Who We Are

We at united4literacy have advocated many global issue that concern us and we would like to change. As a team of concerned and dedicated youth, we are inspired to bring the change we want to see. One of the global issues we would like to see changed is lack of literacy among the less fortunate. Thus we created united4litercy. We have also advocated for other global issues such as child labour, which is often the parent of child illiteracy. Also, we have tried to bring awareness about global warming and adequate health care services among poorer nations. Our next major concern is child literacy and we would like to see you, our fellow youth and concerned members of society step up and unite alongside us.

The Rights of Learners

"You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins."
-Jim Stovall

In her contribution to the collection, "Respecting the Rights of the Learner", Lilian Katz offered these thoughts...

"Respectful teaching conveys, through the relationship between the teacher and the learner, confidence in the child’s potential ability to overcome difficulties and to persist in the face of some inevitable obstacles. A respectful teacher is one who helps learners of every age who have persisted in the face of setbacks to accept their limitations gracefully and to be satisfied that they have done their very best.

"A respectful teacher is also one who helps students, even the young ones, to evaluate their own accomplishments as they progress, not in terms of whether their work is good or bad, or right or wrong, but in terms of other criteria they can gradually develop the habit of using. For example, you can ask in a serious and respectful way, 'Is the drawing as complete as you want it to be?' or 'Does the story you wrote (or told) include as much detail as you think it should or could?' (Is it complete? Clear? Strong?) Even preschoolers have been observed to respond to such appropriate queries thoughtfully and to indicate the beginning of a life-long disposition to evaluate their own efforts thoughtfully."

Importance of Education

Importance of Education;

Education is not all about studying and getting good marks. It is really a means to discover new things which we don't know about and increase our knowledge.

An educated person has the ability to differentiate between right and wrong or good and evil. It is the foremost responsibility of a society to educate its citizens.

Focus should be on women’s education because the knowledge and empowerment of one woman can bring about a change in a family and even the society as a whole. It is the uneducated and illiterate people who think women are not entitled to education.

A person becomes perfect with education as he is not only gaining something from it, but also contributing to the growth of a Nation.

We must realize the importance of education. We must aim to ensure that each citizen of our nation is educated and independent.

Preschools: Embarking on a Journey of Learning

Preschools can play a huge impact on the mental, physical, and social development of a child. While most parents might consider preschool a choice, fact is that preschool can introduce and prepare children for  road of literacy that lies ahead. Please take a moment to read this article.

One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade.
-Chinese proverb

President Obama's "Preschool for All" proposal calls for directing funding for low- and moderate-income 4-year-olds through the public schools. Many advocates are encouraging the administration to maintain the positive features of the current mixed delivery system. A recent New York Times article, "Private Preschools See More Public Funds as Classes Grow," shared some interesting points about a mixed delivery system:

"Starting this fall, under an expansion led by [Chicago] Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the number of Catholic schools in the city receiving taxpayer money for preschool will nearly double. Across the country, states and districts are increasingly funneling public funds to religious schools, private nursery schools, and a variety of community-based nonprofit organizations that conduct preschool classes.

"According to the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University, about one-third of students enrolled in state-financed preschool programs attend classes conducted outside the public schools. In some states, the proportion is much higher: in New Jersey, close to 60 percent of students in publicly financed preschool are enrolled in private, nonprofit, or Head Start centers, and in Florida, about 84 percent of 4-year-olds in state-financed prekindergarten attend classes run by private, faith-based, or family centers....

“'High-quality pre-K can happen in church basements, community centers, or within the Y.M.C.A., as long as the standards are there,' said Lisa Guernsey, the director of early education at the New America Foundation, a nonprofit policy institute....

"Frequently overcrowded public schools do not always have the space to add preschool classrooms. And many preschool classes — particularly those that serve low-income working families — are embedded in broader day care centers that operate longer days than a typical public school."

Struggle for Equality

"Kindness is the golden chain by which society is bound together."-Goethe

As we in the North America celebrate July as a month of Independence, it is an appropriate time to reflect on the wisdom of Lilian Katz in her book, Intellectual Emergencies: Some Reflections on Mothering and Teaching:
"I think the great struggle of our time - and no doubt for generations to come - is the struggle for equality. But we might ask: equality of what? People are not equally tall or musical or mathematical or athletic or beautiful; but they are equally human! They are equally human in the sense that they all have hopes, and dreams, and wishes and fantasies and aspirations and fears and doubts. They all want to be treated with respect and dignity and want to feel loved by someone. In these ways it seems to me, all of the world's people have much more in common than they have apart!"

-United4Literacy

Worldwide Reach: United4Literacy Reaches Wide Audience Around the World!

      Over the past 8 months United4Literacy has operated our blog as a means of communicating to a wide audience all over the world to spread our message of how important literacy is to society, countries and people. We regularly posted interesting articles and views from our authors in India and from our team in Canada. On this day we achieved a milestone for our blog. Today, exactly 1000 people have seen, read and been touched by our blog. We are very proud that this wide audience that we have been able to reach has come from all over the world. Our blog has been seen in 20 countries including: Canada, United States,  Russia, Germany, India, United Kingdom, Poland, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Australia, Brazil, Israel, Malaysia, Japan, Ukraine, Finland, Argentina, and Bangladesh. We thank all the people who read our blog and we hope that we have motivated you to take action against illiteracy. United4Literacy is committed to spread the light of literacy and we hope that we can reach more and more people and take bigger strides to educate children worldwide in the future.

Like us on Facebook!

Hello Friends!

United 4 Literacy.org is our serious effort to empower the forgotten and helpless children through education around the world. In order to reach out as many people as possible. We are looking to switch from our current Facebook profile, to our Facebook page, making it easier to share and post stories and events! Please 'like' the page below! :)

United 4 Literacy.org
CHILDREN ARE THE FUTURE OF OUR WORLD - I hear this in North America so many times. A cliché that is overused completely. But what about so many countries around the world where there are children, but with no future, the forgotten and helpless without education. An education is not just a requirem...
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Ideas in Action- United4Literacy Supports Students

Hello Friends,

At this time of the year, the educational worlds of India and North America are completely different. As North American children enjoy their summer vacation, Indian students busy themselves in preparations as the school year starts. For many this school year may determine their fates, for example the crucial and pivotal grades 10 and 12 or the key start to education at pre-kindergarten. It is extremely important that for all children entering school that a fair and equal opportunity for success is provided because it is more important for children to focus in their studies rather than poverty and lack of educational materials. United4Literacy strongly believes that we must provide educational supplies as a part of spreading education. Materials and resources or lack thereof can determine the difference between an achieving and underachieving student. We are extremely glad to report that we have done our annual distribution of educational resources and materials. From textbooks, backpacks, stationary, notebooks and all that lies in between we provided it to five students in the city of Bhavnagar, Gujarat in India. These students will head to school with no tensions about materials. They will be able to focus on their studies instead. We hope that all students have a successful and joyful school year ahead of them!

-United4Literacy