The South Burnaby Neighbourhood House is looking for adults who need help reading and writing for an ongoing literacy program.
Now in its third year, the Community Adult Literacy Program provides free, oneon-one tutoring for adults, who are fully proficient in English but need assistance with reading and writing.
Burnaby resident Tracy Verney is enrolled in the program and she said it's "excellent."
Verney, 50, only learned to read a little in elementary school but was pushed through the system. She signed up for the program about five months ago and meets with the same tutor weekly.
"I've never read a single book in my entire life, and I've read, in five months, seven books - completed," she said enthusiastically.
"I hope people will see this in the paper and do something for themselves to read. I want to encourage them to do it. It's worth it," she added. "You swallow your pride, you swallow your privacy, everything, but it's worth it."
The program connects trained tutors to learners, who usually meet once a week for two hours to practise literacy skills. The program is only open to adults 19 years of age or older.
"Most of our students are native speakers. We expect our learners to be fully proficient in English," said program coordinator Rajeeta Samala.
The program can accommodate 20 learners, and at press time, there was space for seven more. Learners can join any time and continue studying as long as they like. The Ministry of Advanced Education funds the program, and there's no fee to sign up.
To register, contact Samala at 778-387-9432.
Larry Wright, Burnaby Now / New chapter: Tracy Verney had never read a book in her life until she joined the Community Adult Literacy Program, run by the South Burnaby Neighbourhood House. The program is free for adults who need help with reading and writing.;
