Beyond Literacy (BeLit)
Title: Bridging the Gap Between Literacy and Real-Life Success
Student Interns:
Tati-Anna Robinson
University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine
Ray Xue
University of Pennsylvania, School of Social Policy & Practice
Academic Preceptor:
Johanna K.P. Greeson, PhD, MSS, MLSP
University of Pennsylvania, School of Social Policy & Practice
Abby Quinn Peterson, DMD, MPH
University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine
Elizabeth Powell, DDS, MPH
University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine
Community Preceptor:
Mercy Howard
Beyond Literacy
Community Site:
Beyond Literacy (BeLit) is a leading literacy agency in Philadelphia that offers free hybrid and in-person classes to adult learners to improve their reading, writing, math, English language, digital literacy, and workplace skills. Its mission is to expand opportunities and improve lives by unleashing the power of literacy through free, high-quality education.
Team’s Experience:
The Bridging the Gaps interns supported Beyond Literacy as it transitioned from graduation celebrations to new-student orientations for Adult Basic/Secondary Education (ABASE) and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) learners. Activities included assisting with graduation events, encouraging student engagement during orientation, and organizing information about social and community services. The interns also distributed age-appropriate dental kits and health-resource materials at BeLit’s West and Center City campuses. They facilitated educational workshops addressing dental health, smoking cessation, cardiovascular health, workplace rights, retirement benefits, and mental well-being. As a final product, the interns compiled resource lists covering health, legal, financial, and social services for distribution to BeLit learners.
Reflections
Spending the summer with BeLit solidified my interest in working in a community-based setting and gave me experience in providing my clinical knowledge in palatable forms of communication. My interests going into the summer orbited around low-income children existing as the most vulnerable population worldwide, and I had previously spent a lot of time learning how to communicate with all ages. My time at BeLit reminded me about my ability to help vulnerable adults navigating the world, as well as teaching me how to bridge the gap of communicating to individuals of all backgrounds. Many of our previous lessons about the social determinants of health and how that affects one’s day-to-day quality of life were applicable during my placement. I was able to learn how to put individual’s issues into context, and assess available community resources for food scarcity, legal concerns, language barriers, oral and cardiovascular health, and smoking cessation to provide learners with person-specific solutions to their problems. This experience overall gave me a glimpse into the skills I need to keep my patients fully informed and [to act as] an agent in their treatment journey.
Tati-Anna Robinson
My placement at BeLit strengthened my understanding of macro social work and the role community-based organizations play in addressing interconnected educational, economic, health, and systemic barriers. With the support of Mercy and the entire BeLit team, I gained insight into nonprofit operations, program development, community engagement, and the flexibility required to respond to changing learner needs. The interdisciplinary nature of BTG also allowed me to learn from interns and professionals with different academic and practice backgrounds, reinforcing the value of collaboration in creating responsive interventions. This experience deepened my appreciation for the resilience of adult learners and the importance of partnership, humility, and systems-level thinking in community practice.
Ray Xue
Partners
