Blog

Thank you from ALTA!

As we take stock of our blessings and reminisce on a very challenging year, we know that we have much to be thankful for. We would like to take this opportunity to send New Year’s greetings to and thank all the individuals and companies who have contributed generously to Alta and our vision of bringing positive social change through improved literacy.

Firstly to our volunteer tutors, our class coordinators, Regional Coordinators and National Coordinator Lystra Hazarie, we thank you for going above and beyond for our ALTA students. This past year was a true test of your calibre as the pandemic threw out a major challenge with the closing of all classrooms on Friday 13 March.

But you persevered and wrestled with the obstacles and new learning involved in virtual Alta teaching to ensure that as many students as possible had almost uninterrupted instruction. You showed in exemplary fashion the commitment and dedication that has brought you respect and high regard among both students and staff.

Secondly, to our sponsors, both individuals and companies who continued to support ALTA despite the many competing needs in this difficult year, we are most grateful! ALTA has come to rely on the regular contributions of individuals who give either $600/year to sponsor an ALTA student or an open donation through a deed of covenant.

Our main corporate sponsors deserve specific mention:

• Republic Bank Sponsorship of Alta classes, Reading Circles and software development for ALTA Online. This commitment got ALTA Online to users in 2020 just when it was most needed when in-person institutions of learning were shut down.
• National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Funding for the I Am ALTA literacy awareness and student registration campaign along with the ALTA Online pilot was critical to bring ALTA-V and ALTA Online to those with literacy challenges.
• Bermudez Biscuit Company Limited An annual donation helps keep our three offices and our programmes running. Sponsorship of NALIS/ALTA Youth Lit brings the ALTA literacy programme to teens and pre-teens.
• Fernandes Foundation provided a capacity-building grant.
• Phoenix Park Gas Processors Limited has sponsored the ALTA Couva class for many years and in January 2020, also selected ALTA’s tutor training programme for their Gift to the Nation. This enabled ALTA to develop a new virtual tutor training programme which comprised three separate delivery modes: ALTA Online tutor Training Book; ALTA tutor training videos – How to Teach an ALTA lesson; Zoom training led by a facilitator for a mixed group of 6-7 new and experienced tutors.
• Price Philanthropies, Charlett & Gatcliffe, Southern Wholesale Stores, CIBC First Caribbean International Bank, Trinity Exploration, Rotary Club of Maracas/St Joseph, Trinidad Offshore Fabrication Company (TOFCO) supported ALTA/ALTA-V classes, the core work of ALTA.

We also wish to thank our staff and the key members of the ALTA Online team. ALTA Online would not have reached literacy learners in 2020 without the pro bono effort of two experts: application support engineer Sylvia Clarke and New York based software developer Matthew Williams. Both Sylvia and Matthew provide essential expertise that ALTA cannot afford. They have shown a remarkable dedication to making ALTA Online work, giving countless hours of their very valuable time and often working into the wee hours of the morning. Along with software developer Jovaughn Smith, Sylvia and Matthew have lead and guided the small team of OJT trainees to make the dream of ALTA Online a reality.

Our thanks also go to all who took the time to like, comment and share our social media content. You have been instrumental in allowing us to continue raising awareness of literacy as a skill and reducing the stigma attached to low literacy.

To the editors at the Trinidad Guardian newspapers, we are appreciative of your continued support in having our articles published every Thursday.

We look forward to the New Year which will be a big year for ALTA with the launch of ALTA Online. Happy New Year to all our readers!

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a tutor, joining a class, or becoming a sponsor, call 624-2582 or email altapos.tt@gmail.com

Keep up to date with ALTA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: ALTA TT