Join the Urban Alliance as an individual and/or urban coalition

Mural in Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, MA

The Urban Alliance for Adult Literacy (Urban Alliance) offers two kinds of membership: 

Individual, and Urban Coalition.

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP

Individuals who wish to be members of the Urban Alliance may join by sending an email to urbanallianceforadultliteracy@gmail.com with "Join as an Individual" in the header, and in which they:

1) describe their interest and role(s) in urban adult (foundational) education/adult literacy and, if applicable, the program(s) and agency(ies) in which they work, 

2) request to be an Urban Alliance member, and 

3) indicate if they are part of an urban network or coalition and, if so and if possible, provide a link to its website. 

An individual member does not have to be a member of an adult (foundational) education/adult literacy urban coalition to join the Urban Alliance for Adult Literacy.

Benefits

As an individual member you can:

• Join an asynchronous discussion group whose focus is urban adult foundational education/adult literacy, 

• Get notices of Urban Alliance Greenhouse Meetings (webinars) and receive links to their recordings and presentation slides,

• Meet with presenters after Greenhouse Meetings,

• Publicly indicate that you are a member of a prominent national alliance for urban adult (foundational) education/adult literacy, and

• Attend members-only Zoom meetings. 

Responsibilities

Members are expected to take an active part in our events, asynchronous discussion group, and other activities.

Cost

There is no cost for an individual membership.

URBAN COALITION MEMBERSHIP

An urban coalition (alliance, network, collaboration, initiative, or other organized urban or metropolitan group) that wishes to be coalition member of the Urban Alliance for Adult Literacy may join by having a designated representative send an email to urbanallianceforadultliteracy@gmail.com with "Join as an urban coalition" in the header, and in which they: :

1) describe their interest in joining, 

2) describe their coalition or provide a link to a description of their coalition, 

3) if possible, provide a link to the urban coalition's website, and 

4) request to be an Urban Alliance for Adult Literacy member. 

Coalitions accepted as members will be expected to fulfill the responsibilities described below. 

Urban, as we define it, refers to a city, metropolitan urban area, or county in which there is at least one city. An urban coalition for adult (foundational) education/adult literacy, as we define it, is an organized urban group/network/alliance/collaboration/or initiative of adult (foundational) education programs or adult schools (i.e. literacy; basic education; secondary education or high school equivalency; English for immigrants, refugees or asylees; Integrated Education and Training; family literacy; workplace education and/or other programs offered by our field.) It may instead be an organized urban group/network/alliance/collaboration/or initiative that has as an important goal meeting the needs of community members who have adult education/adult literacy needs and that has one or more adult (foundational) education organizations as an active organizational member.

Urban Coalition Member Responsibilities

An urban coalition that is a member of the Urban Alliance for Adult Literacy is expected to:

• Identify, submit to the Urban Alliance, and as needed, update the name and email address of at least one, but no more than three representatives of the urban coalition,

• Have at least one representative attend online Urban Alliance meetings. Typically held for one-hour, these will range from a minimum of two per year to, as the need arises, monthly. Currently no meetings have been scheduled,

• Consider having a member join the Urban Alliance Steering Committee for at least one two- or three-year term,

• Invite its partner organizations to take an active part in our events and other activities,

• Have their urban coalition profile displayed on the Urban Alliance website and update it annually, and

• Help recruit other urban adult (foundational) education/adult literacy coalitions (urban network/alliance/collaboration/or initiative) to join the Urban Alliance for Adult Literacy as members.

Urban Coalition Member Benefits 

Member Urban Coalitions can:

• Share a link to their coalition profile displayed on the Urban Alliance website with their urban coalition members, funders, policy makers and others in their community or elsewhere,

• Call their members’ attention to particular Urban Alliance Greenhouse Meetings (webinars), asynchronous discussion topics, or other activities that might be relevant to their interests, needs or goals, and

• Help to shape what the Urban Alliance does and how it grows.

Cost

For now at least, there is no cost for a coalition membership.

Applying to be a member

To apply for membership, email inquiry to urbanallianceforadultliteracy@gmail.com indicating if this is an application for an individual or on behalf of an urban coalition.