Literacy Volunteers of Illinois VOCAL AmeriCorps

In Illinois, over 1 million of 10.3 million adults over the age of 16 have literacy challenges: over 400,000 have less than a 9th grade education and another 500,000 lack a high school credential. Over 2.7 million Illinois residents speak a language other than English as the primary language in their households. There is also a high incidence of low literacy among incarcerated teens in the Illinois Youth Centers, where half of the youth 16+ test at or below a 7th grade level. In FY 2022, through state and federal funds, 42,431 individuals - less than 5% of those in need - received adult education services (Illinois Community College Board, 2022 Report to the General Assembly), leaving many on wait lists at programs throughout the state. Though volunteer literacy programs have made strides in serving those in need, wait lists for services persist as programs report they lack the financial and human resources to recruit, train and support additional tutors to more fully satisfy the need. This is where the VOCAL - Volunteer Outreach for Community Action in Literacy - AmeriCorps program has been most valuable. Developed in 2003, the goal of VOCAL is to assist community-based agencies in providing increased services to low literate adults through a three-pronged approach that consists of: 1.) One-to-one and small group tutoring of low literate adults; 2.) Recruitment of volunteers to serve as tutors; and, 3.) A member training and development program that instills in participants a lifelong ethic of service and provides them with the training and experience they would need should they pursue positions in the public sector, specifically in adult education.