March is ‘Literacy Month’ for Rotary International, local clubs plan activities
Rotary Club of Tortola - Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011 at 5:54 PM
Rotary International has designated the month of March as Literacy Month and as such all Rotarians are called upon to increase their focus on literacy efforts in their communities and around the world.
Towards this end the Rotary Club of Tortola has decided to create awareness about Literacy within our club and the wider community as a whole by undertaking several projects to highlight the importance of basic literacy, functional literacy and character literacy.
Some of these projects are as follows:
1. The distribution of dictionaries with stickers of our ‘four way test’ motto to schools together with two other rotary clubs. The ‘four way test’ motto reads:
a.      Is it the truth
b.     Is it fair to all concerned
c.      Will it build good will and better friendship
d.     Will it be beneficial to all concerned
2. Honouring Dr. Charles Wheatley for his outstanding contribution in the promotion of literacy in the British Virgin Islands.
3. The continued support our two adopted schools Alexandrina Maduro Primary School and the Joyce Samuel Primary School. Also the continued support to the YEP Project and our many projects in Haiti, as well as the continued to assistance to those persons who cannot afford medical treatment in the BVI or Overseas.
Gone are the days when literacy meant the ability to read and write. Now literacy takes on greater meaning for example literacy is the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning in enabling individual to achieve their goals to develop the knowledge and potential and to participate fully in their community and wider society.
We no longer rely on an individual to convey or small group of individuals to convey information. Traditional news outlets are battling for popularity with blogs, forums and instant messaging.
It is no longer sufficient to consider whether a student can ‘read’ and ‘write’ rather it is necessary to consider more meaningful aspects of literacy in education and in society as a whole.
Literate people can be trained less expensively than illiterate people. It has been found that generally literate people have a higher socio-economic status and enjoy better health and also employment prospects.
Literacy increases access to higher education. Hence, the Rotary Club of Tortola is encouraging all children to go to school and learn well, so that, they can become productive citizens in their communities.
The Rotary Club of Tortola meets every Thursday at 12 Noon at the Moorings Restaurant.
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