Speaker: Marlaina Larsen Thorslev
What inspired you to become part of SAAEF?
Marlaina Larsen Thorslev: I wanted to become a SAAEF fellow because I'd been working on some grant applications and working with some folks in other departments at my organization, and I was relying pretty heavily on the state data sheets from the COABE website. And while I read more about our state and national data on adult education, I realized truly how much of a need there is for greater resources and greater funding because we have really high needs for adult learners and folks who would really benefit from getting their HSE, from getting instruction from being supported in learning English. And I wanted more people to know about this. I saw a need within within adult education and within workforce. I was also attending our state workforce meetings and when I gave a presentation on our program, I again relied on those data sheets and I really wanted to express who our students are and why this would matter and why you might want to refer someone to adult education programs. Additionally, when I talk to folks in the community and I explained what I do, I find that people really don't know what adult education is. They don't know what kind of services are being provided; they don't know why that would need to be provided. And they don't understand who our students are, they don't understand our population, even though these are members of their community that they might be interacting with, and they see out in the world on a day to day basis. So, I also saw a great need for greater community understanding both for partnerships with businesses or organizations, but also for community members to feel a greater sense of understanding of who it is that they they work with in their local spaces.
What were your biggest accomplishments during your SAAEF fellowship?
Marlaina Larsen Thorslev: This is going to sound like a really strange answer to the question, which is, what are my biggest accomplishments during the SAAEF fellowship, but I think my biggest accomplishment through learning what advocacy looks like and the kind of capacity that needs to be built for advocacy and my own capacity in my previous position, I would say one of my biggest accomplishments was leaving my previous position because I was severely limited in the time and resources that I had, and I was limited in the support that I was able to receive from my organization and that impacted my ability to create partnerships with other organizations, my ability to collaborate with workforce and other Title programs. It really impacted the ability of my program to successfully serve and advocate for adult education, and in the time since I have left that position, I have been able to have the time and space to critically think about what advocacy can look like when someone is given the tools and the time to thoughtfully enact that advocacy. And I think it's also changed my perspective on what's needed for teachers as well. I know quite often we talk about our students and our students matter very much. We talk about what they need. And I think we don't always pay attention to what instructors need, even though they are the ones that are meant to have constant capacity for responding quickly to changing situations, to reductions in funding, to policy changes and what have you. So, In the time since I've left and I've been able to do contract work and still remain in adult education, but in a different capacity. I've really expanded my ability to consider the ways that we can innovate in this field, knowing that we may not receive increases in funding, but outside of that state and federal level of support, what can we do to make sure that our students are still being their needs are still being met. And I think there are a lot of opportunities, but those opportunities become really difficult when most instructors, it's 80% or more are part time nationally, and that just doesn't allow them to be able to innovate very much when it comes to increasing the capacity of a program. They're really concerned with students' needs in the immediate sense. So, for me it was leaving my previous position that was a full-time administrative position and being able to do consulting work and work within my own community and that also means that I've started working with organizations that are local that are a little unconventional. One of them distributes supplies to our local community and also holds workshops and educational events on making zines, which has immediate applications for adult education. So I'm excited to see that as an opportunity, and to understand the ways that I can kind of change my direction while still advocating for and serving our adult education community.
What would you like to say to someone in the field who is unsure if they have what it takes to be an advocate?
Marlaina Larsen Thorslev: Advocacy takes a lot of different forms, and I think that one of the really valuable things I'm reflecting on after this fellowship is that from the beginning I had skills and knowledge that allowed me to advocate in some ways, and as I went through this fellowship, I gained others that I was very afraid to utilize. So something that feels high risk, like meeting with a legislator, even writing a press release, I think that that can be extremely intimidating. But those are not the steps that you always have to take to advocate. They may be something that you work up to, it may be something that you do once in a while, or you may surprise yourself and become very successful in doing those things. But regardless, for one thing, you already have skills as someone within the field with your expertise and with your experience. You already have the skills to advocate because advocacy can be Something as small as explaining what adult education is and why it matters, sharing students' stories. It can be pairing with students so that they can advocate as well, and that's extremely uplifting and a very positive thing that feels like you're collaborating and kind of sharing that load. But it can also be those large moves, and those feel great when they happen. And when you do those bigger moves like meeting with legislators or holding events, those don't need to be done alone. So you'll want to collaborate with colleagues or folks at other institutions, or folks around you, potentially other people who are not in your state, but there's a lot of shared knowledge that goes into this and a lot of shared time. So, I think everyone has what it takes to be an advocate. I think a lot of it is being creative and being honest about the capacity that you have because you don't need to do everything all at once. And this fellowship means, yes, it's a year of you advocating within the fellowship, but ultimately the goal is that you remain an advocate, and you find other ways to advocate and to teach others to advocate, including students and including community members, and including other adult educators.
