We would like your feedback on how to solve illiteracy in our community.  Please take a few minutes to complete this survey, so that we can evaluate the highest priority and begin forming action steps to reach our goal of 100% literacy for all.

Click here to take the survey.

Background
The Literacy Initiative is a collaborative effort spearheaded by the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona (CFSA) to examine and address literacy needs, strengthen the network of literacy providers and grow partnerships among funders of literacy efforts in Southern Arizona.  Literacy is a key factor in issues ranging from crime and poverty rates to rising health care costs to workforce development. The Community Foundation is opening the dialogue about ways to address this critical problem and convening local leaders and donors to find opportunities for improvement.  This will be accomplished by assembling a variety of stakeholders with the knowledge, expertise and resources to help frame the issue, form strategic partnerships and discover opportunities for change.

CFSA created the Literacy Leadership Council (LLC) to create a vision for literacy in our region.  The LLC is comprised of community representatives who meet to strategize, develop and execute a plan, based on current research and recommendations, to begin work on solving literacy issues collaboratively.  The LLC will focus on creating a culture of literacy, identifying gaps in support services and mobilizing partners and resources in order to improve education outcomes and workforce readiness.

The vision for literacy that the LLC has adopted is: The Tucson Region supports a sustainable culture of literacy that builds a stronger sense of community and becomes a source of pride, as well as a key economic driver of the socio-economic well-being of our region.  Learning for all ages is seen as fun, vital and a necessity of daily living, and there is a common voice for the importance of and intergenerational involvement in literacy as a shared family and community value.

The LLC has defined literacy as the ability to understand, use and reflect on written texts, oral presentation and numeracy in order to achieve one's goals, to develop one's knowledge and potential, and to participate effectively in society.  It is a life skill that encompasses the capacity to construct meaning out of life experiences.  A literate person is one who can read, write, comprehend and communicate clearly appropriate for their age level and cultural context. 

Accomplishments To Date

June 2006, Contracted with the University Of Arizona College Of Education to create the     Literacy report
October 2006, CFSA Board approved 5-year, $1-million literacy initiative
November 2006-January 2007, Met with individual community leaders to brainstorm ways to address literacy issues
January 2007, Literacy Report completed
February 2007, CFSA Board approves grant to support Tucson Regional Town Hall
March 2007, Met with CFSA Donor to gather input Literacy Report
May 2007, Tucson Regional Town Hall conducted, CFSA Literacy Report was used as background material to address the literacy issue
July 2007, CFSA committed $60,000 over 3 years to United Way's First Focus on Kids early education and literacy initiatives
August 2007, Conducted Community Voices Survey in Literacy
September 2007, Became founding partner for March 2009 Tucson Festival of Books
September 2007, Promoted Literacy Initiative on Inside Arizona Business
September 2007, Launched Literacy Leadership Council to shape direction of initiative
October 2007, Prioritized literacy recommendations and began forming action plans
November 2007, Hosted public meeting to rank priorities and provide feedback on how to accomplish them
December 2007, Engaged broader community in ranking priorities through an electronic survey