Community
Learning Centers of The Literacy Project
Volunteer Opportunities Available
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Amherst Adult Learning Center |
The Amherst Adult Learning Center is located in downtown Amherst. Reflecting the demographics of the town, the Amherst Adult Learning Center has an international feel, with a large number of ESOL learners. Amherst has the fastest growing Asian population in western Massachusetts, with well-established communities of Cambodians, Vietnamese and Koreans. In the Amherst public schools, 31 different languages are spoken by children, and families represent 82 countries. |
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The Charboneau Learning Center is located in downtown Greenfield, sharing offices with The Literacy Project’s administrative offices. Charboneau collaborates with several other programs to provide the Even Start Family Literacy Program, where young parents can earn their GED while their children attend pre-school in the same building. Census data shows a great need for family literacy programs in Greenfield: the high school drop out rate is 5.3%, compared to the state average of 3.3%; the teen birth rate is 10.8% compared to the state average of 6.6%; and 23.4% of children under 5 in Greenfield live in poverty, almost twice the state average. |
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The North Quabbin Adult Education Center is located in downtown Orange, sharing space in the Central School building with four other education and service providers, including an Even Start Family Literacy program. The North Quabbin area is characterized by rural poverty, extreme isolation and lack of resources: unemployment rates in Athol and Orange are twice the state average; over 40% of the registered voters in Orange have not completed high school; and the rate of births to adolescent girls in this area -- a major risk factor for high school dropout -- is more than twice the state average. In response to the lack of resources, North Quabbin Adult Education Center staff and students have been actively - and successfully - involved in grassroots organizing and advocacy. |
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The Pioneer Valley Adult Education Center is located in downtown Northampton, and serves the Hampshire County hilltowns as well as the greater Northampton area. While Northampton is thought of as a fun tourist destination, it’s a difficult place to survive for low-income residents. It has one of the most expensive rental markets in the state – surpassed only by communities like Boston, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. With many college-educated residents working in the service sector, jobs are hard to come by, and most pay less than half the livable wage. The homeless population is growing rapidly, and the shelters are frequently filled to capacity. |
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The Ware Adult Education Center is located on Main Street in Ware. Ware is in the eastern-most corner of Hampshire County, and is under-served by human service agencies. One of the 20 poorest towns in the state, 19% of families with children under 5 are living in poverty and 32% of households have incomes below the self-sufficiency standard. Domestic violence is the most common offense seen in the Ware court system. In response, the Ware Adult Education Center has been an active partner in a town-wide Domestic Violence Task Force |
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