THE ABILITY TO READ AND WRITE IN OUR NATIVE LANGUAGE IS SOMETHING
MOST OF US TAKE FOR GRANTED, AND DO EVERY DAY WITHOUT GIVING IT A
SECOND THOUGHT.
BUT IMAGINE MOVING TO A DIFFERENT COUNTRY --
THIS COUNTRY -- AND NOT HAVING THE SKILLS TO COMMUNICATE, FIND
WORK, OR DO SIMPLE TASKS.SINCE 1991, THE LITERACY NETWORK
OF SOUTHERN BERKSHIRE COUNTY HAS BEEN HELPING ADULT LEARNERS
TRANSFORM THEIR LIVES THROUGH THE POWER OF LITERACY,
EDUCATION, AND ADVOCACY.
PRODUCER DAVE FRASER BRINGS US THEIR STORY.
SEGMENT 3 INTON TU>ON TU ON TUE >> CONGRATULATIONS TO AND YOUR
FAMILIES.
>> THANK YOU.
>> ON A GLORIOUS LATE SUMMER MORNING AT THE NORMAN ROCKWELL
MUSEUM IN STOCKBRIDGE, 5 INDIVIDUALS ALL FROM DIFFERENT
COUNTRIES PARTICIPATED IN A NATURALIZATION CEREMONY RECITING
THE OATH OF THE ALLEGIANCE SIGNIFYING THEMSELVES AS U.S.
CITIZENS.
[APPLAUSE] >> I JUST FEEL THAT MY JOURNEY
IS COMPLETELY GONE AT THIS POINT.
THAT I WANT TO BECOME A CITIZEN.
I FEEL REALLY GREAT TO DO THAT.
>> IT WAS AN EMOTIONAL DAY.
ALL THIS SPEECH AND EVERYTHING -- THEY DO ME FEEL
LIKE -- THEY MADE ME FEEL LIKE I WANT TO CRY AND, YOU KNOW?
>> VICTORIA SEVY.
[APPLAUSE] >> WHY DO THIS?
WHY GO THROUGH ALL THE EFFORT, ALL THE WORK?
>> FOR THIS MOMENT.
[LAUGH] >> FOR THIS VERY MOMENT.
IT'S JUST -- IT'S JUST HOW YOU GO THROUGH.
I WANT TO LIVE IN AMERICA, AND TO LIVE IN AMERICA, IT'S THE
BEST WAY TO STAY HERE AND BE HERE IS TO BE A CITIZEN.
>> THE NEW CITIZENS WERE ALL STUDENTS OF THE LITERACY
STUDENTS FROM THE BERKSHIRE LITERACY PROGRAM AND THANKS TO A
GRANT FOR SCHOLARSHIP FOR NEW AMERICANS THEY RECEIVED FREE
ONE-ON-ONE TUTORING TO HELP PREPARE THEM FOR THIS MOMENT.
>> THEY WERE MY FIRST TUTORS TO LEARN ENGLISH AND, YOU KNOW, ALL
THOSE YEARS I'VE BEEN WITH THEM -- THEY'VE BEEN WITH ME ALL
THE STEP OF THE WAY, YES.
[APPLAUSE] >> I THINK IT'S SUCH AN
IMPORTANT STEP UNDERLINE FEELING A PERCENT OF THE COMMUNITY -- TO
REALLY FEELING A PART OF THE COMMUNITY BUT UNTIL YOU HAVE
A --ES PAPER SAYING YOU ARE A U.S. CITIZEN AND YOU HAVE ALL
THE RIGHTS OF A CITIZEN AND CAN V
VOLT IN ELECTIONS AND HAVE A STAY IN POLITICS BOTH NATIONALLY
AND LOCALLY THAT'S SUPPORT.
>> THAT I WILL SUPPORT AND DEFEND.
>> WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO LITERALLY COME HERE WITHIN A WEEK OF
COMING TO THE UNITED STATES WHO HAVE NO ENGLISH, WHATSOEVER.
AND WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO HAVE -- WHO ARE PROFESSIONALS --
[GARBLED] >> AND ARE WORKING IN THE
UNITED STATES BUT WOULD LIKE TO REFINE THEIR ENGLISH.
>> WAY-WAY SHI CAME TO THE UNITED STATES IN 2008 TO MAKE A
BETTER LIFE FOR HERSELF.
SHE OWN AN ASIAN MARKET IN BARRINGTON.
