how we can have the greatest impact on the prosperity of the city. Currently, our efforts are focused on:
- Creating a comprehensive list of the organizations that are working on adult literacy
- Learning about the organizations: how they operate and who they serve
- Getting input on how to support and enhance their effectiveness
Why Literacy?
Studies have found that almost half of the adults living in Detroit are functionally illiterate. That means in Detroit somewhere around 200,000 adults have reading and writing skills that are at or below a 5th grade level. They are unable to understand a training manual or instructions for prescription medications.
Illiteracy is strongly correlated with crime and poverty. Conversely, people with the highest literacy level have a low probability of living below the poverty level.
Our conclusion is that amplifying the effectiveness of the adult literacy program in Detroit is necessary to improve the prosperity and safety of the people of Detroit.
What Literacy Groups Get from the Coalition
- Opportunities to network to get ideas about how to be more effective
- Opportunities the Coalition organizes to connect with philanthropies
- Opportunities to create joint proposals that get each agency more funding than they would have otherwise
- Publicity