Mission
Literacy Chicago is a nonprofit organization that empowers individuals to achieve greater self sufficiency through language and literacy instruction.
Partners
Partnerships are the cornerstone of our organizational structure, allowing us to reach a wider range of students and to serve all of our students in a more comprehensive way. Literacy Chicago focuses on being an integral part of the path our students are on to transform their lives, and our shared goals range from work related to community involvement, but education is the hub. Through our academic partnerships, we are able to hold classes off-site in several communities. Through peer collaborations, we are able to refer students and serve as a referral so that individuals with low literacy skills can access medical, legal, or civic opportunities as needed.
People
Above all else, Literacy Chicago is a people-focused organization. Just as our instruction targets individual needs, so do all of our programs and committees. We believe that not only do we serve the community as a resource, but that each individual’s goals should be integrated into our larger charge as an organization. We are proud to connect students and volunteers, committee members and board members, and these same groups with the greater community. It is our goal to inspire the many faces of adult literacy—from the staff to the students to the volunteers—to interface with the vibrant city of Chicago and its surrounding communities.
The students of Literacy Chicago, are quite simply our reason for existing. Beyond this, they are an consistent source of inspiration for staff, volunteers, and visitors, demonstrating types of courage and commitment that many of us don’t get to witness elsewhere in our lives. Our students understand quickly into their time here, that language and literacy can transform them forever. Many find their way off of public payrolls for the first time in their lives, many develop skills to take home and share with the children in their homes, and many go on to college. Some have come back as tutors for our programs. Above all else, it’s the gratitude students show for our classes and individualized help that keeps us steadfast in our service to them.