Building
Our Global Future, 2007-2012
Transforming Literacy for
Global Participation and Innovation

About
Global Literacy Foundation (GLFi) is a non-profit and tax-exempt [501 C (3)] organization committed to fostering and supporting community-based participation, communication and literacy throughout the world. Literacy is the ability to read, write, evaluate, exchange ideas, have fun and self-improve. Literacy has become a necessity for today and tomorrow’s science and technology challenges. It opens doors to innovation in fields of specialized knowledge, such as the sciences, public health, engineering, and technology. Illiteracy, as a cause and effect of poverty, reinforces long-term underdevelopment in many countries.

This strategic plan outlines the vision, values, priority strategies and future performance expectations that will measure progress towards accomplishing our mission and goals. Developed as a collaborative giving-back effort, this plan will ensure that we remain focused and disciplined in our global perspectives, priorities, vision and values. GLF is unique in that it uses the neurosciences to show how good curriculum, professional developmenti and technology infrastructure can make a difference in helping others work towards self-improvement.

Vision
The Global Literacy Foundation’s vision for the next five years is to evolve into a premier charitable, humanitarian organization that can boost the quality of literacy and research programs with state, national, and global impact. We hope to position GLF for membership in the elite group of others promoting related programs and similar initiatives.

Values
Literacy supports self-improvement, civic duty, charity and more successful lives and improved humanity. Participation + Communication = Literacy!

Mission
GLF is dedicated to helping people of all ages to enhance their lives through literacy solutions, based on the neurosciences, to empower them as they improve academic success, creative expression, innovation and overall quality of life.

Priorities for Achieving Global Literacy
GLF will take a leadership role in its work with students, adult
learners, teachers, school districts, administrators, parents, and
business and community leaders to promote global literacy, cultures and
supportive lifelong learning communities. By removing roadblocks to
literacy, GLF can assist in creating a culture of learning enjoyment,
sharing and preserving cultures in many ways. The strategic plan
outlines five priorities:

1. Tools and Solutions for Integration, Management, and Reporting Global Educational Success and Social Intelligence
2. Intellectual Research and Innovation
3. International Distribution of Resources and Interdisciplinary Participation
4. Global Collaboration and Participation
   1. Sponsor a biennial literacy event.
   2. Support an annual eLearning Summit event.
   3. Support
      regional alliances, welcoming participation from leaders of business
      and labor, ethnic and community groups, and education associations.
   4. Advocates
      for internationalizing teacher training; student exchanges; sister
      school connections; heritage and world language learning; community
      participation in international arts, sports, and sister city exchanges;
      and business-school partnerships to support international projects.
5. Support of literacy organizations and endeavors
6. Use video and audio to tell our story in the media.

Strategies for Achieving Global Literacy
Our mission is to help promote Global Literacy in four ways:

1. Collaborate with local and international literacy organizations and institutions that participate with global literacy projects and communities needing technology, curriculum and professional development solutions (e.g., www.savethechildren.org/ and http://laptopsc.org/).
2. Identify open source and best-of-breed educational software (digital curriculum) to support innovation, tools, assessment and activities that lead to a successful life in a better world.
3. Help others technically integrate open source and best-of-breed educational hardware (e.g., at present on low-cost computers and eventually the $100 PC) that support greater confidence, productivity and achievement.
4. Provide professional development to promote the study of humanity, global cultures and challenges to offer communities the opportunity to reason and express themselves in their community and achieve global understanding, responsible careers and civic duty. Our solutions include a pedagogical shift towards more active, fun individualized learning and assessment that has to occur for tomorrow educational requirements. Immersed in student-centered learning communities, our teaching and learning models, based on the neurosciences and learning orientationi research, support adaptive learning to support individualized needs and learning requirements.

Projects and Initiatives

1. Promote web-based training (WBT) courses running with the Open-Source LMS (Learning Management System) Moodle on the Literacy Now website.
2. Promote free open source content (FOSC) for courses.
3. Promote computer-based training (CBT) running on $100 PCs with the same free courses running under the Moodle LMS.
4. Promote curriculum development and OSS Software (e.g., curriki.org).
5. Work with local and global representatives to develop and sponsor structured literacy and educational programs that can be sustained and expanded independently.
6. Develop math, science and humanities initiatives: organizing activities such as competitions, workshops and other forums in which donated books and computers are used to promote excellence and achievement in math, science and the humanities.
7. Support public education programs aimed at improving knowledge, enhancing global awareness and developing skills in the USA and abroad.
8. Outreach literacy and educational programs for populations at risk (such as incarcerated youth, ESL, etc.).
9. Collaborate with USA universities and other institutions in promoting international initiatives and knowledge sharing. By connecting with global literacy projects around the world, GLF also benefits the environment. A major goal of GLF is to help create/find Open-Source K12 education software that will run at present on biodegradable $200 computers, eventually $100 PCs.
10. Support Web 2.0 + 3.0 intiatives (e.g., fluidproject.org).

Teacher and Administrator Professional Development
Every educator needs meaningful experiences to learn about global literacy issues.

1. Encourage every teacher to participate in global literacy initiatives.
2. Sponsor workshops to integrate global literacy perspectives into every subject at all grade levels.
3. Encourage global literacy collaborative projects with educators in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
4. Promote strategies for global literacy
5. Promote student opportunities to make global connections at every grade level and within every subject, for example, reading world literature beginning at the earliest ages, studying world history, learning artistic and musical traditions of other cultures, and tackling scientific and environmental problems that cross borders.
6. Advocate heritage so that students can maintain and advance their home language through continued study.
7. Recommend that schools encourage students to participate in and give credit for short or long term exchange programs abroad and service learning projects with global connections.
8. Provide resources for Global Literacy
9. Participate with international literacy organization, such as Friends of International Education, International Crane Foundation, Institute of World Affairs, local Chambers of commerce, local children’s museums, Model United Nations, Professional Development Academies, Education Association Council, Rotary Clubs.

Marketing and Funding
To acquire funding, GLF will use the following strategies

1. Promote GLF projects and accept donation on the GLF Web Site.
2. Use the Care2 organization to reach larger markets
3. Ask Board members to help in fund raising.
4. Use GLF events to support fund raising efforts.
5. Use GAZeL events to supplement fund raising efforts.
6. Use strategic partnerships with other organizations and institutions.
7. Attend ATIC and other local Arizona events.
8. Work with Save the Children, San Carlos, Navaho Nation, Boys and Girls Club, First Things Fast, etc.
9. Work with media to market programs.
10. Search foundations (e.g., http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/statistics/pdf/09_top50_aa/2003/az_03.pdf
    see: http://foundationcenter.org/