PROGRAM PRINCIPLES

Imagine a world where everyone is able to read. Literacy–the ability to read and write–is a basic skill for people to live and work today.  About one in five adults in today’s world–more than 700 million women and men are illiterate, primarily in developing countries. Two thirds of these are women. Approximately 72 million children who should be in school are not.

Illiteracy concerns in the U.S. remains a major problem, in spite of major gains in all areas of education. More than 32 million adults in the U.S., or about 14 percent of population, have very low literacy skills. The skills are so low that some cannot even read anything more complicated and challenging than a simple children’s book with pictures.

• Women in the U.S. who have little formal education are more likely than educated women to be in abusive relationships.
• Illiteracy costs American businesses more than 60 billion dollars every year in lost productivity and health and safety issues. Literacy is more than just an individual’s ability to read, it is an individual’s ability to read, write, speak, compute, and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family, and in society.

The GFWC Education Community Service Program intends to improve literacy and education awareness in communities at home and around the world.

COLLABORATIONS

Literacy is essential if we are to eradicate poverty at home and abroad. Literacy is linked to improved infant mortality, addresses gender inequality, and creates sustainable development.  GFWC members understand that it is vital to connect with schools, senior centers, public libraries, and so on. Clubs have done just that with programs such as book donations, volunteering at schools or centers, homework helpers, reading buddies, providing school supplies and scholarships.

In the GFWC Education Community Service Program-Collaboration, GFWC clubs will:

• Research, plan, and implement projects, programs, and advocacy based on its interests and theneeds that the club members see and feel are important. This is the club members’ opportunity to think out of the box and do it their way.  Reporting is very important so we can highlight and share your club’s creativity and interests with our membership and use the information to work with GFWC Partners, grants, and advocacy opportunities.

Examples of Collaborative Projects:
GFWC Centralia Junior Woman’s Club (Illinois) maintains a Discovery Room at the local library.  The Discovery Room is a section of the library that helps pre-school aged children discover or learn in different subject areas.  The room is full of learning materials and a different theme is chosen every month.  Learning tools such as puzzles, books, and blocks are available for the children to explore and discover new knowledge.

GFWC Marlboro Junior Woman’s Club (Massachusetts) partnered with their local Rotary club to bring an interactive “Reality Fair” to the high school.  High school seniors learned about financial responsibilities by choosing a career, receiving a paycheck, and budgeting their income.

ESO (Epsilon Sigma Omicron), chaired by Marguerite Jenkins, is also a collaboration.

PARTNERSHIPS
GFWC Partners are organizations that operate at the national or international level and offer unique and customized services such as project materials, speakers, kits, and/or additional information specifically designed for GFWC clubs to enhance the effectiveness of the GFWC Community Service Programs and Special Projects within their communities. These GFWC Partners are aware of GFWC clubs’ specific needs and our club structure.

These GFWC Partners will assist in monitoring the donations generated by GFWC members. To ensure that your donation, whether at the individual, club, district, or state level, is included in the GFWC total, pleasemake sure to:

1. Write on your check that you are a GFWC member or club.
2. Submit your check to the GFWC Partner contact listed in the GFWC Club Manual, even if it has a local or state representative.
3. Notify GFWC of your donation by calling or e-mailing the GFWC Programs Director at 202-347-3168 or GFWC@GFWC.org.

If you have any questions regarding donations to GFWC Partners, please contact the GFWC Education Partnership Chairman or GFWC Programs Director at GFWC@GFWC.org


Mentoring USA | www.MentoringUSA.org
5 Hanover Square, 17th Floor | New York, NY 10004      P: 212-4008294 | F: 212-400-8278
Contact: Paula Mukwaya | PMukwaya@MentoringUSA.org or MUSA@MentoringUSA.org
Mentoring USA partners with public schools, nonprofit organizations, foster care agencies, housing facilities, and community centers to provide supervised site based, one-to one mentoring, matching youth between ages of seven to 21 with caring, trained adult mentors. Together Mentoring USA and GFWC are working on:

• Galvanizing GFWC members to mentor: GFWC clubwomen can start mentoring programs through their local clubs or support Mentoring USA’s national growth effort by becoming Mentoring USA mentors, to include a Washington, D.C., program launch during the 2010-2011 school year.
• Support to existing GFWC mentoring programs: Mentoring USA will work with GFWC clubwomen to offer technical assistance and training for clubs operating structured, site-based mentoring programs.
• Other ways you can help:

• Make a donation to Mentoring USA at www.MentoringUSA.org.
• Encourage club members who cannot commit to mentoring on a monthly basis to consider facilitating a workshop to support one of Mentoring USA’s core component areas—financial literacy, literacy, healthy lifestyles/self-esteem, going green, career development, and diversity/tolerance.
• Observe and celebrate National Mentoring Month each January.

Additional GFWC Partners:

Reading Rockets/WETA Public Television | www.ReadingRockets.org        
ReadingRockets@WETA.org | P: 703-998-2001 Contact: Rachel Walker
Reading Rockets is a national multimedia project offering information and resources on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring adults can help.

American Library Association | www.ALA.org
Participate in the American Library Association's Adopt-A-Library Program.  Obtain an Adopt-A-Library entry form from GFWC Headquarters to receive an ALA Certificate.  Entry deadline is March 15 of each year.

Important Dates
Plan projects and events around days, weeks, and months of celebration and commemoration in the GFWC Education Community Service Program.

January                          National Mentoring Month
March                             Read Across America Month
March 2                          Read Across America Day (Dr. Seuss’s Birthday)
April 10-16, 2011          National Library Week   2012:  April 8-14
May 1-7, 2011               National Teacher Appreciation Week   2012: May 6-12
September 8                  International Literacy Day
October 17-23, 2010    Teen Read Week  2011: October 16-22

Resources/Additional Information
Additional resources, including a listing of governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations are provided to assist you in researching and creating your projects:
U.S. Department of Education – www.ED.gov
The Children’s Book Council – www.CBCBooks.org
Heart of America Foundation/Books from the Heart Program – www.HeartOfAmerica.org
International Reading Association – www.Reading.org