One out of four adults is functionally illiterate in the state of Alabama.
| Counties-% Functionally Illiterate | Cities-% Functionally Illiterate | ||
| Jefferson | 27% | Bessemer | 41% |
| Walker | 23% | Fairfield | 41% |
| St. Clair | 20% | Birmingham | 38% |
| Blount | 18% | Jasper | 25% |
| Shelby | 14% | Forestdale | 17% |
The Literacy Council will address our community’s illiteracy problem by embarking upon The Literacy Initiative in 2007 to include the five counties listed above.
Nine cities/regions have conducted initiatives in the United States. They used their findings to solicit grants ranging from $250,000 - $2.4 million to execute their community literacy plans!
The Literacy Initiative will provide the following:
- A needs assessment to evaluate our current services
- A review of current literacy activities and gaps
- A funding analysis to identify all untapped local, state, and federal monies available to support literacy
- Development of a regional action plan that will focus on the impact of literacy for individual advancement and area economic development
The Literacy Initiative will involve 200+ community participants including representatives from the business community, health care organizations, media, law enforcement, correctional organizations, school districts, chambers of commerce, workforce investment board, institutes of higher education, local governments, faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, as well as adult learners and literacy providers.
Focus areas of the study will include:
- K-12 literacy
- Family literacy
- Health literacy
- Workforce literacy
- Financial literacy
- English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
- Civil and Social Justice