Membership Summer 2026 Update
Welcome to the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) summer update for our members.
What an Irish summer it is. The sun has shone and we have enjoyed our BBQ’s (barbecues) and 99 icecream cones.
Since our last update, we have been very busy! So please grab a cool drink and settle in to read all our news and consider our calls to action.
When we met with members at our 26 May workshop, one of the key requests was that NALA needs to “lobby, lobby, lobby lobby.” As you will see have been doing that with our Pre-budget Submission and promotion.
We now need your help to make some noise to make sure the Government listens.
NALA’s Pre-Budget Submission for 2027
On 17 July, we published our pre-Budget submission that was informed by what we heard from members at the May workshop.
As well as policy measures, we are asking for €650,000 in additional funding to maintain and expand our services including Learn with NALA, our Literacy Ambassador programme in prisons and our teaching and learning materials.
In the lead up to and since the publication of the pre-Budget submission:
- our Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Colleen Dube and Board members have met with Ministers and Government officials
- our CEO and some of our learners and members (Maurice Sammon and Deirdre Ryan) have promoted NALA, literacy needs and our pre-Budget submission in the media
They outlined why there is the urgent need to provide additional funding to bridge the adult literacy gap in Ireland.
They also discussed the life-changing power of adult learning and the work of NALA to support adult literacy learners across Ireland.
Listen back to a RTÉ (Raidió Teilifís Éireann) Radio Interview – ‘Today with David McCullagh’
What can you do to help?
- Spread the word – have conversations about the importance of adult literacy with your network and share our pre-budget submission online
- Make some noise – reach out to your local TD (Teachta Dála) to ask them to support our asks
Help us grow our member community
Our member community continues to grow because of the commitment and support of members like you. Every new member strengthens our collective voice.
We would love your help in spreading the word. Consider inviting a colleague, friend or someone you think would benefit from joining us. Together, we can build an even stronger and more connected community.
What can you do to help?
Share our membership page: Join NALA as a member today!
Annual General Meeting and Members’ Workshop
On 26 May, we brought members together for our Annual General Meeting (AGM) and the workshop: “Adult Literacy: What is working and what could work better”. It was a wonderful day, with great weather, in a great venue. We were kindly hosted by An Post, at their head office at the Exo Building in Dublin.
At the AGM, we said goodbye and thank you to our Chairperson Margaret Kelly. We also welcomed a new Chairperson, Dr. Eleanor Neff and new board directors: Linda Ayres, Mike Gogan and Tadgh Quill-Manley.
At our workshop, we brought together a cross-section of members including learners, educators and others who share a passion for adult literacy.
Together we explored their experiences of adult literacy in Ireland and the improvements that they think would make a real difference for those with literacy needs.
Celebrating adult learners
In March we were so proud to be joined by 50 adult learners, their tutors, families, and friends at our Learn with NALA awards ceremony in the Waterford Medieval Museum in Waterford.
The event celebrated the learning achievements of 50 adult learners from 12 counties who improved their literacy, numeracy or digital literacy skills using the Learn with NALA eLearning website.
At the event, learners received NALA certificates and national Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQ) certificates. Inspiring learner Oksana Marusyk who moved to Ireland from Ukraine spoke at the event added: “NALA is a brilliant way to get new knowledge”.
Read more about the awards ceremony
Navigating Life with Low Literacy and Numeracy
In July, an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report Navigating Life with Low Literacy and Numeracy released new findings from their 2023 Survey of Adult Skills. The report highlights the growing challenge of low literacy and numeracy (foundational) skills among adults and the knock-on effect this has on individuals and society.
Coming up – Online Plain English Training
Join us on 9 September, from 10am to 1pm, where our Plain English trainer Sean will guide you on how to present information in plain English. This training session will ensure that your communications are never lost in translation. Your intended reader will understand what you are communicating.
Cost is €130.00 per person. Members are eligible for a discount. Cost to members is €110.00 per person.
Good news – Our highlights
Digital literacy needs have fallen
Ireland’s rate of digital literacy needs has fallen to 17%. Previously, more than 1 in 4 adults (approximately 1 million) in Ireland had below basic digital skills. Now we have 1 in 6 adults (approximately 640,000) in Ireland that have below basic digital skills. These adults may have trouble doing everyday digital tasks like finding information online, sending emails or booking train or plane tickets.
Read the Digital Decade 2026 report. Scroll down to download Ireland’s country report, and you can view the change in data in the table on page 2.
Heart of the Community
NALA was delighted to receive funding from Heart of the Community Fund – Ireland Funds. This fund has allowed us to continue our Literacy Ambassador programme in 2 prisons. The project, using peer support, encourages adults in prison to take part in education to improve their literacy and numeracy.
“[I learned] That you can make a change to help others + yourself. Not too late”. – Programme participant.
Without the Heart of the Community funding, we would have had to stop providing this service which is reaching the furthest behind. As mentioned above, we are asking for the Irish government to restore funding for the Prison Literacy Ambassador Programme.
Activities worth checking out
Podcast – Get Lit
Our CEO, Colleen Dube sat down with member and Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education & Training Board (MSLETB) Regional Literacy Co-ordinator Róisín Egan on the podcast ‘Get Lit’ where they had an open and honest conversation on the wider societal impact of literacy in Ireland today.
Listen back to the Get Lit podcast
Online event – Digital literacy
Our online digital literacy event, ‘Beyond the buzzwords’ for literacy tutors focused on a range of digital literacy tools and techniques for teaching and learning. The event has been broken into a playlist of five episodes or snackable webinars.
Watch back the digital literacy playlist
New resource – A guide to money
In March, we launched ‘A guide to money: managing it and keeping it safe’. Our guide was funded by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) through the Adult Literacy for Life Strategy. This new guide will help people to understand the different types of money, the words we use to talk about it, and how we manage our money and keep it safe.
New worksheet – Step into Learning
In July we released our latest worksheet for learners. There are exercises where you can practise new words, writing and spelling. This Level 1 worksheet is perfect if you are just starting out with brushing up on your reading and writing skills.
Thank you
Thank you for your continued support and membership. If you have any news or information that you would like us to share with the community or include in our next membership update. Please send it to membership@nala.ie
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