A New Model of Collaboration: Partnership Coordinator Conference

Shooting stars to Mentor Mainor at the first-ever PCC.

LitWorld coordinated and hosted its first-ever Latin American Partnership Coordinator Conference at the beginning of October in Colombia, as part of our ongoing efforts to deepen the connection between partners and provide opportunities for learning across organizations. Currently, LitWorld has seven partnerships in Spanish-speaking Latin America: two in Colombia, two in Nicaragua, and one each in the Dominican Republic, Peru, and Honduras.  

The Partnership Coordinator Conference (PCC) served as a powerful tool to strengthen the LitWorld community. It provided training to the Partnership Coordinators and a mentor from each attending organization, a space for each partner to share their own work and expertise, and a forum where organizations could learn from one another’s experience.

Each day began with a unique community-building activity and was followed by a series of trainings. These included modules on the role of a Partnership Coordinator, key components of mentorship, setting goals as leaders and in programming, techniques to lead training workshops, using visual art as a storytelling tool, how to cultivate mentors as storytellers, techniques for reading aloud, and strategies for creating their own stories to supplement their program libraries. Each partner also had an hour scheduled during the week to share their organization’s work, expertise, and history, as well as a programming activity that could be shared across all organizations.

We received some amazing feedback from our coordinators that show the powerful, magical outcomes of the week:

“It was a wonderful meeting of learning, collaboration, fun, companionship, and shared dreams.”

“I would like to have this type of meeting more regularly since one can grow even more. Thanks for such a good and great opportunity, thanks on behalf of all those children who we help grow in a different world.”

“We are a stronger network of cooperative work, with new reasons to continue.”

“We learned that we are a network, that we can achieve many things if we are united, learned many tips for the organization, new strategies for reading aloud, group dynamics and how to develop story writing.”

“We learned that we are doing great work as an institution...from now on we feel more capable and have more ideas to continue our LitClub.”

We look forward to doing this conference again in the various regions in which we work in order to deepen institutional knowledge and build a stronger LitWorld community!

A Moment of Serious Joy

Story Summit at Nigeria Reads/YiSHDA

Joyce, Partnership Coordinator in Nigeria with Nigeria Reads/YiSHDA, shared a reflection from a LitClub Mentor training:

During the training/meeting, mentors shared their experiences with everyone and it was really motivating. Mentor Comfort expressed how being a LitClub mentor has helped her do things and speak out for her girls, the way she ordinarily would not do.

Reading Aloud -- A Special LitWorld Tradition

Dorothy Lee reads "Beekle."

We have a special tradition here at LitWorld. New members of our staff are warmly welcomed by gathering together to share readings chosen by the team. This week, at our Staff Meeting, our Executive Director Dorothy Lee read aloud a team favorite, "The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend." We also heard a passage from "The Little Prince," an excerpt from an article on the science of cooking, and a poem from Naomi Shihab Nye.

We chose readings that connected us to each other. Each reading is different and each reader makes it her own. A story might make us laugh, an article might teach us something new. We all felt the power of reading aloud. We felt the power of our work.

It was a poignant reminder, all together in our office, that we learn and grow from reading together, as a classroom, as a family, as a staff, as a community. 

LitWorld Becomes Famous in Cote d’Ivoire

Confident young readers at LitClub at Education and English for You.

Written by Toti Jean-Marc Yalé, Partnership Coordinator at Education and English for You, Cote d'Ivoire

Born in a poor family of seven children, my childhood was very difficult, especially because we did not have the resources to help me with my physical disability. 

At an early age, I left my parents’ home to move to another place where the primary school was a bit closer. When I came back home during the holidays, the best advice that my father gave me was to have courage--one of the 7 Strengths of the curriculum of LitWorld. This advice helped me a lot to overcome many challenges because I often had to walk at least five kilometers to go school despite my disability.

But I didn’t give up. I moved on to university and after my graduation there, I created an organization that gave me the privilege of working with LitWorld, one of the best organizations that is building a new generation of people throughout the world based on the 7 Strengths: Belonging that deals with the promotion of unity; Curiosity to incite the spirit of exploration and discovery; Friendship to promote the peace; Kindness to foster philanthropy in the world; Confidence to banish the fear; Courage to fight against the challenges; and Hope to guarantee the success.

