Literacy is a capital idea

Greetings from the Newberry County Literacy Council. The council continues to provide literacy services to adults and families in our community.

Through one-on-one tutoring, the FAST Program (which promotes better connections between children, their parents, and their schools), a book club, and the People’s College we continue to make capital investments in our future. Capital investment may seem an odd term to use. Capital improvements are typically defined as changes in the physical structure of a building or bridge or road. But the term can also be applied to human beings or human groups, in which case we refer to human capital and social capital. Thus, to help individuals achieve better education, quality health care, good-paying jobs, recreational opportunities, and higher civic participation is to build human capital. To have groups and organizations where individuals can gain this access is to build social capital. An argument can be made that human and social capital are more importance than physical capital. After all, a renovated factory is useless without people prepared to work there. Improved communication equipment (as in computers, servers, internet access) will not be used unless people are trained to use them and have access to the computers, servers, and internet. And, a modernized school must have qualified teachers and students ready to learn.

Typically, the focus of non-profits is on human and social capital. For example, the Literacy Council, First Steps, The Living Hope Foundation, and the Free Clinic try to improve individual skills, such as reading or readiness for school, or they increase people’s access to needs such as food and health care. This is money well spent. Imagine a community with fewer people in poverty, in hunger, or with limited health care. Imagine a community where people are better prepared to succeed in school, to join the work force, to become participants and leaders in the community. We all win in such a community. We spend less money on social programs that help those in need since there are fewer people in need, and on jails and crime prevention since crime goes down as opportunities and employment go up. We know that communities that have less poverty, higher high school graduation rates, and a better prepared work force offer a higher quality of life for residents, are safer, are more attractive to outside investment, and can offer an environment in which small, local businesses thrive.

So, it sounds simple enough. Invest in human and social capital and reap the benefits. Yet there is resistance. Do the poor really deserve much help? Do we want to spend our tax dollars on improving teacher salaries? Do we want to spend money on providing health care to those who can’t pay? In the short term, many people see money being taken out of their pockets. But, for the long term, they should see that these things will end up saving us money. Lower social spending, more tax revenue.

Two additional items. The Literacy Council hopes to sponsor another performance of “Raise Your Voice” in late April. This is a repeat performance from last year – speeches and poetry from people in the past who bravely spoke up about important issues knowing they might be criticized or ostracized because they were threatening vested interests: Sojourner’s speech in 1849 about women’s rights; Dr. King’s 1967 speech against the Vietnam War; Alice Walker’s poems; and others.

Second, plans and actions continue to move forward in turning the old Gallman High School into a community center called Gallman Place. The Building Thriving Communities Foundation now owns the school, is raising money, has talked to engineers and contractors about renovation, and is applying for money from the Capital Projects Sales Tax program. They hope to have an open house/celebration in May at Gallman to give the community a look at what Gallman Place will be. The Literacy Council is heavily involved with this project: Barbara Chapman serves as interim director and I am on the Thriving Communities Board. Gallman Place is all about human and social capital.

Stayed tuned for future developments associated with the Literacy Council. Until next time, happy reading!