 Today and adult literacy classes are actually provided to here in Donegal by the E.T.B. and I'm delighted that the regional adult literacy coordinator with Donegal E.T.B. Adele McElhinney is with us in studio. Adele, good afternoon to you. Good afternoon, Haydon. Adult Literacy, it's much more, as I mentioned at the start of the show, it's much more than just reading and writing. It is much more than reading and writing. You know, with the world that we live in, you're looking at your digital skills, your digital literacy and everything now is online and having your email account and downloading the app and that takes on a whole new realm to literacy and numeracy is also big as well. You know, trying to manage your everyday bills or just coping with numbers or calculating your change in the shops and things like that. So yeah, you think of literacy, you think of reading and writing, but it really is so much more than that. But that's, reading and writing would be the fundamentals and if you don't have them, then it makes the other, like say the digital side of things even more difficult. Exactly, yes, even more difficult. You know, I think the statistics out there, there's over 500,000 adults in Ireland that struggle with their reading and writing and there's more then with struggle with the literacy and the digital side of things as well. And it can leave you feeling very isolated and excluded, you know. But I suppose the good news is that there's so many options for support out there. Donnie Gould, ETB, as you said, do offer classes and they're part time, they're during the day, they're in the evening, you know, they're free, you know. And it can be hard to take the first step, but nobody ever regrets taking that first step. You know, and reaching out. Why do some people who have struggled leave it so long? Is it because they're managing to muddle through with just the bare amount, they figure, you know, I can just about get by and not bother or is it because they're just reluctant to come forward? I think there's just a stigma around it, you know, and it's just an age old stigma of, oh well, I can't do that and I don't want anybody to find out. But, you know, I think I've been working in adult literacy for over 17 years and I've never met anybody who regrets coming through the door and sort of owning it and saying, look, I need help. And they really enjoy it, you know. So it's, yes, people struggle and rely on other people or, you know, a big one out there is, oh, I've forgotten my glasses. Can I take this home, you know, and fill this in at home and maybe get somebody else in to help you with it? But, I mean, the adult literacy for life strategy was launched in 2021 by Minister Simon Harris and they really are dedicated to making everyone in Ireland, I suppose, exactly, yeah, just having the skills and removing that isolation that's out there and encouraging people to come forward. The hardest part is just coming forward. It is. I'm going to get help. Yeah, taking that first step, making that phone call or coming in that first morning. But as I said, the amount of students that have come through my doors in all those years, nobody ever regretted, you know, and it's a huge relief just to say it out loud. And once they get in, people really do thrive and they come back and they say, you know, I'm reading my child bedtime story now or I've written my wife a birthday card or, you know, and it really changes their lives. And I mean, the tagline is literacy changes lives and it really does change lives, you know, if you can get the skills that you need to just navigate your everyday life and do things. And the service is great in that it's part-time, you can study part-time, and it's free. It's free. Oh, it's absolutely free, yes. And I think the main message to get out there is we have classes at every level. So if somebody's out there and thinking, oh, well, no, you know, that's for the higher levels, it's not. We have classes at every level to suit every ability. We will meet you where you're at, you know, and that's really, really important to get out. You know, the adult literacy for life really is striving, you know, just to make this change and also making people aware. You know, people who are there in the front line meeting people and asking for paperwork filling in forms, you know, it's about, you know, making people more literacy aware. And I do offer literacy awareness training to people who are front-line staff and working with the public. And even just if you're posting on social media, you know, how to make your posts a little bit more literacy-friendly. And there are small changes that make a big difference to people, you know, and to being fully inclusive, you know, so that's available as well. And that's free training, that's about an hour, you know, and it just is explaining how you can be more literacy-friendly. Okay, so somebody wants to take the staff they realize it's going on long enough. I've struggled for long enough. Where do they go? Okay, well, the Donegal ATB have adult literacy organisers that are based, and there's five literacy organisers. The county's sort of split into five regions. So information of those adult literacy organisers are on the Donegal ATB website. Or if you don't know how to do that, you can call into any of the further education training centres. Just pop in, you'll be met with a smile, and, you know, the classes then themselves, once you get going, you know, it's about the cup of tea and the chat as much as anything else. Are they all a group setting? In some cases, if people don't feel ready that they could go into a group, you know, sometimes self-confidence can be a real issue. We can offer one-to-one support. Now, we are looking for volunteers for that as well, John, because that is a volunteer basis. So we are relying on volunteers. So if you're interested in helping somebody make that change in their life, we'd love to hear from you. There is a link again on our website, or you can contact me or call into any of the further education training centres. Okay, and what would be the demand of that would be, like, an hour or two a week? An hour or two a week, absolutely, yeah. And all the training's provided, all the resources are provided. But, you know, it's really very rewarding because you're really making, like, a big change in somebody's life. And when they come in through the door. And, you know, I have met all types of people. I've met business people. I've, you know, people struggling with language. You know, the realm of people that walk through the door. You know, don't think you're any different to anybody else because, you know, I've just met everybody that's of all walks of life. I suppose it's important to stress that this is different to learning English. It is different, absolutely different to learning English. Yes, yes. Learning a second language is completely different to doing your reading, your writing, your numbers, your digital skills. And it can be intertwined. You know, there's loads of options out there. You know, and I wouldn't even begin to go into any of them. But, I mean, what I would say is, take that first step and go into the further education and training centre. Look up the contact details on the website. And again, if you're volunteering, do the same. Okay, get the info online. Or, if you prefer, just to pop into one of the five centres. And to tie in with International Literacy Day, there's a competition, a writing competition. There is, yes. So, I work closely with Joe Kelly from Donegal County Library. And so, we have launched a writing competition along with your direct letter, Kenny. So, there's two categories in the writing competition. One for further education and training students. So, if you're on a course with Donegal ETB, you can enter that category. And we're just encouraging people to maybe you haven't put pen to paper in a while to get writing. It's a simple, write 100 words on my dream holiday in Europe. So, it's short and... That is very straightforward. Yeah, very straightforward. First prize is 70 Euro Shop LK voucher. And second prize is a 30 Euro Shop LK voucher. You can get the... If you want to fill in a paper form, there's one in the libraries. Or you can go to your further education for them. There's links online as well on the social media channels. So, yeah. So, seek out the info there. Yeah. Enter the competition. You never know. You could be one of the winners. Yeah. It's as simple as that. Simple as that. OK, Adele, that is brilliant. And, I mean, you know, it's important that the sort of information is rolled out. And what better day to do it than on International Literacy Day. Thank you very much. Get with the bad...