Looking Back: 15 years of LitClubs

All About LitClubs

When children discover the power of their voices, they discover how to change the world. That’s why LitClubs, LitWorld’s signature program, give children everywhere the opportunity that every human being deserves: a safe space to discover their voice and author their own future.

Read on to learn more about the history and impact of LitClubs, and join the LitWorld team on Facebook Live this Thursday to experience the joy of LitClub firsthand!

The first LitClub curriculum was written in 2009 by LitWorld founder Pam Allyn with input from other educators. Centered around the 7 Strengths, these revolutionary programs provide children with a space for joyful learning, creative self-expression, and community building in ways that reflect their culture.

Although LitClubs initially began as programs for children, their phenomenal impact quickly led to the development of new programs designed specifically to engage moms, teens, and more members of the community. Today, LitClubs continue to run all around the globe with over 3,000 LitKids currently enrolled in LitClubs and tens of thousands LitClub graduates from over 50 countries since 2007.

Each LitClub session includes a welcome, a read-aloud, and a core activity that explores one of the 7 Strengths (Belonging, Curiosity, Friendship, Kindness, Confidence, Courage, and Hope). Through these activities, LitClub members can explore and connect with the 7 Strengths to become confident, thoughtful, and connected members of their communities.

Watch: LitClub Girls in Post-Earthquake Nepal (2015)

LitClub is not just an after-school program. LitClub brings communities together and gives kids the confidence they need to know they can make a difference.

LitClub members become leaders in their classrooms, earning higher grades and becoming more engaged at school. They become advocates at home for their siblings, their families, and gender equality. They become change-makers in their communities, standing up for social justice and ensuring that their voices are heard by those in power.

Stories from the Field & Our World Read Aloud Day Impact!

Stories from the Field

At Ready for Reading in Rwanda, LitMom Claudine Uwase shared how the read-alouds in LitMom Clubs with mentor Athanasie have inspired her to to take a more active role in her family, strengthening a new generation of learners.

“Before joining the LitMom's Club, l didn’t read with my kids—not because l didn’t have time, but because I didn't know it was important. After joining LitMom's Club, I've gotten to know the importance of connecting with my kids through stories. I had considered reading with kids as a very hard task that required higher education and experience. I didn’t think that it can be started small by reading picture books... [But] I can testify that these activities are helping my family be close and stay connected.”

- Claudine

Mentor Athanasie working with local mothers during a LitMom's Club session.

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Our Impact Together

This February, millions of readers and writers joined together for a truly inspiring 13th annual World Read Aloud Day! Check out a few of the big numbers below, and click here to learn more about all of the many incredible celebrations that took place around the globe.

Reaching Even More Kids at Home with Zigazoo!

With the new school year beginning amidst the ongoing pandemic, students around the world are facing greater obstacles than ever when it comes to continuing a meaningful, positive education.

That is why in addition to our Virtual LitClubs, we are proud to announce our new channel on Zigazoo: a revolutionary remote-learning app for kids!

One of the LitWorld projects on Zigazoo.

Founded earlier this year, Zigazoo is a free app that offers kids engaging and educational prompts that they can respond to with their own short videos.

With over 2.5 million views as of this week, LitWorld is working with Zigazoo to reach millions children around the world.

Together with the Pheonix Zoo, Glazer's Children Museum, and more, LitWorld will be joining Zigazoo to provide joyful learning to kids everywhere.

Check out our channel now by downloading the app and searching for LitWorld, or learn more about Zigazoo by visiting their site or reading about their recent launch today.

How We’re Keeping Kids Learning through Covid-19 this Summer

As soon as the pandemic took hold, we knew summer learning would need to be extra innovative and responsive this year.

We moved quickly with our publisher Scholastic, creating a version of our renowned summer program to bring the strengths of LitCamp right into children’s homes in partnership with school districts across the U.S.

