Boston has a strong, mutually supporting network of literacy organizations. Groups including community-based literacy organizations, the Adult Literacy Resource Institute, Boston's publicly funded professional development organization for literacy programs and practitioners, and the Massachusetts Coalition of Adult Educators, of which BALF is a member, are working together to educate the public about adult literacy.

BALF's Executive Director and
one of its Community Advisory
Council members wrote a Media
Tool Kit to make the process of
approaching the media simpler
for literacy programs. Yet,
many overworked, understaffed
literacy programs find it difficult
to set aside time for pubic
awareness efforts.

Boston Adult Literacy Fund Awareness and Advocacy Efforts

Public education is central to BALF's mission. Acquiring and keeping supporters involves reaching out to new audiences and increasing the public's knowledge of the importance of adult literacy.

The best evidence for the efficacy of literacy comes from hearing the experiences of adult learners. We can share some of their stories with our supporters, but the challenge is to get their stories out to more people. To do that takes the collective work of the literacy community.