June News: On the Ground in Nepal, Detroit & Harlem

When Help is Needed, LitWorld is There.

On April 24th, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake devastated communities across Nepal. No LitClub members were badly injured, but many of their homes and schools were destroyed. The power of the LitClub is that it is portable and mobile so that it is there when the girls need it most and can fill in during out of school time. With our local partner the Rukmini Foundation and our LitWorld and GlobalGirls leaders on the ground, we are working to deepen our support in Nepal. We will continue to run LitClubs, bringing girls together in tent camps and temporary schools made of bamboo to recover joy through reading and writing experiences and by sharing their stories. Our LitWorld Photographer & Liaison, Monet Eliastam, is in Nepal visiting our LitClub girls and collecting stories from earthquake survivors. She is witnessing firsthand the resilience of our LitClub girls as well as helping us to increase access to LitWorld programs during this difficult time.

Confidence, Kindness, Curiosity, and More!

Last month, we brought nine Girls LitClubs from the Detroit public schools together to celebrate their own stories. Story Summits are an innovation of the 10,000 Global Girls Initiative, which expands and deepens our LitClub and LitCamp programs for girls around the world through mentorship, creative expression and storytelling. Together with our partner GlobalGirls, we stand fiercely and staunchly committed to giving every girl a safe environment of learning and mentoring that will ensure she can launch her deepest dreams. See more photos of our Detroit Story Summit here.

A Family Literacy Culture in Action.

Thanks to the continued support and generosity of the Harman Family Foundation, our intergenerational Story21 Family LitClub program thrives in Harlem. The program combines the power of quality books, family storytelling and creative apps for iPads to create a strong community for family literacy. This summer we are launching a very exciting weekly texting initiative to extend our support to LitClub parents and caregivers at home. Families receive three texts a week, including action steps and “extension” activities to stretch and grow their literacy routines.

LitWorld Through the Eyes of Our Interns

Left to Right: Gabriella Rodriguez, Ilana Solomon, and Talia Nadel.

The LitWorld Summer Interns have just completed our first weeks here in New York City. To say we are excited is an understatement! From day one it has been a whirlwind of activity; we are getting to know each other and the staff, learning about what exactly LitWorld does and how they do it, visiting LitWorld programs in Harlem, and we even got to hear Pam Allyn speak at a local conference. 

During our time here this summer, we’re really excited to learn about how an international non-profit with such a wide reach functions so efficiently and effectively. We want to focus on incorporating LitWorld’s seven strengths - Belonging, Curiosity, Friendship, Kindness, Confidence, Courage, and Hope - into our work and everyday lives. While it is crucial to bring these strengths out in kids, we believe it is equally important for adults to focus on cultivating these strengths as well. The staff asked us to reflect on our internship so far, and we were more than happy to share!

What drew you to LitWorld?

Talia: Thinking back on my first week, everyone here has been so welcoming and eager to help. It has certainly become clear how strongly everyone on the team believes in the LitWorld mission and core values. 

These values are what initially drew me to LitWorld, and I am excited to continue conceptualizing and promoting literacy as a process that involves not just reading and writing, but also speaking and listening. LitWorld’s commitment to focusing two thirds of their programming on women and girls is very much in line with my own work and values, and I so appreciate this dedication. Additionally, I think LitWorld’s philosophy of partnering with grassroots organizations and bringing out the skills and strengths that are inherent in everyone, everywhere, rather than trying to force or bestow a new way of thinking upon them is so, so wonderful. I believe this method is definitely the best way to go about cultivating literacy both at home and abroad.

What was the highlight of your week?
 
Gabby: While it’s hard to pinpoint the highlight of my first week, I think one of the most rewarding moments was visiting the Children's Village Polo Grounds Community Center in Harlem, one of LitWorld's Story21 programming partners. We were able to join the final celebration and wrap-up of the program, and watch as families came together to hear one final read aloud, receive their iPads, and obtain awards for participating in the program and for being an important part of the LitWorld story. I was asked to photograph the activities and the most memorable moments were those of candid enthusiasm and an overwhelming, reciprocal sense of appreciation between the LitWorld team and the families.

Siblings receiving their iPad to take home!

Story21 read aloud with Yohanna!

The family fun with iPads will last all summer long!

At various points during my first week, the term "serious joy" was slipped intermittently into most (if not all) meetings, articles, presentations and conversations. Being a part of the Story21 community, even just for a few hours, has solidified my understanding of this concept. I can confidently say that LitWorld is successfully serious about bringing joy to every individual who participates and shapes our mission.

What are you most looking forward to this summer?

