I listened to Henry laughing with his tutor and thought about all the stumbling blocks and negative influences the students who come to Alice's program have to get past before they can even begin to work at improving their literacy skills. "Students come here to learn," Alice explained to me, "but we have a mandate that says that we don't work with students until they understand that they are worthy people and that they can do it. That's really the first step."

"We take time to get to know the students. We may spend the first week or so just talking before we do any formal teaching. It's chance for them to get to know the tutors, too. We try to understand the students' situations; their reasons for wanting to learn and what learning was like for them when they were children. Most of the students grew up in poverty and abusive homes and have been told all their lives that they couldn't do it, that they couldn't learn. We try to show them that they can learn to read, that they're not stupid and that they do have the ability."

The front office was starring to fill up. There were three students working with tutors now and the room was full of conversation and a feeling of good will. Alice introduced me to each of the students and tutors and I appreciated that I wasn't made to feel like an "outsider" by the group; they were curious but non-judgmental as they said hello, welcoming me in the same way they would any new person who dropped in that day.

Listening to the wind blowing hard outside, I wondered if sometimes the students come to the Learning Centre as a place to get out of the cold. "Some do for sure," Alice admitted, "but here they are learning to read while they're getting warm! Literacy to me is much more than just learning to read. Students here are building their confidence, learning how to 'get on better in the world'. The student's world is so narrow at this point. As they begin to learn, their world begins to widen. And when that world beings to widen, they become frightened and aren't always sure how to cope with the changes. We aren't counsellors here, but we are good listeners."

Alice surveyed the room, checking to see that everyone had what they needed. She talked to Aline, leaving her temporarily in charge, then motioned to me to follow her into an empty board room next door. "It's a little quieter in here," Alice said, "but unfortunately, we can't use this space for tutoring because it is used by other people who work in the Co-op."

"We need more space for tutoring and we desperately need some parking space. Many of the volunteers have to pay to park when they come to tutor and it's expensive downtown. I wish we had enough money to pay them some sort of honorarium even just for bus fare."

Alice talked more about the lack of resources, the need for new equipment - a typewriter and computers and general supplies for students' needs. "We try to celebrate occasions to help promote an understanding of traditions and the different seasons," Alice said, "bur that can really cut into our budget. We had a birthday party last week for one fellow. It was the first birthday celebration he had ever had. Doing extra little things like that helps bring hope and something to look forward to for the students. It's not exactly literacy work but in the long run, it's worth whatever it costs us to do."

When we went back into the tutoring area, all was quiet; it was lunch time. As I was putting on my coat, Alice told a wonderful story that seemed to sum up all that we had talked about throughout the morning.