LitCamp at Home sent kids and families book packs, workbooks, and videos in both English and Spanish, and provided educators with flexible resources as they worked together to create safe, inspiring virtual learning spaces for their students.

Click here to watch the LitCamp at Home Read-Aloud Series featuring LitWorld founder Pam Allyn!

All summer long, LitCamp at Home has been providing schools and families alike from New York to Georgia to Texas with the resources they need to support the kids in their communities. Learn about the impact of LitCamp at Home from school leaders in Marietta, Georgia, and El Paso, Texas, in these full interviews with the Scholastic team.

We have also continued to innovate our curriculum delivered to our community-based partners around the world, which we have now made available for all!

These virtual programs are open to anyone and everyone in need of resources that are educational, socially and emotionally supportive, and—above all else—rooted in joy.

Watch the complete first edition of Virtual LitClub here, and check out our follow-up series, Virtual LitClub: LitCamp Edition!

This series is our next step in bringing safe, joyful learning to children around the world and keeping families and communities everywhere connected, engaged, and inspired—no matter the circumstances.

With new activities, prompts, and projects all centered around LitWorld’s 7 Strengths, Virtual LitClub is designed to reach kids at home, on the go, on their own, or together with others. Visit our site or social channels to see the collection, and sign up for our newsletter to have more Virtual LitClub updates delivered straight to your inbox!

Kids around the world having fun with Virtual LitClubs!

Supporting Our Children through COVID-19

We are all feeling the impact of COVID-19, and this is especially true for our children - particularly children living in poverty or in communities of color.

Without school or their regular support systems, children around the world are struggling with fear, anxiety, and isolation unlike anything they have ever known - and experts agree that the emotional and psychological consequences of this will last far beyond the pandemic itself. As lifelong advocates for the social-emotional well-being of children, we at LitWorld are working harder than ever to make sure that our youngest and most vulnerable are not left behind during this crisis. However, we cannot do this alone. 

A LitClub mentor from Rift Valley Reading Association in Kenya making face masks.

Today, we are launching a campaign to raise $100,000 by the end of June to support millions of children who are missing critical school time due to COVID-19. 

With your help, we can provide kids and families with programs like LitCamp at Home and Virtual LitClub, and give them the safe and joyful learning they desperately need - through summer and beyond.

Check below to see some of the ways your donation will help us reach children and communities around the world, and please consider donating to help us provide children and communities everywhere with the social and academic tools they need to thrive during these uncertain times.

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Virtual LitClubs

Thanks to our Virtual LitClubs, kids everywhere are staying safe and engaged with weekly art projects, prompts, poems, and more. These two LitKids from Art of a Child in Uganda are having fun creating their own ‘Kindness Journals’ while practicing safe social distancing guidelines.

The Global Heart Map Project

Kids and adults alike are connecting online by taking part in our #GlobalHeartMap project, sharing some of what they're going through with others from around the world. Check out the submission gallery to see some of the amazing Heart Maps people have sent in thus far!

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Live Videos

We are live-streaming videos on Facebook and Instagram each week to help our families and mentors find fun and safe ways to stay connected throughout quarantine. From arts and crafts to read-alouds, these videos offer exciting and engaging content to help keep our kids emotionally engaged and entertained!

Stay tuned for more info about upcoming programs like “LitCamp at Home”, and help support our children today!

Introducing Virtual LitClubs! A Letter from our Executive Director

Dear Friends,

We are all in this together. I know that I am not alone as I practice breathing exercises to slow my racing mind; as I moderate my intake of the news, which seems to be the same scary story over and over. At the same time, I am so grateful for what I have: access to clean water, food, a secure home filled with books, reliable internet, and the LitWorld community, which remains so powerful in the wake of this pandemic.

I am also relieved to know that, thanks to their LitWorld experiences, LitKids everywhere have the tools they need to stay safe and supported during this global crisis. They can read, understand, and share life-saving information about medical precautions. They can express their feelings and value the perspectives of others. And they can be confident in having a strong network of peers and mentors to rely on.