Ilana: I think one of the things that will make this summer great is that the three of us work very well together, but also have differing interests in terms of what we would like to accomplish and work on during our internships.  My main interest is in fundraising and event planning, and I am eager to begin working on these types of projects! I also have a passion for writing, and am looking forward to collaborating on more writing projects (like this blog!).

Additionally, I am excited to work in the synergistic environment of the LitWorld office.  Everyone here loves what they do, is passionate about the organization, and really cares about us, our interests, and making sure we have the best summer possible. The atmosphere is super collaborative, which makes for an engaging and fun workplace. Overall, it is incredible to be able to spend my summer working with passionate female leaders in the non-profit sector, and realizing just how great spending my summer with LitWorld will be was definitely the highlight of my week!

---

Gabriella Rodriguez is a native New Yorker and has just finished her sophomore year at Amherst College in Massachusetts, where she is double majoring in Sociology and Environmental Studies. In her spare time, Gabby is an avid farmer and is also a Peer Advocate of Sexual Respect on her college campus. 

Talia Nadel comes to LitWorld from Boulder, Colorado and just finished her sophomore year at Oberlin College, where she is double majoring in History and Gender, Sexuality, & Feminist Studies. She is one of the chairs of Oberlin Students United for Reproductive Freedom, facilitates Preventing and Responding to Sexual Misconduct workshops, and loves comedy in all forms, particularly long-form improvisation. 

Ilana Solomon is a Master of Public Administration student with a concentration in Nonprofit Management at Binghamton University. She hails from New Jersey and is excited to combine her passions of reading and service at LitWorld! Ilana is an Assistant Residential Coordinator, a Graduate Assistant for the MPA program, and the Chapter Advisor for the Xi Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi, a sorority she helped found on the Binghamton University campus. 

LitKids Tell the LitWorld Story

We are beyond proud to debut our latest LitWorld Video. Listen to our LitClub kids around the world tell you their stories and the power of having literacy and LitClub in their lives. From Nepal to Mississippi, access to a joyful community of friends and mentors that listen, honor and celebrate your story has a profound impact on a child's life.

This video was created by brilliant photographer, videographer and story collector, Monet Eliastam. We began collaborating with Monet through LitWorld Founder Pam Allyn's work documenting female grassroots leadership. Now Monet is making stories of women and girls from her documentary project What We See available to LitWorld girls around the world. Connect with Monet on Instagram to see more of her work.

May News: Our LitKids Have a Story to Tell

We Are the LitWorld Story.

Last week, our vibrant and dedicated community united at the LitWorld Spring Fundraiser to make sure every child gets access to the transforming power of literacy. Watch our LitKids tell the LitWorld story in our two-minute Spring Fundraiser video, and browse photo highlights from the evening on the LitWorld Facebook page!

Spotlight on LitWorld Mississippi

LitWorld programs are expanding across the United States. A few weeks ago our team traveled to Jackson, Mississippi to be with our local partner Springboard to Opportunities. Together we have launched LitClubs in three communities in Mississippi, the state with the highest child poverty and lowest literacy rates in the US. Our LitKids and LitWorld leaders are telling a new story about Mississippi in which children and families use literacy to launch their dreams and become change-makers in their communities. 

A New Partnership Begins with Omaha Nation

With our partner GlobalGirls, we also visited Nebraska this month to plan the launch of Girls LitClubs and LitCamps with members of the Omaha Nation Tribal Council. Fifty percent of the 8,400 people who live here are under 18 years old. It is a community brimming with stories and leaders who are committed to creating opportunities for this young population to thrive. Together with the leaders of the Omaha tribe we will make sure that the voices of the young women of this community are heard, that their dreams are supported and that their identity as Omaha is cherished.

Celebrate Mother's Day with LitWorld

We are counting down to Mother’s Day by celebrating the women of our Moms LitClubs around the world. Honor your mom or a special woman in your life with a Mother’s Day gift to LitWorld and support this important program.  

Zawadi is a member of our Moms LitClub in Rwinkwavu, Rwanda. She did not go to school as a child because she had to help take care of her family.  She is 28 years old and has five children. She is also HIV/AIDs positive.

Through LitClub she found a loving, supportive community. She considers the women in her LitClub family. Zawadi says: “I got friends from LitClub. Sharing stories is a very important thing which helps me in my daily life. LitClub helped me to have self-confidence. I became able to resolve my own problems. The whole of my life before I depended on my husband.

At Rwinkwavu Community Library and Learning Center I help my children with their homework, I read to them from different books which is helping them to glow morally and spiritually and academically. We started the sewing project in our LitClub, and I am able to make children’s clothes to make money and take care of my family. I dream of creating my own sewing station.

We Are All Leaders for Literacy!

