In addition to promoting the acquisition of reading and writing skills, the goal of a community literacy project is to develop the skills of all learners -- volunteer tutors and students -- to enable them to understand one another and the area where they live. Thus, community literacy is part of the process of community development.

I. ORGANIZING A COMMUNITY LITERACY PROJECT

The following steps show how a community literacy project might be set up in an area where none yet exists:

1. The Working Group: A group of community workers, concerned residents and local community leaders begin to meet to discuss the need they see for adult basic education in the area. They bring to the group a variety of skills and knowledge of the area. By analysing available census or other data, or by conducting their own needs analysis, they begin to develop a picture of the community and its requirements. As the project grows, this picture of community will continue to develop and clarify.

2. Outreach: The original working group fans out into the community to engage the support of church leaders, school principals, local teachers, school-community relations workers, politicians, school trustees, librarians, community workers, local businesses and all others with access to community information and resources. These initial contacts will educate the community about the issue of illiteracy and give the working group a 'reading' of the area's special needs and interests. These contacts will also give an indication of the resources available in the community for supporting the program, and will help determine its shape.