We take pleasure in sharing LitWorld’s accomplishments in 2010 and plans for 2011:
The Resilience Project
The Resilience Project’s reading and writing workshops help youth who have experienced trauma, including surviving war and living as a refugee, to use writing as a tool for rebuilding strength. Currently, LitWorld leads The Resilience Project with refugee youth at The Children’s Village. In 2011, we seek to publish this groundbreaking curriculum and replicate the program in other areas where children are living in transition
Girls Clubs for Literacy
Girls Clubs are reading and writing workshops for young women and girls that support girls’ leadership and literacy learning, provide mentoring, and create opportunities for women and girls to read and write in ways that help them explore their sense of self. Girls Clubs position participants for future success and instill communities with literacy leaders to support girls’ future development. Sixteen Girls Clubs are running in the United States, Kenya, Liberia, Ghana and Iraq. In 2011 we aim to add at least five new sites worldwide.
Foundations for Literate Youth (FLY)
FLY is an innovative approach developed by the LitWorld team to help struggling readers make a leap to success. FLY is an indispensable tool for volunteers who would like to help children learn to read, but are not trained teachers. LitWorld currently uses FLY at The Children’s Village, and with the Harlem Children’s Zone. We plan to publish these resources so FLY can be easily shared with tutors and volunteers worldwide.
7 Strengths Books
LitWorld’s “7 Strengths” picture books are written and illustrated specifically for children who would not otherwise have access to children’s literature. The stories model LitWorld’s 7 Strengths: Belonging, Compassion, Esteem, Friendship, Confidence, Curiosity, and Hope. We are working with the Sponsor Iraqi Children Foundation to distribute the first book to 2,000 Iraqi orphans in 2011.
LitWorld Book & Supply Campaigns
LitWorld connects with publishers to send books to our target sites around the world. We have partnered with Scholastic, We Give Books from the Pearson Foundation, the International Book Bank, and Booksource to send thousands of books to communities in the United States, Ghana, Haiti, Kenya, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Tanzania. We also partnered with the Sponsor Iraqi Children Foundation and Another Joy Foundation to deliver school supplies to children in Iraq. In 2011, we aim to deliver over 8,000 books to our partner sites.
Humanitarian Literacy Strategy
LitWorld believes that joyful literacy learning can take place even in the most challenging conditions with minimal materials and resources, so long as the teacher in the room is confident and compelling. We create training sessions and workshops for local leaders to become ambassadors for sustainable literacy. So far, we have trained over 1,000 teachers, and reached over 10,000 children. In 2011 we will continue institutes in Kenya and Liberia, with a goal of reaching over 1,000 new teachers.
Family Story Power Project
This program brings together families, many with adult members who struggle with literacy, to read stories and share their own in a safe environment. We introduce families in vulnerable areas to seminal children’s books and foster dialogue through the books, highlighting universal themes that bring us together.
World Read Aloud Day
We spread the powerful message that Words Change Worlds through World Read Aloud Day, which was first observed on March 3, 2010. Through partnerships with organizations including Global Action for Children and the Global Campaign for Education, WRAD’s impact was felt in 35 countries and reached over 40,000 people. On March 9, 2011, we will hold the second annual World Read Aloud Day.
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