Thanks for your comments.

You wrote: “It is so difficult to get a piece to come out that is real, not just another shocking statistic or story of one person helping one person.”

I agree that we cannot control the media, but we can be prepared for when the media provide an opportunity. We can be prepared with the facts, prepared with stories about our programs and their students, prepared to broaden understanding of the issue, prepared to have adult learners speak publicly about the issue themselves.

I just learned of what might be an opportunity to engage many more adults in supporting adult literacy. Several years ago a powerful book came out called _Push_. It was written by a woman called Sapphire. It’s about a young African American woman named Precious who has low literacy skills and has been abused in many ways. It has been made into a movie called “Precious”, directed by Lee Daniels, with a cast that includes Lenny Kravitz and Maria Carey, and presented by Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry. It comes out on November 6th. You can see the trailer at

http://www.oprah.com/media/20090506-tows-precious-trailer

It may get a lot of attention. With this attention, it will raise the issue of (young) adults, GED students, who need basic skills. In some communities, and among some people it will raise the priority of this issue in a gut-wrenching way. We need to be prepared to address the questions people will ask in the media, for example on radio talk shows, in newspaper op ed pieces, in letters to the editor, in every venue possible. We should not let this opportunity go by. We must be prepared. We need to have real adult learners interviewed — for example on the Oprah Winfrey show. We need to have adult learners prepared to talk to groups in their communities. I urge everyone reading this to spread the word about this movie in the adult literacy community, and to begin preparing immediately.

My informal research (people actually saying this to me) has led me to put the following cynical-sounding question on my policy and advocacy materials: “Why Adult Literacy? They had their chance, why not just fix the schools?” Followed by points on parents supporting children’s learning, percentage of high school graduates in the workforce etc. There’s good stuff in the National Commission on Literacy report. You just have to dig it out and make it palatable for regular Joe’s.

I also struggle with the message to the individual on what they can do to make a difference. All we offer is volunteer (but I need paid teachers), make a donation (no connection) or support someone you know in their education (also disconnected).

It is going to be a long haul, and the media relations component is so crucial. It is so difficult to get a piece to come out that is real, not just another shocking statistic or story of one person helping one person. But the systemic issues I want to talk about are boring, plus I’m too nice. I’ve been advised to stick to the message I want to get out, no matter what the interviewer asks you, but I slip up every time and respond to what is asked of me. Probably because I don’t have a singular message to convey; I bog myself down. (unlike the incredibly good radio interview in David Harvey’s previous post!)

I’m looking forward to your next installment on reframing the message and meanwhile, I’ll hang on like bulldogs!