Adult Learners' Week - Southend | 19 April 2010

Southend on Sea Libraries are working with partners to produce a range of activities for ALW - press release and brochure.

Posted in: Administrations | United Kingdom | Event categories | Other organisation's event | Basic Skills/Skills for Life/Literacy/ESOL/Emergent Readers

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"Six Book Challenge: launching now for 2010" | 10 September 2009

This is taken from The Reading Agency press release:

"The Reading Agency will be offering a new blog, new materials, training and a prize draw as the adult literacy Six Book Challenge moves into 2010, its third year of life-changing activity.

The Six Book Challenge was launched in 2008 and encourages emergent readers to develop a reading habit through choosing, reading and expressing their views about books. Participants are invited to read six books and keep a reading diary. They are supported by incentives, a certificate and creative reading activity.

The Six Book Challenge is growing. During 2009 nearly 9000 UK adults took part through libraries, colleges, adult and community education, workplaces and prisons – an increase of 25% on 2008. And the Six Book Challenge was a finalist in the CILIP Libraries Change Lives Award 2009. This makes the Challenge, which is targeted at emergent readers (Entry Level 3 – Level 2, text readability 9 – 14), a proven method of engaging existing and potential learners in reading for pleasure as part of their skills development. Case studies of successful Six Book Challenge completers are available ... online ...

“It’s a hard slog to turn yourself into a fluent reader,” says Miranda McKearney, Director of The Reading Agency. “We’re finding that this deceptively simple scheme can really make a difference, and are thrilled to see how fast it’s growing.”

“I felt as if reading again was opening up doors for me – it has helped me to relax and also to help my children,” says Barry Burton, Six Book Challenge completer from Hillsborough, Sheffield. “The Six Book Challenge has also proved to me that I have got the time to get back into learning – I’ve been doing English and other courses, and I want to go on and do more. If anyone out there is thinking that maybe they haven’t got the time to do the Six Book Challenge, or that they don’t want to make a fool of themselves by trying to get back into reading, I say you just have to go for it. I was apprehensive at first, but it’s been one of the best things I’ve ever done.”

Six Book Challenge 2010 news

• Packs of promotional materials are now available to order. They include reading diaries, certificates, invitations, poster, flyers, bookmarks and emergent reader book recommendations. Incentives available to order include pens, keyrings, fridge magnets and mugs.

• Author Mike Gayle continues in his valuable role as Six Book Challenge patron and will be publishing a Quick Read title in 2011.

• The Reading Agency is offering training on 10 November (London) and 19 November (York) to support organisations running the Six Book Challenge ...

• The new Six Book Challenge blog ... will be available online by the end of September, and will invite people running and taking part in the Challenge to share their experiences, ideas and favourite books.

• The main activity for the Six Book Challenge 2010 will run from January to June but organisations can use the scheme at any time in 2010.

• The Reading Agency will be offering prize draws for participants and participating organisations – more details to be announced shortly.

Six Book Challenge in the workplace

250 people in workplaces across Yorkshire and the Humber took part in the Six Book Challenge in its first year. This quadrupled in 2009 across Yorkshire and other regions with the support of unionlearn, the learning arm of the TUC, and of individual unions which have recognised its potential – in particular the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, Communication Workers Union and Fire Brigades Union.

“It’s been a very successful initiative. What’s made it work has been the support of libraries and making it visible in the workplace.” Tracy White, Union Learning Rep, USDAW, who has worked with York Libraries to run the Six Book Challenge with Tesco staff.

· Six Book Challenge contact: ... or contact Genevieve Clarke: genevieve.clarke@readingagency.org.uk

...

Notes to editors:

· The Reading Agency is an independent charity working to inspire more people to read more. It is funded by the Arts Council and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council ...

· Six Book Challenge 2008: The Impact on Readers, by Sarah Grylls, Learning for Learning, for The Reading Agency (December 2008) is available to download ...

· The booklet called Getting Reading to Work, published by The Reading Agency with the TUC, outlines how workplaces in Yorkshire and the Humber have been running the Six Book Challenge..."

Posted in: Basic Skills/Skills for Life/Literacy/ESOL/Emergent Readers

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Quick Reads - launch of 10 new titles | 3 March 2009

"Ten new Quick Reads books are being launched to mark World Book Day on 5 March, by top name authors such as Ian Rankin, Catrin Collier, Kate Mosse, Gervaise Phinn and Lola Jaye.

Quick Reads titles have made a huge impact on adult readers who are starting out on their reading journey. To date there have been over one million sales of Quick Reads titles, and more than one million library loans."

Posted in: Basic Skills/Skills for Life/Literacy/ESOL/Emergent Readers

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"Chatty Readers" | 12 November 2008

Just added to the Information Resources section - a new report from Southend Borough Libraries, which summarises the progress of “Chatty Readers”, a Skills for Life reading group established by Southend Libraries and Southend Adult Community College (SACC) in October 2007. It highlights the many benefits such groups offer students, tutors, library services and college partners.

Posted in: Basic Skills/Skills for Life/Literacy/ESOL/Emergent Readers

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Six Books Challenge | 5 September 2008

Taken from The Reading Agency Press Release:

"The Reading Agency is now offering new Six Book Challenge materials and training for 2009, after a highly-successful first year of activity ...

In 2008, an estimated 7,000 adults took part through public libraries working with colleges, community learning, trade unions, prisons and other learning providers. This makes the Six Book Challenge, which is targeted at emergent readers (Entry Level 3 – Level 2, text readability 9 – 14), a proven method of engaging existing and potential learners in reading for pleasure as part of their skills development. Case studies of successful Challenge completers from around the UK are available.

The Reading Agency is offering new Six Book Challenge materials for 2009. These can be ordered through The Reading Agency's shop. The main Six Book Challenge activity will run from January to June 2009, but organisations are welcome to use the scheme at any time during the year. The Reading Agency is also offering training to support organisations running the Challenge: please visit their website.

The Six Book Challenge is run in association with Costa who will be offering a national prize draw for those who complete the Challenge by the end of June. A separate prize draw will be offered for prisons and young offender institutions. Best-selling novelist Mike Gayle is continuing his valuable role as Patron of the Challenge.

The Six Book Challenge was originally piloted successfully by libraries across Yorkshire in 2007 with around 1,000 participants. Libraries found it an excellent way of working with learning providers. Tutors were convinced that it can really help their learners, and adult learners felt a real sense of achievement. (See “Notes to editors” for more background information and statistics.)

For more information on the Six Book Challenge visit the website, or contact Genevieve Clarke: 01672 562080 or genevieve.clarke@readingagency.org.uk

Posted in: Basic Skills/Skills for Life/Literacy/ESOL/Emergent Readers | News

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Learning and Skills Observatory Wales | 9 February 2008

Just launched - "The gateway to research and analysis on education, learning, skills and labour market information in Wales. Enabling the sharing of knowledge across communities of practice. A forum for contributing to policy analysis, discussion and debate."

Posted in: News | Basic Skills/Skills for Life/Literacy/ESOL/Emergent Readers

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