WITHOUT PROPER LANGUAGE SKILLS SHE SAYS IT WAS DIFFICULT TO
COMMUNICATE WITH HER CUSTOMERS.
>> WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE, I WAS NERVOUS AT THAT TIME 'CAUSE OUR
EDUCATION WHAT WE LEARN IS BASICALLY WRITING AND EVERY TIME
SOMEONE SPEAK, THERE'S A DIFFERENT ACTION.
PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND AND FOR A WHILE, I WAS, LIKE, REQUIRED
TO CLOSE MYSELF AND NOT SPEAK TO ANYBODY NORTH TO EAST.
>> WAY-WAY HAS BEEN WORKING WITH JOSH BEARDSLEY A VOLUNTEER TUTOR
AT LITERACY NETWORK.
THEY'RE WORKING FOR HER GOAL OF PASSING A HIGH SCHOOL LITERACY
TEST.
>> PASSING MATH, READING, WRITING AND SCIENCE SO THIS IS
THE LAST SUBJECT IS SOCIAL STUDIES.
>> I'M BASICALLY A TUTOR AND A SUPPORT.
WAY-WAY DOES THE VAST BULK OF THE WORK.
IT'S PRETTY CENTSTRUCTURED THE AND WE GO THROUGH THE BOOKS AND
THE GOALS THAT ARE GIVEN US AND WAY-WAY DOES THE HOMEWORK AND WE
COME IN ONCE ORB BI OR TWICE -- ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK AND IT'S
BEEN GREAT FOR ME TO LEARN SCIENCE AND RELEARN MATH AND HOW
TO WRITE PROPERLY IN NETWORK.
>> LITERACY NETWORK OR LIT NET HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE 1991 AND
HAS BEEN AROUND FOR THOUSANDS OF ADULT LEARNERS TO ACHIEVE
SUCCESS IN THE COMMUNITY.
WHAT STARTED AS A FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS FOR ADULTS INTO LOW
LITERACY SKILLS IS ADOPTED FOR A GROWING POPULAR IMMIGRANT
POPULATION IN SOUTHERN BERKSHIRE COUNTY.
>> WHEN I CAME TO THIS COUNTRY MY LITERACY WAS -- HOW CAN I SAY
MAYBE FROM 1 TO 10, MAYBE 3, 4, AND NOW IT'S -- HOW CAN I SAY, 8
AND I'M STILL WORKING ON IT.
>> SUE WAS A SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST FOR MANY YEARS
BEFORE BECOMING A LIT NET VOLUNTEER AND ABOUT THEM.
>> IT'S REALLY CHANGED MY LIFE SEEING HOW -- HOW MUCH PEOPLE
HAVE THE INITIATIVE TO LEAVE THEIR COUNTRIES AND COME TO
AMERICA.
IT'S REALLY THRILLING AND VERY THOUGHT P-PROVOKING AND EVERYTHG
ELSE.
>> LET'S START OUT IT'S A DOG'S LIFE.
>> FOR THOSE US WE START AT AN EARLY PART OF OUR LIFE.
BUT FOR MICHELLE TANNER IT DIDN'T HAPPEN THAT WAY WHICH
BROUGHT HER TO LIT NET.
>> I NEVER TOLD ANYBODY THAT I COULDN'T READ OR WRITE.
IT WAS EMBARRASSING.
I'M 68, YOU KNOW, I SHOULD KNOW HOW TO DO BANKING AND, YOU KNOW,
DO ALL THESE THINGS THAT PEOPLE MY AGE DO.
>> MICHELLE HAS BEEN WORKING WITH ANDY TRAINIS AND IN DOING
SO HAS FORMED A FRIENDSHIP.
>> IT'S GOGOOD FOR THE -- IT'S GOOD FOR THE SOUL AND ALSO PLACE
OF BUSINESSING -- TO MAKE A NEW FRIEND AND ALSO I WANTED TO
LEARN MYSELF.
I THINK I LEARN AS MUCH AS MICHELLE DOES IN OUR SESSIONS.
>> THEY ARE SO GRATEFUL BECAUSE THEY BEGIN TO SEE A LIGHT AT THE
END OF A TUNNEL, I THINK.
THEY BEGIN TO SEE HOW LIFE WILL CHANGE FOR THEM AND I DON'T KNOW
HOW THAT CANNOT MOVE YOU.
IT IS -- IT'S STUNNING HOW IT CHANGES THEIR LIFE, THIS
JOURNEY, AND IT'S A BLESSING FOR ME TO BE A PART OF THAT.
♪