By some measurements, surviving for six decades is a singular achievement for any organization and an indicator it is doing work the community values.
But for the Greenville Literacy Association and its executive director, Victoria Novak, the more important metric is the improved circumstances and dignity of the individuals GLA has helped across those decades.
Lifelong learning
From its beginnings in 1965 teaching textile workers to read so they could use new technology being introduced into the state’s largest industry, GLA has sought to inspire the people it serves to become lifelong learners.
In many ways, Novak’s own life is a reflection of such aspirations. She said taking the helm of GLA in 2023 was the beginning of her fifth career and an opportunity she very nearly didn’t pursue.
Prior to coming to GLA, she was in a job she loved at Spartanburg Methodist College as that institution was developing a four-year-degree program. As a nontraditional student herself — she didn’t start college until she was 36 and already raising a family — Novak said she feels a deep connection with the adult learners GLA serves.
The GLA team completed professional development and executive coaching thanks to a CFG capacity building grant.That group is composed of people over the age of 18 who have difficulty reading or lack sufficient fluency in English.
Novak said there are roughly 40,000 adults in Greenville County who lack a high school diploma and about 20,000 people who don’t speak English fluently. Statewide, 1 in 5 working-age South Carolinians read at or below a third-grade level.
Novak said reading deficiencies can have a demoralizing impact on a person’s life.
“They want to read the prescription bottles,” Novak said. “They want to read signs on the street. They want to read the Bible in front of their congregation. I think most importantly though, that the people we engage with — they’re moving toward dignity.”
Changing trajectories
Cultivating a habit of lifelong learning is one of the goals of Greenville Literacy Association’s Adult Basic Education classes.Helping people obtain the skills they need to improve their circumstances goes beyond reading and writing and at its core is all about empowerment and economic mobility, Novak said.
Such is the testimony of Rafael Hernandez Alicea, who initially came to GLA for help earning his GED.
“Earning my GED was just the beginning,” he said. “With the foundation laid by GLA, I was able to continue my education, earning a bachelor’s degree in computer science and eventually a master’s degree.
“Today, I am a proud IT professional, and I owe much of my success to the opportunities and support provided by GLA,” he said.
Working with the thousands of students like Hernandez Alicea who have turned to GLA to gain crucial learning skills is profoundly rewarding, according to Barbara McNamara, founder of Building Blocks Phonics, who served as a GLA adult basic education volunteer for six years.
“During my six years of volunteering … I’ve had the privilege of having a front-row seat to something truly powerful: learning to read and write can boost self-confidence and foster independence,” McNamara said. “It empowers individuals to advocate for themselves and make informed decisions in their daily lives.”
Looking ahead
Looking aheadFrom adult basic education, GED and ESL classes, and college and career counseling, GLA has stayed true to its purpose and not suffered “mission creep,” Novak said.
Similar to those early days when insufficient literacy was a barrier to using new technologies in the textile field, today’s adult learners also face rapidly changing technologies that require the ability to learn new skills.
Novak said this is why her organization is looking to strengthen cross-sector collaboration with partners like Greenville Technical College and Apprenticeship Carolina.
Madina Habibi completed ESL classes at Greenville Literacy Association.“We’ll still keep doing what we do here in the classroom, but we’re definitely taking the show on the road,” she said.
Helping companies and community partners identify the necessary skills workers need is a natural extension of GLA’s core mission, Novak said.
“So I think it’s just being open to building relationships and recognizing people’s skill sets and giving them a chance to do something new so they feel fulfilled,” she said.
