[LESS INFO] 7 VIEWS | ADDED 18:57:03 06/12/09
Frontier College selects, trains and deploys over 3,000 volunteers to work with 15,000 Canadian children, youth and adults from coast to coast to improve their literacy skills.
Sherry Campbell explains that Frontier College does not use a classroom approach; its volunteer mentors meet their learners in a wide variety of community settings:
42% of Canadian adults have trouble using reading and writing for everyday activities. Low literacy skills are linked to poverty, poor health and high unemployment, and parents with low literacy skills pass their lack of skills to their children.
Frontier college has relied extensively on post-secondary students as volunteers throughout its history, but is increasingly seeking out retiree volunteers.
Sherry says that tutors enjoy sharing their knowledge, seeing their learner progress, and find that getting to know the people they are mentoring changes their view of the world.
