9 December 2015

Circular Head Mayor Daryl Quilliam has encouraged other communities to get on board with 26TEN with grants now available to get them started.

“Education and training are vital if you want your region to thrive and 26TEN is a great initiative to start addressing these issues,” Mayor Quilliam said.

“As both chairman of 26TEN and Mayor of Circular Head, I would like to invite other Municipal Areas to get on board.”

26TEN grants are now open, offering support to communities that want to promote both personal and economic growth by improving adult literacy and numeracy skills in their area,’ he said.

The Department of Education funds the grants through 26TEN.

Circular Head received a 26TEN Community grant in 2013 after it identified that the region could give people more opportunities and boost economic growth by improving literacy and numeracy.

“We became a 26TEN Community because we knew we had to engage the whole community in learning and wanted the right plan to help us do that,” Mayor Quilliam said.

“It’s not something you can leave for organisations such as schools, Councils or governments to do on their own – we have to work together.”

An important part of the Circular Head 26TEN community is that Council’s Circular Head Education and Training Consultative Committee has representatives from business, industry, education, training and the community.

“By working together to implement the literacy plan our community now places a higher value on literacy, education and training and understands they are important through all stages of life,” Mayor Quilliam said.

“We have got a lot more people into work and they are valuable employees. It’s exciting to see a community thrive and I’d like to see more areas take on being a 26TEN Community.”

A 26TEN community can take many forms such as a geographic region, a school, or even a digital community.

What makes it a 26TEN community is that:

• literacy and numeracy are talked about openly and seen as valuable skills that can be learned or improved
• people can easily find services to help them improve their literacy and numeracy
• information is presented in a way that is easy to understand.

26TEN grants of between $5000 and $50,000 are available to help communities where people work together in a coordinated way to lift literacy and numeracy.

Generally, projects run for 12 months or less.

Community grant applications close 16 December 2015. For information visit 26ten.tas.gov.au, email email@26ten.tas.gov.au or call Jen Dunbabin on 6165 6064.

About 26TEN

26TEN is a network of organisations and individuals working together to improve adult literacy and numeracy in Tasmania. Better literacy and numeracy means a better Tasmania for all.

The 26TEN Coalition is a group of influential Tasmanians encouraging business, communities and government to work together to lift adult literacy and numeracy in Tasmania.

The Coalition supports 26TEN Tasmania’s vision for a state where all Tasmanians have the literacy and numeracy skills they need for work and life. They understand the adult literacy and numeracy challenge and want everyone to know what we have to gain by addressing this challenge.