The LitWorld Timeline: 15 Years
From the very first LitClub to the launch of our Innovation Partnerships, here are some key moments that have made LitWorld into the life-changing organization it is today.
LitWorld is Founded
After literacy expert Pam Allyn is invited by Ken Okoth to train teachers in Kibera, Kenya, she continues to run trainings for hundreds throughout Kenya, Liberia, and Madagascar and submits paperwork to establish “LitWorld International, Inc” as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.Read more Nov 2007
First LitClub Curriculum
The first LitClub curriculum is written by Pam Allyn and Jennifer Estrada with input from other educators. These programs, originally set to be a 12-week program meeting once a week, provide children with a space for joyful learning, creative self-expression, and community building.Read more 2009
Building the 7 Strengths
LitWorld establishes its revolutionary 7 Strengths framework (Belonging, Kindness, Curiosity, Friendship, Confidence, Courage, and Hope) with input from pilot LitClub members and other educators. 20103 Partnerships
LitWorld is now working with three partner organizations across Kenya, Rwanda, and New York. 2010Girls LitClubs Begin
Girls LitClubs are piloted at a school in New York City and with the Children of Kibera Foundation in Kibera, Kenya. 2010First World Read Aloud Day
During a read-aloud, a student asks “Why don’t we create a birthday party for the read aloud?” With that idea, LitWorld launches the first World Read Aloud Day on March 3, 2010 as a way to celebrate the transformational power of reading aloud and to demand literacy rights for all. Today, World Read Aloud Day has grown into a global movement engaging over 90 million readers and writers each year from countries all over the world.Read more Mar 3, 2010
Boys LitClubs Begin
Starting in February, LitWorld launches several Boys LitClubs at the Polo Grounds Community Center in Harlem, New York City. 2011Piloting LitCamps
The first LitCamp ideas are piloted with partners in New York City and Kibera, Kenya. 2011Mom's Clubs Begin
To provide even further support for families and communities, LitWorld begins to pilot Mom’s Clubs with select partners in 2012. These programs combine literacy empowerment and social support with life skills practice and income generation components, including technology training, sewing lessons, and food and nutrition workshops. In the years since, these Mom’s Clubs have grown exponentially and continue to be an essential tool for supporting our LitClub communities.Read more 2012
The HerStory Campaign
LitWorld launches the HerStory Campaign (originally called The 10,000 Girls Initiative) in partnership with Global GLOW, which supports the expansion of Girls LitClubs and additional programs for girls. 2013Piloting Scholastic LitCamp
LitWorld presents “LitCamp in a Box” to Scholastic and develops a pilot K-5 LitCamp program. This preliminary program reaches around 150 children. Summer, 2014LitWorld Launches Story21
LitWorld implements Story21, a bilingual Spanish/English family literacy digital program, in New York City. This program brings families together to read, write, and share their stories by providing innovative tablet technology, skilled educators, and a safe community space to co-create their literate futures together. 2014LitWorld Teen Advocates
LitWorld hosts the first cohort of LitWorld Teen Advocates, a program inviting young people in high school and early college to learn more about LitWorld’s work and become advocates in their communities. This program forms the basis of the LitWorld Internship program. 201436 Partnerships
LitWorld is now working with 36 partner organizations across Kenya, Haiti, the Philippines, Ghana, Uganda, Zambia, India, Nepal, Peru, Afghanistan, Colombia, Jordan, Cambodia, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Uganda, California, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, and New Jersey. 2015Scholastic LitCamp Begins
After the success of the 2014 preliminary pilot, LitWorld officially partners with Scholastic to launch a structured version of LitCamp for summer schools. Designed to accommodate school breaks in our partner communities, LitCamps are flexible enough to be enjoyed any time, anywhere.Read more Summer, 2015
First HerStory Summit
LitWorld hosts members, mentors, and coordinators from Girls LitClubs for a Global HerStory Summit. Together, they present at the UN Convention on the Status of Women. 201645 Partnerships
LitWorld is now working with 45 partner organizations across Kenya, Haiti, the Philippines, Ghana, Uganda, Zambia, India, Nepal, Peru, Afghanistan, Colombia, Jordan, Cambodia, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Cameroon, the Ivory Coast, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Kosovo, Liberia, Nigeria, Georgia, California, Michigan, Mississippi, and New York. 2016LitCorps Begin
LitWorld launches the LitCorps program geared towards teens and LitClub graduates. This 10 session program aims to build the capacity of young people to be storytellers and changemakers in their communities and to prepare them as future LitClub leaders. 2017LitCamp for Middle School
LitWorld expands Scholastic LitCamp to include grades 6-8 and creates a “Toolkit” for English learners. 2017First Sit-Down Gala
LitWorld celebrates 10 years with its first gala, complete with a full sit-down dinner. 2017LitCamp en Español
LitWorld, LitLife, and Scholastic create Scholastic LitCamp en Español for grades K-6. Summer, 2018The Heart Map Project
In collaboration with LitWorld resident artist Tina Villadolid and Broadway Housing Communities at the Sugar Hill Project, LitWorld presents "The Heart Map Project": an interactive, public art installation created by the community.Read more August, 2018
Scholastic LitCamp Reaches 1 Million Kids
Scholastic LitCamp officially reaches 1 million students around the U.S. Summer, 2019Virtual Programming Begins
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, LitWorld launches new virtual programming including virtual LitClubs and LitCamp at Home. Spring, 2020The Global Heart Map Project
LitWorld launches the Global Heart Map Project: an invitation for people around the world to come together and celebrate both our similarities and differences. By the end of 2020, hundreds of Heart Maps are sent in, spanning the globe from Kenya to California!Read more Summer, 2020
Piloting Innovation Partnerships
In 2021, LitWorld pilots two new partnership models: Network Partners and Innovation Partners. Network Partners help scale LitClubs and other LitWorld programming, while Innovation Partners help deepen LitWorld’s impact and explore new ways of creating change in communities through ‘Innovation Projects’. These models help LitWorld find unique solutions tailored to the needs of our partner communities while discovering more ways to enrich young lives—not just for the communities we serve, but for children everywhere. We are excited to continue expanding this work into the future and learn more about what it means to partner internationally.Read more 2021
The Story Continues!
In 2022, LitWorld is excited to be celebrating 15 incredible years of work—all made possible by our amazing LitKids, partners, and supporters like you. Thank you for being a part of the LitWorld story as we continue to build a brighter future for children and communities everywhere!Help continue the story! 2022