Honoring the tutors, educators, volunteers, and learners who open the world through reading and writing
Reading and writing are the foundation of almost everything else, access to information, economic opportunity, civic participation, personal autonomy, and the ability to pass knowledge and stories to the next generation. When UNESCO established International Literacy Day in 1966, it was acknowledging that literacy is not just an educational goal but a human right and a precondition for the exercise of most other rights.
Today, despite decades of progress, more than 700 million adults worldwide still lack basic literacy skills. The tutors, educators, librarians, and community program leaders who work to close that gap, one person, one lesson, one book at a time, are engaged in work of profound social importance. International Literacy Day, observed on September 8, is the right moment to recognize them.
One of the unique qualities of International Literacy Day recognition is that it can honor two kinds of achievement equally, the people who teach, and the people who learn. Both require courage. Teaching literacy requires patience, creativity, cultural sensitivity, and commitment. Learning as an adult requires overcoming stigma, finding time amid demanding lives, and confronting the vulnerability of beginning something fundamental that most of the world mastered as children.
Riverside Public Library, Adult Literacy Program
With deep appreciation, this award is presented to
Patricia Owens
For seven years of weekly tutoring sessions with adult learners at the Riverside Public Library, 300+ sessions in which she has helped 22 adults achieve functional literacy, pass their GED, or gain the reading skills they needed to navigate employment, healthcare, and daily life. Patricia's patience is a professional tool. Her students' successes are evidence of her skill, her consistency, and her refusal to let anyone believe they are beyond learning.
International Literacy Day, September 8, 2025
New Horizons Adult Learning Center
This certificate is presented with enormous pride to
James W. Perkins
For completing the New Horizons Adult Literacy Program after 18 months of dedicated study. James came to us at 54 years old, having navigated decades of adult life with functional illiteracy through resourcefulness and resilience. He leaves us as a reader, able to read to his grandchildren, to handle his own mail, and to explore the books he has always wanted to read. He did not let age, fear, or circumstance stop him. We are profoundly honored to have been part of his journey.
International Literacy Day, September 2025
Sunflower Elementary School, Reading Partners Program
Awarded with gratitude to
Thomas Bell
For three school years of weekly one-on-one reading sessions with students who needed extra support developing their reading skills. Thomas has worked with 11 students in that time, and every one of them has improved their reading level by at least one grade. More importantly, every one of them has learned that reading is something they can do, and that someone thinks it's worth their time to help them do it.
International Literacy Day 2025
Literacy certificates should feel scholarly and warm simultaneously, evoking the world of books and learning without feeling cold or institutional. Open books, quill pens, and illuminated letter elements are all appropriate design motifs. A palette of deep navy and gold carries scholarly tradition; warm amber and cream feels more welcoming for adult learner certificates.
Digital certificates through IssueBadge.com allow literacy programs to issue completion and recognition certificates to learners and volunteers alike, with professional design and permanent digital access, appropriate for a program whose entire purpose is giving people access to the written word.
Create meaningful, professional International Literacy Day certificates for tutors, educators, and learners. Honor the work and the milestones with certificates worthy of the achievement.
Create Literacy CertificatesInternational Literacy Day is observed on September 8 each year. It was established in 1966 by UNESCO to show the importance of literacy to individuals, communities, and societies.
International Literacy Day certificates can recognize reading tutors and mentors, adult literacy program instructors, children's reading program volunteers, library staff, digital literacy educators, and adult learners who have completed literacy programs.
Yes, and these can be among the most meaningful certificates issued. An adult who has completed a literacy program has overcome significant barriers. A certificate recognizing their completion may be the first formal educational credential they have ever received.