Part 1: Getting Started
Creating Your Plan:
Situational Analysis
The Situational Analysis section is where you note any information that
affects how you will go about raising public awareness of literacy. The
net result of your
Situational Analysis will be a list of Key Issues, which will become
the sole focus of your awareness-raising activities.
Examples
i. Review of Operating
Conditions
Any information relevant to operations, including:
- demographic numbers or trends
- market research (published by the media or proprietary)
- government policy or regulations
- standards or best practices among similar organizations
ii. SWOT Analysis Objective identification of internal conditions (Strengths, Weaknesses)
and external conditions (Opportunities, Threats) that have a bearing on
public awareness of literacy and your organization’s ability to
increase it.
Strengths:
- support and resources from umbrella literacy
organizations (OLC, CLO, etc.)
- positive orientation toward communicating the benefits of
improved literacy (rather than stressing negatives)
- culture of teamwork
- sole focus on literacy
- talented committed, hard-working staff
- strong partnerships and network within literacy community
- good track record of quality programs and resources
- reputation for integrity
Weaknesses:
- chronic shortage of funds
- lack of staff for critical tasks
- interference from Board during tactical execution
- lack of tactical continuity (due to unstable funding)
- divided loyalties (internal mission versus funder
priorities)
- loss of knowledge/experience with transfer of staff
- differing needs across broad sphere (geographic or sectoral)
Opportunities:
- the need to improve literacy increasingly being recognized
by public, employers, and government
- to position organization as “literacy expert” within
community or sector
- to increase membership
- to approach new stakeholders in community or sector
- to conduct joint awareness-raising activities with other
literacy organizations
- to make use of successful initiatives developed
elsewhere
Threats:
- competition for funding (often single source of funds)
- parallel campaigns from other literacy agencies (may
compete for funding and/or learners)
- wide geographic or sector scope results in diverse needs
and priorities (further stretching tight resources)
iii. Lessons Learned
The key learning (positive or negative) from conducting
awareness-raising activities in the past. These are the hard-earned
things you wish you knew when you started and don't want to forget.
Another way of considering Lessons Learned is: What would you like your successor
to know?
- publicizing “literacy”
doesn't work as well as publicizing “learning” -- “essential skills” also received more favourably
- messages tailored to a specific distribution channel are
more likely to be delivered by that channel (and that channel might
possibly share the
cost)
- a literacy champion within an intermediary (e.g. City
Councillor) can not only help, but may be essential
- important to stay involved in the community and
networking to avoid loss of opportunities
- better to do fewer initiatives and do them well than to
attempt too many
- strong relationships with key personnel within
intermediaries very important
- there is a negative stigma to the term “literacy” among
learners
- learners can misunderstand a message that isn't absolutely
clear
- rural people tend to feel they are already familiar with
local resources
iv. Key Issues
The select list of most critical issues to be
addressed by this particular plan.
- there is a need to communicate the definition of literacy
and its impact on society
- there is an
opportunity to enhance our organization’s public profile
- there is a need to
cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key individuals at
important local stakeholders
- there is a need to
secure future funding to ensure continuity of programs
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