Community groups in Laois are being encouraged to apply to a national fund which aims to address literacy needs tight across the country.
The Adult Literacy for Life (ALL) Programme Office, supported by SOLAS, has allocated €1 million to support unmet literacy, numeracy, digital and financial literacy needs through its Collaboration and Innovation Fund (CIF) 2025.
The funding is aimed at reaching adults with these needs to help create literacy-friendly communities.
Figures from the most recent Programme for International Assessment for Adult Competencies (PIAAC), published by the OECD, show that in Ireland:
- 25% of adults struggle with everyday maths;
- 29% of adults are at Level 1 or below for adaptive problem solving;
- 20% of adults are at or below Level 1 in literacy.
This means that around 700,000 adults in Ireland struggle with reading and understanding everyday text, and may have difficulty completing common daily tasks like filling in a form, reading instructions on medicines, adding up a bill, and helping kids with homework.
CIF 2024 supported the development and launch of Laois book ‘Beurs and Lackeens: A Traveller Traditions Cookbook,’ which celebrated Traveller culture through food and storytelling.
The book, which was a collaboration between Laois Traveller Action Group and the LOETB, provided participants with an opportunity to reflect, document and share traditional recipes, and to develop literacy, digital, and culinary skills in a supportive learning environment.
Participants in Beurs and Lackeens attended workshops which combined cookery classes with skills in writing, numeracy, and digital skills.
Tamara Latham, Regional Literacy Coordinator at LOETB, said: “We’ve been able to build more connections within our communities – helping adults build confidence in their literacy, numeracy, financial, and digital skills.
“It’s been incredible to see how these projects empower people to take part more fully in their communities and their own lives.”
Applications to the fund will close on Friday, February 7, at 5pm.
To apply for CIF 2025, organisations must work in the public, not-for-profit, community and voluntary sector, and a minimum of two organisations must be working in partnership.
The funding is divided into two strands: projects that create a more literacy friendly and equal society, and projects that create a more literacy friendly approach to accessing financial services
Local projects will receive €25,000 or less while national projects will receive €50,000 or less.
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