Launceston Northern Suburbs 26Ten Community's story
Parents, families and carers – Learning for our kids: a 26Ten Community
The Launceston 26Ten Community Hub supports people to build their reading, writing and maths skills wherever they are at in work and life. Hub staff at Starting Point Neighbourhood House, Newnham Community Centre and Mowbray Community House, “don’t want anyone to be held back because they can’t read or write.”
This project was selected as one of the first in the 26Ten Communities: Local Literacy for Work and Life Program, because the Community houses have a strong understanding of their areas, and excellent engagement and support from residents. Also, the project supports an area with lower education and employment levels. Between them, they have over 120 volunteers and over 800 contacts per week.
The 26Ten Hub provides the basics in reading, writing and counting. When local adults, job seekers and workers seek help, they get the support they need. Taylor, the 26Ten community coordinator, helps a diverse range of learners and volunteers. She works with experienced literacy
Each weekday, Taylor and the volunteer tutors can be found chatting to someone about how to pass their driver’s license, filling out medical forms, fixing their online security, getting the most from their mobile phone or learning maths while working in the popular community farm at Newnham.
People drop in for help with MyGov – “They’re at risk of not getting their payment, it’s a big barrier for people who can’t use computers.” There’s so much more to literacy and numeracy than just letters and numbers – it’s about daily life and work.
The two northern suburbs community houses cover a wide area – Lilydale, Rocherlea, Mayfield, Newnham, Mowbray and Invermay.
Gary’s story
Learning to use his laptop opened a whole new world for Gary. He said ‘I’ve been learning about how to watch out for scammers, use search engines, started using Facebook … I can report my Centrelink things over the internet … I use my computer at night to watch YouTube.” Tutor Hayley helped Gary get his Working with Vulnerable People Card and a Police check for his volunteering work at the Men’s Shed.
Everyone who connects with the 26Ten Hub has a common goal – to build their confidence and to communicate clearly.
More success stories:
Peter's award for adult literacy work
"Every step, that's a step forward. Even if it's two steps forward and one step back, every bit of progress goes toward building that person, and that's just a huge reward to see that."
TasCOSS
"We support 26Ten’s aim of ensuring that all adults have the reading, writing and communication skills they need to live a life that’s of value to them."
