In the District of Columbia, we focus a lot of attention on our public and charter schools. Adult education get much less attention. But many of DC’s adult learners are products of the District’s public school system. Listening to their struggles could tell us a lot about what’s missing in DCPS. So, what follows is an article cross-posted from Southeast Ministry’s blog that details why this issue is important from the point of view of adult learners themselves. Below that is a flyer that gives details for next week’s Adult Education and Family Literacy Week and lets you know how you can get involved.

Visioning as a Vehicle for Change

On Wednesday, September 9, our learners were led by Samantha Davis, Senior Advocacy and Community Engagement Specialist at So Others Might Eat (S.O.M.E.), in a visioning session that got our learners in a discussion about some of the barriers they face on a daily basis, as well as potential solutions.

Some of the barriers that were mentioned by our learners included affordable housing, transportation, homelessness, child care, and violence in the communities they live. Other barriers that were identified by SEM learners were access to more educational programs and the fact that the new GED exam is computer-based. Another barrier that was identified was time, specifically the times that certain programs begin and end, since adult learners are often fitting their education around their work schedules that often change.

To address the barriers that were named, SEM learners brainstormed possible solutions. There was a great deal of discussion around the possibility of having more computer training available for adult learners who do not have the sufficient computer skills necessary to complete the new computer-based GED exam. The class also discussed the idea of having transportation designed specifically for adult learners to programs throughout the District, in order reduce the burden of having to find their own way to classes.

For information regarding donating to Southeast Ministry, our programs, or volunteering, please visit. www.southeastministrydc.org, or call 202-562-2636.

Download pdf of flyer HERE.