Who are RYALT? Community Spotlight
For the third installment of our new Q&A series sharing about community organisations around Marlborough, we caught up with the team at the Rural Youth and Adult Literacy Trust (RYALT)...
1. What is the mission or goal of RYALT? To provide FREE one-to-one tuition for disadvantaged rural (or otherwise isolated) youth and adults who struggle with reading and writing. We do this using phone or skype, in their homes and at their own pace, with a focus on what that individual student needs to learn, not on external tests such as NZQA. These courses are available throughout the country, and always have tutor support.
2. What do your volunteers do? Our staff here at RYALT are very fortunate to have the support of our amazing volunteers; RYALT could not operate without volunteer input. We have volunteers in a wide range of roles including accounts administration, database creation, data entry, reception, community ambassadors, volunteer coordinators, social media promoters, and our amazing literacy coaches/tutors.
3. How does your organisation’s work help/develop the community? Building literacy builds self-esteem and allows for students to actively participate confidently and become a benefit to their local community.
4. Are you currently recruiting volunteers? Yes, we are continually seeking volunteers for many roles. Currently, we are focussing on recruiting more Community Ambassadors as they are the first step in letting their local community know about the benefits of our services. We need these people to actively talk about literacy in their communities and share the benefits of our FREE courses.
If you're interested in joining the RYALT team, get in touch with Hannah at Volunteer Marlborough by calling 03 577 9388, or emailing vm@volunteermarlborough.org.nz .
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️