Member Agency Spotlight
Brant Skills Centre
While you are reading the rest of your daily newspaper and possibly discussing certain articles with family or friends over your morning coffee, think about how many adults take reading and writing for granted, and about how natural it was for you to grab the paper and flip it open to your favourite section, or start reading it through from front to back. Think about how easy it is for you to read and understand everything written here. For some of the adults the Brant Skills Centre of Brantford and District assists, this activity is something that they strive to be able to do. Recently, Bill, a 70-year-old gentleman informed the Brant Skills Centre that he pretends to read the newspaper. Because Bill knows he can’t read, he feels that other people can tell that he can’t. Bill said that pretending to read the paper gives the impression that he can read which lessens his feelings of inferiority.
Brant Skills Centre offers adults ages 19 and older the opportunity to improve their literacy and essential skills through working with one of the their 70 trained volunteers, or one of their three staff. Literacy and essential skills encompass so much. It’s not just reading; it’s about understanding what you have read. It is about reading, writing, oral communication, numeracy, thinking skills, and computer use. Everybody needs these skills for work, learning, and life.
Imagine being told that you are stupid throughout your childhood and young adulthood. After hearing it for so many years, you start to believe it. What if your ex-spouse told you that you were not fit to be a parent because you had difficulty reading and writing? Imagine dropping out of school because you were afraid to read out loud and have the whole class hear as you stumble your way through. Imagine losing your job because you did not have the required essential skills. What would you do if you lost your spouse and couldn’t understand the funeral documents or insurance policies? What about not being able to understand whether the cheque you received read $5000.00 or $500.00? What if you wanted to attend college, but did not have the literacy skills or support to do so? Lori Bruner, Executive Director says “At the Brant Skills Centre of Brantford and District, it is our hope that the community will become more aware of adult literacy issues and the services available, and that together, we can improve adult literacy.”
With so many people losing their jobs or being underemployed, individuals are looking into retraining. This means going back to school, and for some, it means going back to school after 20, 30 or 40 years. The Brant Skills Centre assists people with getting back into the swing of things. Sometimes a review of those writing rules and numeracy strategies is all that is needed for someone to enter college, or go on to obtain their grade 12 diploma.
Julia is a 36-year-old woman who entered a program at the Brant Skills Centre eight months ago. Julia had an extremely difficult time growing up. Her family lived in poverty; she was considered obese and had some speech difficulties. She endured many hours of teasing, and because of this ended up dropping out of school in grade nine. As it does for many adults with literacy challenges, it took Julia many years to make the decision to seek help. Julia was nervous and afraid of what she would find upon walking through the Brant Skills Centre’s doors. Those feelings evaporated after her first meeting with the program coordinator and her volunteer tutor. Julia has been heard to say, “When I leave my lesson, I feel great. I feel like WOW - I can do this!”
When Julia first entered the program her goal was to improve her reading, writing, and numeracy skills in order to increase her own self-confidence and self-esteem, and then go on to obtain her Grade 12 Diploma. By the sparkle in Julia’s eye, and the lift of her chin, you can see that she now feels that she can accomplish anything she puts her mind to. Julia is now thinking of becoming a business owner.
48% of Canadians or and 42% of Ontarians have poor literacy skills. Poor literacy skills contribute to higher crime rates, poverty, long-term unemployment, health issues, and a feeling of inferiority and isolation. The Brant Skills Centre provides people with the opportunity to improve their literacy and essential skills, and reach their goals of increased independence, employment, or further education/training.
The Brant United Way is proud to have Brant Skills Centre as one of its Member Agencies. The programs they provide make for a stronger and more caring community.