I began my November One Page with the words ‘our peer-led learning transforms lives’. Many of us see the year’s end as a time for reflection, so I think it’s worth saying a bit more about this, and why I believe so strongly in the simple but effective ‘super-power’ of peer-led learning for literacy and numeracy. It really works – in prison settings, where Shannon Trust’s work began, and in our communities too.
Government figures show that around half of working age adults in the UK are affected by low numeracy, and 1 in 5 say they avoid jobs that use numbers. With some regional variations, between 12% and 28% (or between 1 in 4 and 1 in 8) of UK adults are functionally illiterate. Within the prison population the numbers are starker. Over half of people can’t read, or struggle to, and it’s similar for basic maths.
Of course, the reasons are as varied as the people behind these statistics. Some did not get a chance to go to school. Many others could not engage in a classroom setting, maybe because of bullying, demands at home or not ‘getting’ the lessons in a way or at a pace their teachers expected. Once behind, it’s very challenging to catch up.
In a society of digital connections, not being able to use words and numbers limits lives in countless basic and practical ways. Our prison system assumes some reading ability too, with obeying notices, reading canteen menus and dealing with official letters about sentencing or appeals.
Our learners’ stories are full of examples. Nick had everything read to him, official and unofficial, and wanted to be able to deal with his own letters and forms. Joe longed to read the letters his daughter sent, and to reply himself. He found asking someone else to write for him very difficult. He was embarrassed, and not always able to share his true feelings. Our learners can feel they were written off by teachers; sometimes they wrote themselves off too. This means they are unlikely to risk trying college-based adult entry level courses, defaulting to keep relying on others and muddling through.
Shannon Trust offers an alternative. Our peer mentors support learners one to one, in relaxed, ordinary settings. They use the tailored resources we have developed for learning. There are no time limits or tests, and taking part is completely voluntary. Learners goat their own pace and can repeat exercises as many times as they want.
But I think the real strength of learning this way, its ‘super-power’, is the person-to-person connection between learner and mentor. It is a partnership. It takes a lot to admit to someone else that you cannot read or manage numbers. If you sit down with someone who is similar to you, who understands or shares some of your experiences, and who is not an expert or ‘on a pedestal’ (however well-intentioned and caring) there is scope to build trust and a bond.
This connection helps learners keep going, even when they find the programmes difficult. Of course, it’s a two-way thing; we all have something to learn, and we all have something to teach. Someone who struggles to read may be gifted at music or joinery. As well as the mechanics of reading and basic maths, our mentors help their learners see themselves differently. Starting to learn boosts confidence, and this way, just a word or a number a time, it is possible to make progress.
Shannon Trust has seen the transformative power of peer-led learning for more than 20 years, mostly in prison settings. Given the growing prison population and level of need, over the last few years we have employed programme facilitators based in many individual prisons. These facilitators recruit, train and support prison mentors, and help raise Shannon Trust’s profile with people in prison and prison staff.
We are on track to engage 10,000 learners in our programmes in 2024. We have over 1,300 trained prison volunteer mentors. Our programmes are running in 100 prisons. This in turn, gives our prison learners the tools to engage with other training and rehabilitation courses. And we are now building on this experience, to reach those who can benefit from our literacy and numeracy programmes in the wider community.
Inevitably, 2025 will be another year of funding challenges across the country. Our experience is that recruiting and training mentors and other volunteer coaches to deliver our programmes makes good sense on several levels. The benefits to learners are obvious, but mentors benefit too. They gain a sense of purpose and self-respect, improve their wellbeing, and get positive recognition for taking responsibility and helping others. Investing in the peer-led approach is a win-win, just like the mentor-learner relationship.
Please get in touch if anything I have written resonates with you; whether you agree, disagree or you have a suggestion for how we can improve what we do.
.avif)