Rachel and Others:
I have read most of the postings on this discussion.  But unfortunately I was away and so could not respond much earlier.  Rachel it was great to hear about the work that you and others continued to do after Katrina.  I hope that the action steps listed by you and others can be carried out in some way.  I think that a website and possible blog would be great so that people outside New Orleans could learn about ways to help, etc.  One thought that I had was to figure out a way to tap into the thousands of college students and other young people who spent time in New Orleans gutting houses and volunteering for almost 2 years.  I travelled with some of these young people three times to New Orleans.  I know that some of them returned to volunteer last summer (2006). But I am not sure if any University of Massachusetts college students (100) who I worked with in spring semester seminars and during their volunteer time in New Orleans in March 2007 found ways to return.  I know that most organizations (e.g., Common Ground, ACORN, etc.) now need long term volunteers, but there still might be a way to tap into colleges to help with a literacy campaign concerning "plain English" etc.  I am a retired teacher who worked in both adult literacy and public high schools.  I would like to be able to help in some way but do not think I could do anything for a whole year.  Perhaps we can think of other ways for educators/organizers to help.  The bureaucracies of government have in many ways failed people.  So my feeling is that literacy efforts should be linked with community-based organizations working to build a social movement for justice.  
 
I know that this on-line discussion is about to end so I will just say that I learned many things from reading the posts and commend people for their continuing important work during such difficult times in Louisiana post-Katrina.
Pat Larson -- plarson24 at hotmail.com
Retired educator from The Literacy Project in Western Massachusetts
Orange, MA 
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