Literacy news
We launch "Matt's Appeal"
30 Jun 2011
One of our beneficiaries, Matt Humphries, tells us about the impact our work has had on his life.
Dear Reader,
My name is Matt Humphries and I am a recovering alcoholic and a reformed offender. I became involved with the National Literacy Trust through the Sports Stories project. This was a local football project in which I wrote a story about supporting my local club - I wrote about my first away match as a child.
This project was a turning point in my life, because I saw another way of living and the need for education was key to this. I sought help for my alcohol addiction and my counsellor suggested I enrol on a confidence building course.
The course and the skills the National Literacy Trust encouraged me to develop gave me the confidence to enrol at college and obtain the qualifications required for university entry. I worked my way up from a Literacy and Numeracy level one course and I have now just completed the second year of my degree in History. None of this would have been possible without good literacy. This, coupled with the self-confidence and self-belief that the National Literacy Trust has given me, means I now have a future whereas before I simply did not.
Poor literacy really affects every aspect of a person’s life. One in six people like me in the UK are struggling with their literacy right now. That means that 12.6million people in the UK would struggle to read this email. It is so important to try and intervene early to promote good literacy, as a quarter of young people do not recognise the link between reading and success.
Something needs to change and it’s for this reason I am asking you, on behalf of the National Literacy Trust, for a donation. This will help to ensure the work of the National Literacy Trust can continue until everyone has the levels of literacy they need to reach their full potential. Your money will go directly to those in society who need it most.
The National Literacy Trust transformed my life. Help them to transform the lives of others.
Sincerely,
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