Global Literacy Day 2021 - Interview with Nicola Miranda
- frontpageinitiative
- Sep 12, 2021
- 2 min read
In an interview with The Front Page Initiative, Nicola Miranda, Ambassador Program Coordinator for the World Literacy Foundation, spoke about how she got started working with the WLF, why global literacy is such an important topic, and her hopes for the organisation’s future.
Q: Why did you want to work with the World Literacy Foundation?
A: Originally, I started off as a student placement. I chose to do my placement at WLF because I was so intrigued about how literacy really does have a huge impact on one’s life. I never realised how important early literacy is to obtain a brighter future in terms of employment, and socioeconomic status. It wasn’t until I did my placement at WLF, that I was more educated upon these influences. Later in my placement, the ambassador program was about to commence, and myself and the other student placement, Amanda, were offered a role as program coordinators. We took this role with honour and pleasure, as we believe we can contribute to literacy awareness by supporting ambassadors on a global scale, to do the same.
Q: Why is global literacy such a pressing issue in today’s society?
A: Literacy is so important in everyday life. I always talk about how we need some form of literacy skills to understand the road signs, food packaging, medicine labels, doctors’ advice, filling out forms and more. It is essential to have these basic skills, and to think that there are many individuals around the world who do not have adequate levels of literacy, hinders them to reach their full potential. Often, children and adults are not given the opportunity to education, as work is a priority in these areas, or because of gender inequality.
Q: What can people do to support the cause?
A: I truly believe advocacy plays a huge role in supporting literacy awareness. Advocacy currently has no limits, you can speak to communities, at events, or use technology to your advantage to reach a wider audience. The way to support this cause is up to the person, because there are just so many ways that you can spread awareness.
Q: What will the World Literacy Foundation be doing this year in celebration of World Literacy Day 2021?
A: There are many other organisations under WLF, which we will be holding a variety of activities such as reading sessions, play and crafts, webinars, interviewing special guests and more!
Q: What are your hopes for global literacy in the future? What do you think this issue will look like in 5 or 10 years time?
A: I hope that global literacy increases over the next few years, despite the global pandemic affecting education in many areas. I believe there will be more strategies and ways to reach out to such communities by fundraising for educational tools and sending these to those areas and more. In the following years to come, I hope many individuals use their voices to continue to advocate for literacy and spread awareness to their communities.
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Published September 8, 2021
Written by Rebecca Symns-Rowley ~ Edited by Alex Truong ~ Graphics created by Elwin Fu
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