California Library Literacy Services programs provide opportunities for adult learners to connect with each other, serve as peer mentors and develop leadership skills. “Learner leadership” encompasses a range of formal and informal activities:
- The Adult Learner Leadership Institute (ALLI)
- How to support learners leading conversations and workshops
- Videos with learner-to-learner encouragement
All of these efforts help build learners’ self-esteem and confidence, and support relationship building. These gains can help learners be more successful in achieving their goals.
Adult Learner Leadership Institute
- Develops learners’ public speaking, communication, goal-setting, and other leadership skills
- Supports learners in advocating for themselves and their families
- Supports networking and relationship-building
Adult Learner Leadership Institute graduates report that the Institute helped them earn their high-school diploma, get promotions, find new jobs, take responsibility for their personal finances, and participate in community meetings.
The Adult Learner Leadership Institute was founded in memory of Henry Huffman, an extraordinary learner leader of the Santa Clara County Reading Program.
Learners as Conversation Leaders
Many library literacy programs create occasions for learners to team with staff to co-lead conversations with other learners. This webinar features coordinators and learners across the State sharing examples of workshops, book clubs and support groups lead by learners along with how to-tips for planning and leading a peer-to-peer conversation.
Learner-to-Learner Videos
Learner leaders came together to share inspiration in these videos to encourage other learners to step up and volunteer in four different ways:
- ALLI Learners Becoming Leaders (a testimonial for the ALLI program)
- Get Involved in Your Community
- Volunteer at Your Local School
- Speak Out for Literacy
Most of the featured learners participated in the Adult Learner Leadership Institute (ALLI) and are demonstrating the confidence they gained through the program. They are sharing stories about engagement that any adult learner can use, whether they have attended ALLI or not.
ALLI Learners Becoming Leaders (5:43)
Get Involved in Your Community. Adult Learners share their experiences with volunteering in their communities. (5:49)
Volunteer At Your Local School. ALLI learners share how they chose become active in their children’s schools. (4:02)
Gregory Hill (1:35)
Speak Out for Literacy (5:41) Adult learners from the 2011 Adult Learner Leadership Institute share their stories.
The Adult Learner Leadership Institute is part of the Literacy Initiatives program which is supported in, in whole or in part, by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.