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What I've Learnt - Caroline Burkie · WHAT I'VE LEARNT

• 0:03
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I'd like to welcome Caroline Burke, head of the UK and EU World Literacy Foundation.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_01: A global organization based in seven countries, including Australia, that focuses on lifting people out of poverty through literacy.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_01: As an author, publisher, and book lover, I'm excited to share that I've joined forces with the World Literacy Foundation to promote awareness and foster education both here and overseas.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_01: I'll be bringing you some incredible stories, so stay tuned.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: Meanwhile, here are some mind-blowing facts.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_01: One in five people in the world cannot read or write.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_01: Two billion people in the world struggle to read a sentence.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_01: Literacy and education can break that poverty cycle, but 750 million people globally can't read or write, and you guessed it, three-quarters of them are women.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_01: People who are illiterate face the prospect of poor health outcomes, welfare dependency, gender inequality, and a lack of social cohesion.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_01: Studies have shown the mother's literacy level is closely related to child health and survival.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: Literacy significantly enhances a person's ability to access, understand, and apply information about health to make accurate decisions.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: It promotes gender equality as a fundamental condition for the full enjoyment of human rights to provide better skills for work and socioeconomic participation by women and men.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_01: So what are we doing?
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: How are we dealing with this problem?
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_01: Caroline is at the con face of this issue.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: So, Caroline, welcome to the What I've Learned podcast.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_01: We're thrilled to have you on board, and I'm so excited to go on this journey with you and with the organization.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_01: Can you tell me where you think we start?
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_01: How do we improve this?
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: It's almost like an epidemic.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_01: I can't believe the stats.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: Talk me through a little bit.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um well, I think the first uh place to begin is raising awareness.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone I speak to um when we've had a chat, everyone is really truly shocked that we live in such an accessible world of technology and uh and content, and yet hundreds and thousands and millions of people are not able to access that because their education support isn't um isn't up to standard.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's possible and it's preventable, and that's why there is such hope as well for eradicating illiteracy.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: It's interesting you mentioned that because I was actually thinking, you know, we are all on social media, we're all accessing everything from Facebook to the news comes on our phones.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_01: It's hard to fathom that there are people who cannot access or read what is happening.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_01: It's extraordinary.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: It is.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I know, you know, the digital age, and particularly for younger people, um, you know, I've heard stories where children are um they don't know how to turn the page of a book because of their digital tablets and phones.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um and digital technology and literacy can be best friends, but also there is um there is a big problem that young people face as well.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I really feel that we all, if we've had the privilege of becoming literate adults, then we do have a responsibility for adults and children who are still suffering with illiteracy.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_01: And so from your perspective, obviously it's in you're dealing with it in lots of different countries, and it's a it's a huge problem.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: Where do you start?
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: Do you do you go into schools?
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_01: Where do you begin this process and how do we how do we start tackling it?
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: Of course.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: So um it does vary depending on which country um our work is taking place in.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um in the UK, for example, uh our mission at the moment is to get books to the 380,000 children who don't have one in their home.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: So we're starting with book accessibility in the UK.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, in other countries, we're really technology dependent.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: So the SunBooks project that's in Africa that is dependent on having those tablets filled with all of our digital content so that rural communities, children and young people living in rural communities, can access all those amazing e-books and workshops in their classrooms.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: So it is, it has to be varied depending on what's uh what can be made available to different countries, depending on their own resources as well.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that makes sense.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_01: So actually, what you're saying is digital technology can actually facilitate access that would otherwise have been impossible.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: So you've got the books, which is the hard books, which is if you can get it out into the UK, that's easier because you obviously have access, but in random or remote places in parts of Africa or Asia, then you can use tablets and iPads and things like that to load up with books and basic literacy early learning facilities, I'm assuming that's what you're saying.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, exactly that.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_01: And so from the World Literacy Foundation perspective, what do you see as the, I know the priorities are probably multifaceted, but what do you see as the main challenge with some of this material?
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: Like how you know, what what are you finding the most difficult?
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think particularly this year, it's just been the ever-changing environment that children and young people are finding themselves in.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, villages uh send us pictures of lots of of the kids with their one son book, which is the tablet, um, in remote parts of Africa.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: And they're still able to engage in and access their education through that.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um in the UK, for example, and across the states, you know, where there have been school closures, um technology-based um learning for us isn't yet on our um isn't yet something we've developed for the UK.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: So we've been trying to get books out to young people and children, of course.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but even that with you know social distancing has been really challenging.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it's just been a year of adaptation and change.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: And luckily, we have an incredible network of supporters and volunteers who enable us to respond as quickly as we need to as well.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the knock-on effect, of course, of of the school closures and having to adapt that quickly are, you know, the the gap is becoming bigger for um, you know, vocabulary, and teachers in the UK, particularly, are saying, you know, it's not just the few months that the schools were closed that it's going to affect literacy levels for young people here.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: It is, in fact, potentially up to a year or two years that that learning gap will have an impact.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and that's why we're talking a lot about this potentially lost, um, this lost generation.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: This generation is at serious risk, and that's across the world.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: Uh it's really interesting you say that.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_01: So COVID's just exacerbated basically what's a fundamental crisis, anyway.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_01: It's just made it that much harder.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_01: And the knock-on is that it's going to have ramifications further down the track, which which is really quite, quite uh confronting.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_01: So in terms of what uh you can do logistically, so in terms of getting books to children, actual books, can you, for example, I'm just thinking logically, can you use the mail and you just mail it to them?
