I asked Barb how we can certify the qualities that make people good at what they do - being compassionate, flexible and resourceful. "It's more than that though," Barb argued. "If you want to be a nurse you have to take nursing training and yet there are lots of things you need to do on the job that require compassion. I think we're being a little naive in saying that we deserve credit for those kinds of skills. To be seen as professionals we have to have more training than our own life experiences."

Barb heard JANET MACMlLLAN come up the stairs and called to her to come and join us. In 1990, International Year of Literacy, Barb hired Janet as the Community Awareness Coordinator for the Camrose Adult Read and Write Program. Janet works 2 days a week and even though her role is community awareness she has also become a strong supporter of the program and good company for Barb.

"Janet brings skills to the job that I don't have," Barb said as Janet got a cup of coffee. "She's willing to do things that I'm not. She made a papier mache dinosaur reading a newspaper for the Camrose Parade last summer which was wonderful; that would never have happened with just me here. She has a whole creative side that's been a real bonus to the program."

The Community Awareness Coordinator's position involves writing press releases and talking to community groups and generally promoting the program. "Barb knew that she just didn't have time to get out to all the different community groups", Janet explained. "The students get to know about the program mostly through word of mouth. In order for that to happen a lot of people have to know about the program so somebody has to get out there and spread the word."

When I asked Janet if she found her job difficult, she said, "I was pretty nervous about talking to groups at first but it's easier for me now because now I have the commitment behind me as well. When I first got started I was more involved in the concrete things that had to be done like putting up posters around town. And then I started to internalize just what illiteracy was. I started to come up with my own understanding of what it was, why people didn't learn to read and how easily I could have been one of those people. I'm finding that the stronger I feel about literacy, the more it becomes a part of me and the easier it is to get up and talk about it."

"In general the community has been very welcoming in a polite sort of way. They keep their distance, not quite wanting to get too involved or too close. The Chamber of Commerce was the hardest group I had to speak to because the Chamber is made up of businessmen who are very proud of their independence. They've worked hard and have gotten to where they are in life because they've worked hard. They can't understand why someone would miss out when the opportunity was right there in front of them. They have a hard time coming to grips with all the reasons why a person might not have learned to read. They have a lot of false assumptions. But I'm going to keep working on them!"

Knowing that Janet has a teaching background I wondered if she has any desire to go back to the school system. "My job here is similar to teaching because I'm my own person and am in control of my day. But I don't really have a desire to go back to the school system. Now that I've been out of the system for a while and knowing what I do about literacy, I think it would be harder to watch the kids who are struggling. I'd sure work a heck of a lot harder to help those kids."