Elevate Adult Education expanding local efforts

Elevate Adult Education Unveils New Branding and Expands Services

What began as a merger between two local nonprofits in 1996 has grown and evolved exponentially, prompting a shift in branding and expansion of services for Elevate Adult Education, formerly Families & Literacy, Inc, and offering English as a Second Language classes, GED Preparation, and Digital Literacy classes locally.

New Logo and Mission

At a luncheon hosted by Elevate Adult Education held last week at Light On The Hill at Mount Wesley, officials unveiled the new logo, shared the successes of the organization, and provided details of their hope for the future in fulfilling their mission “to educate Hill Country adults to be active contributors in the life of the community.”

Bob Green, president of the Elevate Adult Education board of directors, welcomed the more than 100 guests and explained the reason for the rebranding of the organization.

The Importance of Rebranding

“The reason we have a new name is because the H.E. Butt Foundation took some community nonprofits and evaluated them and helped us do critical planning, helped us on our long-term plan and were instrumental in suggesting that we rebrand,” Green said. “They felt that the name that we had did not represent our purpose in the community as well as it could.”

Green said he and the board are very proud of the organization’s shift in branding, saying (elevating adult education) “it is what we are about.”

“Our mission is to see people in our community that are in need of an education find a warm, supporting environment with good volunteers and interested people who help them accomplish their goals,” Green said.

Addressing Education Challenges

Green shared statistics on education, saying that one in six people in Texas does not have a high school education.

“If you feel like that number is large, I feel like in our area, based on the census, that the number might be quite larger than that,” Green said.

Green said the interest from local residents in acquiring services from Elevate Adult Education is great, saying that they currently have a waiting list.

“I feel like we are accomplishing something that our community needs,” Green said.

Green said Kerrville is blessed with great schools, healthcare, and entertainment venues but noted a shortage in staffing.

“We have businesses all over town with help wanted signs,” Green said. “And most of those businesses require either a high school education or an equivalency. It is very difficult for someone without a high school education to have the confidence to go out and apply for a job.”

Through the GED or ESL programs, Green noted students will be prepared to go on to areas of higher education or immediately to the workforce.

“As a former public school administrator, and as a partner in a local business, I’ve talked to numerous local business owners and I know our service area’s critical needs in our community,” Green said.

Operational Details and Success Stories

Misty Kothe, executive director, provided operational details of Elevating Adult Education to the guests.

“While our service area is identified as the Hill Country, we serve Kerr, Bandera, Gillespie, and Kimble counties. We are ready to serve any student willing and able to attend our classes,” Kothe said. “Our organization helps adults age 17 and over obtain their GED certification and provides English language skills, reading, writing, and speaking, to those adults whose first language is other than English.”

Kothe emphasized the success of the program is based on dedicated volunteer teachers who thoughtfully work with each student and often serve as a mentor.

“As we have evolved over the past 28 years, the mission has remained the same … to educate Hill Country adults to be active contributors in the life of the community,” Kothe said.

Kothe said she became a part of the organization during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought with it many challenges when “the world was shut down.”

“My initial focus was on streamlining our lesson plans for the class and figuring out how, if we couldn’t go back to meet in person, how are we going to provide an education for our students,” Kothe said.

Kothe said she was able to incorporate an online GED and ESL curriculum, which came with an unexpected cost but has proven to be invaluable even now. The online technology allows students to work at their own pace while being monitored and guided by a volunteer teacher.

Kothe also explained the collaboration with the H.E. Butt Foundation further, saying the organization was selected by the foundation in May 2021 as the first cohort of their Kerrville Capacity Building Program.

According to Kothe, the opportunity to be part of the program helped immensely over an 11-month period. Elevate Adult Education was one of four local organizations that were selected in this cohort.

“This (cohort) helped leaders learn and grow while building capacity to deliver their organization’s mission more efficiently, prospectively, and cooperatively,” Kothe said.

Future Plans and Fundraising

With grant money provided by the H.E. Butt Foundation, Kothe said the board approved the hiring of a consultant to help with strategic planning, including rebranding, a new website, and a new name.

Kothe honored past leaders of Families & Literacy, Inc., saying they all did a wonderful job creating and sustaining the much-needed services offered by the organization.

“My job now is to continue that into the future,” Kothe said, “by continuing to stress the importance of adult education and making learning opportunities available and affordable for those who need it.”

Affordable is the key word, Kothe said, saying that last year after successful fundraising and careful budgeting, tuition costs for students have been eliminated and enrollment fees have been reduced to $25 per year.

She said students would previously pay $200 per class.

“It’s streamlined for them. It’s streamlined for us, and we’ve seen a direct result as enrollment is skyrocketing and

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

The article discusses the importance of adult education and its impact on individuals’ lives and the community. It addresses the need for quality education (SDG 4) to provide opportunities for adults to obtain their GED certification, improve their English language skills, and acquire digital literacy. It also highlights the connection between education and employment (SDG 8), as businesses in the community require a high school education or equivalency for job applicants. Additionally, the article mentions the issue of inequality (SDG 10) by stating that one in six people in Texas does not have a high school education, and there is a shortage of staffing in businesses due to the lack of education.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 4.6: By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.
• Target 8.6: By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training.
• Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies, and action in this regard.

The article emphasizes the importance of adult education in achieving literacy and numeracy skills, which aligns with Target 4.6 under SDG 4. It also addresses the need to reduce the proportion of adults who are not in employment or education, which relates to Target 8.6 under SDG 8. Additionally, the article highlights the issue of inequality in access to education and employment opportunities, which connects to Target 10.3 under SDG 10.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator 4.6.1: Percentage of population in a given age group achieving at least a fixed level of proficiency in functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills, by sex.
• Indicator 8.6.1: Proportion of youth (aged 15-24 years) not in education, employment, or training.
• Indicator 10.3.1: Proportion of people who own land and other productive assets disaggregated by sex.

The article does not explicitly mention these indicators, but they can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets. Indicator 4.6.1 measures the percentage of the population achieving proficiency in literacy and numeracy skills, which aligns with Target 4.6 under SDG 4. Indicator 8.6.1 measures the proportion of youth not in education, employment, or training, which relates to Target 8.6 under SDG 8. Indicator 10.3.1 measures the proportion of people who own productive assets, which can be used to assess inequalities in access to resources and opportunities, connecting to Target 10.3 under SDG 10.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Table

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Fuente: hccommunityjournal.com

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