LitWorld was built to be flexible and address kids' needs in any place, at any time. That is why we are excited to share the launch of our “Virtual LitClub” that is open to all, including our ongoing global partners. We are also working on an "at-home" version of our summer LitCamps, ensuring that no LitKids will be left without these life-changing opportunities for learning and inspiration.

As a global community, we must address both our immediate needs and those of tomorrow. Amplifying the voices of our children is more important than ever. That is why we need your help.

Here are three ways YOU can take action now!

1. Join our

Global Heart Map Project!

Click to learn more and share your story with the world.

2. Start a

Virtual LitClub!

Tune in to our weekly Facebook Live Videos every Wednesday, and sign up now to receive an email every Monday with activities, projects, and more.

3. Donate today!

We have unfortunately had to cancel our 2020 gala, severely impacting our revenue, but our work never pauses.

Many of our LitKids do not have the same resources we do. Clean water is not a given. There is no spare room for isolation if a family member is sick. But they have something powerful: information, literacy tools, and this incredible community. Let’s do what we can to ensure that our LitKids' voices and stories continue to be heard!

With appreciation,
Dorothy Lee
Executive Director

World Read Aloud Day 2020 - Celebrations Around the World

World Read Aloud Day 2020 has come and gone, once again showcasing the power of literacy, community and, you guessed it, reading aloud! With February 5th behind us, the LitWorld team can reflect on this amazing advocacy day that reaches millions of people around the world each year, in over 170 countries! This time, we are focusing on this year’s celebrations from some of our amazing, on-the-ground partners, who always bring immense amounts of enthusiasm, innovation and community organization to this day!

Community read aloud in Uganda.

LitWorld’s long-time partner in Uganda, Art of a Child, celebrated during the week of February 5th with read-alouds, crown making and bringing the joy of the celebration to a variety of communities, reaching over 400 kids and adults! Having been founded in 2010, Art of a Child continues to spearhead literacy through art activities for boys and girls from some of the most vulnerable communities around Kampala. The organization consists of a deeply dedicated team of mentors, who travel to community centers, schools, and neighborhoods, often in a “matata” van, bringing books and art to kids that would not have a way of accessing it otherwise.

Grab a friend, grab a crown and READ!

Meanwhile, one of the newer LitWorld’s partnerships in Morocco, LEAD Morocco Academy, were also busy celebrating their first WRAD. The main event was organized at the local library, “a place that many people from the community have not visited before”, shared Partnership Coordinator Zahra Benfares. The academy staff and volunteers held read-alouds and fun activities for the children and adults during the entire day, while the library staff were busy educating everyone about the ease of accessing the books. Many people were surprised to learn that they can rent out books for free and pledged to keep coming back with their children.

Mentor reading aloud to a group of seniors in Roldanillo.

One organization that always goes above and beyond for World Read Aloud Day is LitWorld’s partner in Roldanillo, Colombia - Museo Rayo. What started out as a one-day celebration back in 2014, has grown to a “Read Aloud Month”, involving the entire community of Roldanillo. It all starts on February 5th, with a siren sounding off in the main square at 10 am, letting everyone know that “Read Aloud Month” has begun. One can see at least 5000 people reading aloud at the same time in different places throughout the city - in schools, in businesses, on playgrounds and public places. The children and mentors from the museum are charged with a special task - carrying suitcases full of books they go out into places in the community that don’t typically enjoy a read aloud - like a local retirement home. According to a local newspaper that featured Museo Rayo in an article about the celebrations, one thing is clear - Roldanillo is now known as “The Town That Reads”!

From Zambia to the Philippines to the United States - we are humbled by the sheer force of joy and powerful advocacy that comes from this day. LitWorld is always thankful to everyone who participates and helps us reach millions of children and people this year, reminding everyone how simple, yet powerful the Read Aloud can be. For more photos from the big day all around the world, scroll down below!