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_01: Is that what you do?
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_01: Is that you can't physically give it to them?
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you can't, is that is that what you do?
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: So um at the moment, um again, it's very kind of district or regional um dependent, but we have from our amazing partners in our book distributions.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um they will send boxes to, for example, our other charity partners who are having contact with um at-risk families or vulnerable families, with you know, or um particularly mums and babies and um caregivers.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: So where where people are still receiving support, whether we would call that frontline support, we are able to get books and resources to them, and then they're able to distribute on behalf of us.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um cost-effective, it gets to the people who are at most need of literacy support, and that's why um, yeah, we are reliant on that, and it's been we've had a wonderful take up throughout this year.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_01: So, really, those collaborations with those other resources are what facilitates and allows you to keep going into those communities, and then you've got the digital option, which is also it complements what you can do literally in terms of accessing people one-on-one.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_01: They can download, do they?
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_01: They download certain books, and do they you know how how often is that uh digital upload done?
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: Is it is it how does that work?
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: That's interesting.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, so um a couple of ways.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: So we've got an um we established a an online, a free online library.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so that's available on our website.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: So anyone can go in, and I think you sign up to our newsletter and you get a code and off you go.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then for the tablets that are designed for more classroom-based learning, um, the team uh in Melbourne will uh always be kind of looking to upgrade with engaging and fun content for the different countries from Columbia and um in Australia, Indigenous communities and and uh across Africa as well.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: So they're always you know keeping up with the trends and and what you know and how and and how young people you know like to learn.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, oh that's great.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: And and actually I like um the fact that obviously being a Melbourne-based person myself, this is very much how I got in contact and and understood the incredible work that your organization does.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and and also the the fact that you access indigenous communities across the world really is so um, you know, it's a challenge, but it's a fabulous and very important role that I think the World Literacy Foundation plays.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_01: Tell me a little bit about you and I talked briefly um about, I suppose, role models, and we've talked about like even soccer players in the UK and some of the sports people and how they are cultivating and going into communities and and basically uh advocating for literacy.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: Can you talk to me?
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: Have you got any little anecdotes or stories that you know that would give our listeners some insight into the power of some of these people to educate and inspire?
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, of course.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, more and more in a in a world of influences, it's so important for young people to have positive role models.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_00: And um it's been it's been incredible, you know.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_00: Just recently, um Marcus Rashford, who has campaigned um to incredible lengths this year for free school meals for UK children, um this month turned his attention to literacy, sharing his own story of struggling to read it, read and write up until the ages of 16, 17.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: So he's just put literacy and child illiteracy on the UK agenda.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, which to clarify is he is he's a very well-known soccer player.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, and he's played yeah, England and Manchester United.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_00: So he's uh very, very famous.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, he uh, you know, and that is an amazing support for us.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and you know, young people, if we can engage them in the wholeness of themselves, we think that is the route to supporting their literacy.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: Whatever they're engaged with, it could be football, it could be um, it could be hockey, maybe it's uh maybe it's the arts.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: Engaging young people with something they're already interested in from that kind of that more heartful place.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um that is the inroad to them learning more about their ability and and just how much how much more of life becomes available to them through learning to read and write confidently.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_01: That's really that is also um a fascinating aspect because um those alignments I think have proved quite effective.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: Tell me a little bit historically, um, we touched on briefly Helen Miran and Benedict Cumberbatch, the actor, um, and how there's actually quite a long history of people supporting the foundation um in its vision.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_01: Can you talk to me a little bit about that?
