Huon 26Ten Community

Huon 26Ten Community's story

Building a community of independent learners

The Huon 26Ten Community is all about people learning together. We are building a community of independent learners with strong reading, writing, numeracy and digital skills, a place where local residents and workers have the confidence and skills they need to flourish in their work and family life.

It started in 2015 when Geeveston Community Centre (GeCo) won a grant to help local residents with literacy and numeracy needs. The community is making huge, positive steps towards its goal.

Huon Valley’s 26Ten Community coordinator, known affectionately as ‘Lucy Literacy’, is a long-standing, trusted resident and expert adult literacy tutor. Lucy collaborates with businesses and community groups in Dover, Geeveston, Franklin, Cygnet and Huonville to help workers, job seekers, seniors, parents and young people lift their skills. She also supports skilled volunteers who tutor local learners.

The Huon 26Ten Community’s activities include:

offering adult literacy tutor volunteer opportunities in partnership with TasTAFE and Libraries Tasmania
fun and inclusive adult literacy and numeracy workshops such as gardening, cooking, woodworking, money talk, making storybooks
empowering digital literacy workshops in partnership with Digital Ready for Daily Life such as Canva software workshops
lively family literacy activities such as National Simultaneous Storytime with wayraparattee Child and Family Learning Centre.

Huon 26Ten Community is supported by Libraries Tasmania, Huon Valley Council, Huon Aquaculture, Mitchell Plastic Welding, Tierney Law, Duggans Civil and Earthworks, and many more local organisations and businesses.

Project: Huon 26Ten Community

Host: Geeveston Community Centre

Location: Huon Valley

Community Coordinator: Lucy

Launched: 2021

Learning to use the iPad

"Once I started doing it, it was pretty easy. Not as scary as I thought. Making my life easier, less work for me and more productive."

You can be anybody when you can read a book

"To me, my students never fail. If they can't do something, it means I have to find another way to teach it."

Acknowledgement of Country

26Ten recognises the deep histories and cultures of the Aboriginal people of Lutruwita/Tasmania, the land’s first storytellers. We acknowledge Tasmanian Aboriginal people as the traditional and continuing custodians of the land, waters and sky. We pay respect to the Elders, past and present, who hold the memories, traditions, culture and knowledge of Country. We extend our respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, whose Countries were never ceded.

Success story: Huon 26Ten Community