MEDIA

Facts about Literacy and READ Saskatoon

• Over 33% of the Saskatchewan population struggles daily with low literacy and would like to improve their literacy levels.
• Three out of four seniors in Saskatchewan (age 64 and over) do not have the literacy skills necessary to participate fully in their communities.
• Adults with low literacy are not a product of a failing education system – our schools are doing the best they can with the resources they are given. Not every child learns the same way or is ready to learn in a sequential way. Many things impact on learning: poverty, frequent moving, divorce, death in family, addictions, pregnancy, learning disability, disability etc. Therefore it is important to have opportunities for individuals to reengage in learning when they are ready.
• At READ Saskatoon, half of the adult learners seeking assistance are newcomers to Canada and to Saskatoon. Countries most represented by our learners are China, Japan, Mexico, Taiwan, South Korean, Kenya and Iran.
• READ Saskatoon could be considered a “first step” organization: most program participants have not accessed other supports in the community when they come to READ Saskatoon for assistance.
• At READ Saskatoon, more than half of the women receiving literacy support identified that improving their skills directly improved their sense of freedom, independence and control over their future.
• At READ Saskatoon, 60% of male participants are hoping to improve their employment opportunities by improving their literacy skills.
• More than half of our program participants identified the relationships with their family doctor improved significantly because they can ask better questions, listen for doctor’s advice, better follow instructions and better understand the instructions on medicine bottles.
• At READ Saskatoon, female adult learners stay longer than men. The time is almost double their male counterparts.
• People’s earnings rise with their literacy rate. A man with higher literacy skills makes an extra $585,000 over his lifetime. For a woman, the amount is $683,000. Each additional year of education raises annual earnings by about 8.3%.
• At READ Saskatoon, most of the learners are in the lower income level, with 28% earning less than $20,000 annually.
• At READ Saskatoon, 80% of program participants are employed.