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_01: Of course.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: We've had some incredible supporters throughout the years, and um Benedict Cumberbatch was um presenting uh at Letters Live, which um is uh an incredible uh art and literacy initiative where um some famous people and and authors and so on, they will read very humble letters from throughout the decades, and um it's it's really moving to watch and it's available also online to watch.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and Benedict uh was at the Venice Film Festival um where Letters Live took place and highlighted the need for support um and the importance of raising a new generation of literacy lovers.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then more recently, Helen Mirren has supported our global work, but we've been um so delighted and um proud that she's supported and got behind the new UK initiative.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um she understands the joy um and all the opportunities that literacy opens for everyone.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: So um, yeah, we're very, very fortunate to have uh their support and um their presence just has so much power.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we live in an age where people really truly care what these people care about, and so their influence is incredibly important to us.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um so we hope uh for many years to come they'll be behind us.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_01: And I think what's wonderful about that is also it's really an essence, you know, as communities, we're storytellers.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_01: And while you can have um oral storytelling, which is obviously where it all started, round the campfire, so to speak, um, which is uh what you were referring to, they sort of I love that that concept of the letters being read live.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_01: But I think what is really important is the history and the arts and the theatre and all of the things that that really are forged on that foundation of literacy are so critical to to a child or a person's development.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_01: So if you can't read and you can't write, you're shut out of so many worlds.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's actually quite astounding that that is the case in this day and age.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_00: And um there's you know, we talk a lot about functional literacy, um, which is where you know young people will be quite confident and adults will be confident to read simple sentence structures.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: But when it comes to the things that can really uh change someone's life, whether it's um filling out their loan application or um uh you know setting themselves up so that they can rent their own place, um, medicine bottles, you know, understanding comparison sites, things that, you know, things that I use all the time to make sure that, you know, I'm financially um stable and that I can afford things.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: If you're not functionally literate, then um, sorry, if you are only functionally literate, then these these situations that, you know, I I know I can so often take for granted myself, um, they do shut a lot of doors.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_00: And the support that, you know, that is available is um is life-changing.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_00: It really is.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_00: And we need to continue our work.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_00: We need to reach more children, we need to reach more adults, and we need to, you know, we're really proud that we really uh want parents to become their child's first teacher, but we also are very aware, of course, that there will be adults who are struggling themselves.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: So it becomes a whole family um issue which needs to be addressed.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_01: And so with adult literacy, how do you access those people?
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_01: Like I can sort of see the children aspect through community centers, etc.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_01: Is it the same, or do you have another way to access people?
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_01: And also I would imagine that adults often struggle with some sort of sense of you know, vulnerability or a sense of humiliation, even though it's not something they should ever feel humiliated by.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_01: But it's probably a little more complex than, let's say, a child.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_01: Would that be correct?
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think there is there is such vulnerability in um coming forward and asking for that kind of help.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_00: And uh it's been demonstrated on a number of documentaries, even this year, actually, of adult illiteracy um in the UK and across the world.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and the and really um importantly, the impact it has on mental health, um, feeling that level of um insecurity and anxiety, and um there are resources out there for um for adults who are struggling.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_00: And our work with children, of course, having to go through um and you know, um engage parents as well is one way which we can just start that conversation.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then we can signpost and and guide, you know, across you know, our other charity partners who are doing such incredible literacy work as well.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but whether it's using local resources from libraries to um local colleges, for example, the space is there.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's about them um just knowing that there is a really supportive environment waiting to waiting to help, really.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I think the work that the World Literacy Foundation does is quite extraordinary.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm just so honored to be involved to support, to educate, to foster and promote the the critical um work that you do.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm hoping, I suppose the the real question for our listeners will be what can they do?
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_01: What can we do on a practical level to assist?
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: Well, we are completely reliant on donations, of course.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: We're a charity.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so any gift is very gratefully received.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_00: In addition, we have uh many volunteer opportunities to uh get out in your own communities, find out who needs help, what schools need support, what youth organizations need support, whether that's books or our literacy packs as well.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and we're open to ideas.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we have um a whole ambassador scheme uh that encourages um young people and adults to take initiative within their own communities to become advocates for literacy and to do that in um creative and engaging ways amongst their own um friends and family, but also in their local communities and supporting those around them as well.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um there's lots of information on our website, of course, that people can can go and look at.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um and together it's preventable.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_00: So together we'll uh we will eradicate literacy one day.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I think it's great.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for talking to us and coming on the What I've Learned podcast.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_01: I look forward to regularly updating our listeners on the work that you're doing and hopefully um the journey that we're going to go on to see illiteracy eradicated.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_01: That would be the ultimate goal, I'm assuming.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_01: Although I think there's a way to go.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_01: I think the journey is well and truly begun.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much, Caroline.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_01: Love chatting to you.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks so much for listening.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_01: I hope you've learned as much as I have.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_01: The What I've Learned Podcast will now be coming to you weekly, with new episodes released every Tuesday.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_01: And a subscription is the easiest way to have it downloaded straight into your pocket.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_01: I'm blessed to have so many wonderful guests coming on the show, so check out my What I've Learn Instagram for updates.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_01: For more stories or an opportunity to tell your own, please visit my website at mindfillmentpublishing.com.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_01: Meanwhile, stay tuned, stay kind, and of course, stay curious.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_01: Love to