An Post supports national Adult Literacy campaign for 6th consecutive year
2 January 2013
An Post Chief Executive, Donal Connell explained that in the course of their work, An Post retail staff witness first-hand the many difficulties that literacy and numeracy issues impose on so many people in Ireland: “And we also see the joy and long-term benefits that literacy support brings to the lives of individuals, families and communities. An Post is very proud of our long and productive working relationship with NALA in which our national advertising campaign, has encouraged tens of thousands of people to Take the First Step to getting the support they need,” he said.
Mr Connell continued: “To be truly effective, corporate social responsibility initiatives require continuity of support, over the long-term. This allows all those involved - students, learning support workers, volunteer tutors, policy makers and the wider community – to truly fulfil their potential and to encourage others to do likewise.”
The An Post sponsored TV advertisements which will run from tomorrow (January 2) use the words of former students to show the positives of returning to learning by contacting NALA’s confidential Freephone and Freetext numbers or takethefirststep.ie.
Fran O’Neill from Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan returned to education two years ago. “I left school early without any formal qualifications. I thought about going back to education but I didn’t know where to start. I guess I lacked confidence in myself. But after contacting NALA I started on a level 2 course and since then I haven’t looked back. One course led to another and now I am in the middle of a level 4 course that includes: Communications, Maths, Computers and Woodcraft. Never would I have dreamt of achieving so much but returning to education has opened up so many possibilities for me. I would encourage anyone who doesn’t believe they could do it, to just give it a go. There’s absolutely nothing to lose, and so much to gain. It’s definitely one of the best decisions I ever made. I think the hardest part is picking up the phone for the first time.”
Inez Bailey, Director, National Adult Literacy Agency describes the impact An Post’s support over the past five years: “An Post’s campaign support has been hugely influential in encouraging thousands of people with literacy difficulties to ‘take the first step’ into adult education and get a second chance. Making the first phone call is sometimes the greatest hurdle but once people get started, they never look back.”
Freephone: 1800 20 20 65 Text: 50050 www.takethefirststep.ie