Today is Leaders for Literacy Day! Championing the power that each of us has to nurture a child’s love of reading and writing is truly a cause for celebration. The LitWorld Way – our model for empowering whole communities to lead transformational literacy programs – is having an extraordinary impact in over 15 countries spread across five continents. Here are five things that you can do to create a thriving literacy culture in your community.

Stories Matter

Personal narrative is a vital part of seeding literacy. Reading and writing skills grow so naturally through the telling of the stories children know best: their own. Encouraging children to write down their own experiences honors and celebrates who they are and affirms that their stories matter. This simple act is world-changing for children, especially those who are never asked to share their voices. A child who understands that her own stories hold great power will become a great leader and literacy advocate for her community!

Literacy is a Lifelong Relationship

The most wonderful thing about literacy is that is everlasting. Once a child learns how to read and write, no one can take that away. She will have a voice in the world forever. For this reason children must understand from the earliest age that literacy is a tool that they can use to shape their lives. To write down big goals and gather all the stories and information that they need to know to go after these goals fearlessly. One of the core questions that LitWorld asks again and again in our work with communities is this: “What does literacy mean to you?” For literacy to be transformational, it must be meaningful in the context of children’s own hopes and dreams.  

Book Power

Strong reading and writing muscles come from practice. The more children read, the more they will be able to read, and the more they will want to read. A child’s motivation to read comes from access to the kinds of books and texts that captivate them and pull them deeply beyond the words on the page into the magical world of story. Get authentic, diverse books – print or digital – that children don’t ever want to put down. 

Build Independence

LitWorld’s mission is to empower young people to author lives of independence, hope and joy. The empowerment and independence follows naturally when children build strong reading and writing identities. LitWorld gives children the freedom to discover who they are as a reader. Do they like poetry, non-fiction, science fiction and fantasy? Children must have ownership over what they read and write about. Required reading lists and whole-class novels do not serve and inspire each child's unique tastes. Instead build in time each day for independent discovery and pursuit of curiosity.

Get Serious About Joy

One of LitWorld’s renowned programs is LitCamp, a summer intensive that combines the impact of literacy with the pure joy of summer camp. Joy is a key ingredient in lasting literacy outcomes. Children remember joy, they seek it out and will practice for hours the activities that make them feel good. Embrace the inherent joy in the power of story: Read aloud daily, and keep reading aloud through high school (no child, or child at heart, outgrows story time); Give children time each day to write in an inspiration notebook about something they care about (no more fill in the blank worksheets!); Make praise and affirmations central to a child's reading experience (every minute read is a reason to celebrate)!

April News: Make a Joyful Noise!

Read Aloud. Change the World.

World Read Aloud Day 2015 was a smashing success, a celebration of the power and joy of reading aloud for the ages! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all of our WRADvocates (that means YOU) who organized read aloud activities for family, friends, students, colleagues and community members. Because of your advocacy, World Read Aloud Day made news around the world and we reached 100 countries! Check out Facebook photo albums of international festivities and LitWorld's event in Harlem, New York. To carry forward the read aloud momentum, LitWorld Founder Pam Allyn shared her top five tips for daily reading success. Her article, "For the Love of Reading" is featured in the latest edition of the International Literacy Association's online magazine.

Spring is Here and LitWorld is Sprouting!

New LitWorld programs and partnerships are springing up across the country and around the world. In Uganda and Pakistan our programs have already doubled with five new LitClubs and the launch of our Moms LitClub program. We are also excited to welcome new local partner organizations in Nicaragua and Afghanistan into our ever growing global literacy movement. In the United States our work has expanded to Mississippi and is budding now in New Jersey. Last week in Newark we celebrated the super powers that come from reading and writing at the Read and Believe Children's Book Party! The event was a partnership between The Believe in Newark Foundation, Scholastic, My Very Own Library, the United Way and LitWorld!

Three Ways to Spread the Joy.

Your support has a huge impact on the LitWorld story. Here are three ways that you can give back to our LitKids this Spring season.

1. Join us at the LitWorld Spring Fundraiser in New York City on May 11th. Tickets are on sale now! RSVP today and come be a part of our one-of-a-kind LitWorld community.

2. If you can't be with us at our Spring Fundraiser, will you Live Below the Line for LitWorld? Live Below the Line dares you to live on $1.50/day for 5 days (April 27th to May 1st) to call attention to global poverty. Take the challenge and collect pledges in support of LitWorld and the power of literacy to break the cycle of poverty. Set up a fundraising page today and spread the word to friends and family.

3. Support our LitWorld Shooting Star, Lauren Levine, who is running a half marathon for LitWorld! Cheer her on virtually by visiting her CrowdRise page to help her reach her $5,000 goal.