Launceston Northern Suburbs 26Ten Community's story
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 and the 26Ten adult literacy tutors help a diverse range of learners and volunteers.
Each weekday, Taylor and the 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.
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 three northern suburbs community houses cover a wide area – Ravenswood, Waverley, St Leonards, 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.
