New Tutor Resource

The Renfrew County Community Upgrading Program (RCCUP) completed a two-year project last March with the publication of its tutor manual. The manual incorporates the RCCUP program handbook, a reference for the teaching of basic literacy skills, and three topic oriented lesson sections designed to help tutors use "real life" interests and materials as a basis for lessons.

Three quite different topics were chosen - oral history, gardening and food, and jobs - to appeal to a variety of interests. These sections are intended to serve as a model for developing lessons around other topics tutors and students would like to explore.

The teaching sections include sample Student Profiles for students at three levels, and suggested activities that relate to learning outcomes for each. The profiles outline the student's prior education and work history, and his/her long-term, mid-term and short-term goals. After each profile are sample lesson plans and follow-up activities.

Although some sections relate specifically to the RCCUP program and rural literacy, the manual is intended to be useful to all one-to-one tutoring programs. It is available for $25, plus $3 shipping.

Literacy Fund of Ontario

The Literacy Fund of Ontario would like the following help from community literacy agencies:

• Ideas for projects that could be done on a province-wide basis with a particular franchised company. Superior Propane would be one example.
• The names of corporations whose branch plants have cooperated with your program and whose head offices might be approached for funds.
• In the Toronto area, volunteers who might sit on committees and help with fund-raising activities.
• Examples of student success stories which the LFO could use in letters and publicity.
• Ideas for events, for example the Brazilian Ball, which could be used for fund-raising.
• Names of high profile people we might approach to sit on the LFO board, chair committees, or undertake meetings with others who might donate funds.
• Ideas for products that might be used for fund-raising. Ideas for possible partnerships the LFO might develop to undertake events or to get in-kind gifts, such as computers, for programs.