In celebration of Alta’s 25th anniversary, Alta students around the country were asked to write about the impact the organisation has had on their lives. Since 1992, Alta has provided classes around the country for thousands of Trinidadians who struggle with reading and writing. Alta students enrol in the programme at many different levels of literacy and leave when they have accomplished their literacy goals. While it is difficult to manage work and family life alongside Alta classes, students continue to persevere and in all cases see changes in their lives after attending Alta classes. In the coming weeks, Alta will share their pieces through this column. This week, two students from the Woodbrook Secondary School venue share how Alta has impacted their lives.
Student Name: Laura
“I was reading an article in the newspapers about a young man who went to Alta and then moved on to university and then I decided to go because I always wanted to further my education. Since I started Alta, it has changed my life a lot because I was very shy. Through the course of time spent there, I became brave to speak and communicate with others. Alta also helped me to be more confident in myself - now I know what I would like to do in life. I might not be able to achieve all that I always wanted to do but I can still help someone with what I learnt at Alta.
Alta also taught me that there is no limitation. You can go as far as you wanted to go. Many of us don’t go forward because of our challenges in reading or writing. Now that I have the confidence in myself, I will move on to other things that I wanted to do.
I would encourage anyone who has a problem with reading or writing to come to Alta class. Don’t be ashamed to learn, be ashamed not to learn. It helps to build your confidence and overcome challenges.”
Student Name: Leonard
“Reading is one of my favourite hobbies and I enjoy reading books on a variety of subjects, novels, history, politics, scripture and religion. Through reading, I gathered a considerable amount of information that is useful in my daily life. I developed the ability to communicate verbally, but I also had the desire to convey my thoughts and opinions in writing. This was a challenge that caused me great discomfort because of my grammar. How do I confront this challenge? Alta of course! I responded to an advertisement in the daily newspaper and joined their classes. It is the best decision I have made in my adult life. Since I started Alta classes, I feel more comfortable to communicate in writing and also my reading ability has improved. Thanks to the dedicated tutors for helping me overcome my challenges.”
Volunteer, Donate or Sponsor-a-student. Call 621-5708 or email altapos.tt@gmail.com for more info. Keep up to date with ALTA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: ALTA
