Community–Based Programs

Although there is no one definition or description of community–based programs (Norton, 2001) there are several defining features that distinguish them. Community–based programs relate to the coffee shop setting in the employment preparation program. This setting draws more from the philosophies inherent in community–based literacy than school–based.

One of the main philosophical underpinnings of community-based programs is based on the ideas of Paulo Freire who used the economic, social, political, and power issues of Brazilian labourers as a context for literacy education in the 1950s. He urged students to think critically about issues and to act in ways that would promote change. Drawing on these ideas, community–based programs are "shaped around critical awareness, reflection and action about power and power relations, inside and outside programs" (Norton, 2001, p. 5). Community–based programs usually rely on volunteer tutors, including students, but some also have paid instructors; they are often located in the communities they serve, and work with other agencies in the community; and they are learner–centred in that they focus on the literacy concerns of students as they relate to personal and community issues.

In a qualitative case study of an inner–city community–based program, the nature of literacy learning for five students was investigated. Malicky, Katz, Norton and Norman (1997) discussed three dominant themes that arose form their data: reproduction and resistance, social networks, and empowerment. Guiding their study was Gaber–Katz and Watson's (1991) interpretation of community–based literacy programs that were seen to be learner–centred, focused on critical literacy, and promoted community–building.

Malicky et al. found that adults in the community-based program accepted society's view of themselves as outsiders and identified themselves as "illiterate" despite their literacy skills; yet, they also rejected society's interpretations of their lives with regard to other issues. In relation to their schooling, the adults blamed themselves for their low literacy skills; yet, they also said that the schools had been at fault. The adult learners in the program, particularly the women, were part of a social network inside the program, which provided an opportunity for social interactions. In relation to the final theme of empowerment, the research revealed that learners moved from "silence to speech", barriers between staff and students diminished, learners began to take more control of their learning and other aspects of their lives, and learners engaged in political activities. Most of these instances of empowerment were seen on an individual level rather than a social level. In addition, their engagement in political and public activities seemed to be done "more to meet the expectations of others than to bring about social change" (p. 101).