These 7 Strengths are helping the kids of our community, especially the girls, and they are making the word “LitWorld” popular here. The kids talk about LitWorld at home and some of their parents have come to me wanting to know more about what we do. 

Beyond that, through the different LitClubs, LitWorld is building the great leaders of tomorrow. I have been astonished by the great work done by the LitClub members. At the end of each month, the U.S Embassy in Cote d’Ivoire organizes a program for children called Panel to celebrate the books being read by children. During the celebration of Martin Luther King Day where many schools were in attendance, our kids were the best and showed that their literacy skills are impressive. After reading the book at home, our LitClub members showed their reading comprehension--they did not use any paper to explain the content of the book. They read and also quoted the references precisely without making any mistakes. They thoughtfully responded to the other participants.

Afterwards, when many leaders of other local organizations approached me and expressed their desire to bring LitClub to their communities, I knew that the LitClubs were really making an impact. Thank you, LitWorld.
 

An Exciting Announcement About World Read Aloud Day 2018

We are thrilled to announce a special new collaboration with Scholastic for World Read Aloud Day, celebrating the Harry Potter stories.

World Read Aloud Day 2018 will take place on February 1 so that we can spread the pleasure of reading aloud alongside Harry Potter Book Night, when fans around the world celebrate J.K. Rowling's much-loved book series.

2018 will mark the 20th anniversary of the US publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and we are so excited to celebrate the impact that Hogwarts and the Harry Potter stories continue to have on the way the whole world engages with reading.  Over the past 20 years, classrooms and families have enjoyed reading Harry Potter aloud and have shared a special bond around this ever popular series.

Please help us spread the word by joining the conversation on social media using #WorldReadAloudDay and be sure to sign-up for WRAD 2018. (If you have already registered once, you do not need to do it again! You’re all set.)

We'd love to hear from you. Contact us with any questions, concerns, or excitement!

World Read Aloud Day 2017

Meet LitWorld Teen Advocate, Grace Cen

This summer as an LTA, I met a group of other young, career-oriented girls of color. During our time at LitWorld, we learned about the gift of literacy. I think we, as Americans who receive a free education, tend to take literacy for granted. Even in society, it is often overshadowed by the sciences. But literacy is essential. It is the means of communication and connection between say me, a Chinese-American high-school sophomore, and a teenager in Kenya, someone who may have a totally different lifestyle. Being able to read and write also allows access to career opportunities. So the fact that 2/3 of the world's illiterate population is women and girls shows the continual social and financial segregation. Being an LTA to me means helping to close this social gap. From a very young age, I have grown up in an environment that highly values education. And through my parents’ continual efforts to learn English and the education system, I feel like I've been able to more fully integrate into my community. I'm extremely thankful and hope to allow others to do the same through LitWorld.

During the internship, LTAs learned about LitWorld’s goal of spreading literacy. We also helped organize a LitFest. We prepared various activities and went to a branch of the NYPL to try and engage with the kids firsthand. I think all the LTAs hope to continue forward with LitWorld, to try and change the world with stories.
 

Back to School: Tips for Cultivating Social-Emotional Learning

Let’s think beyond the back-to-school logistics for a moment--put aside the homework, early wake-up calls, and overloaded book bags. Let’s expand our scope to include social and emotional learning this school year to help our kids grow into strong, confident, understanding learners--in school and beyond.  

Here are four things you can do to encourage strength-based growth for your kids and students.

1. Ask Questions to Encourage Curiosity

Children who ask questions will learn to anticipate both problems and solutions. A willingness to explore and test new concepts will unearth countless opportunities for children and they’ll develop an analytic skill that can be transferred to school and beyond. Model that behavior by asking open-ended questions about stories you read and hear to help children learn how to think critically and creatively. 

2. Set a Reading Routine for Confidence and Belonging

If you can, take your kids to the local bookstore and let them pick out a brand new picture book, chapter book, or graphic novel--let it be anything that speaks to them! Giving them agency over what they read will grow their confidence and keep them happily exploring new texts. Then, bring your family together with a fun and engaging read aloud session after dinner or on a weekend afternoon that the kids are sure to love. Get everyone involved in their favorite part!

3. Set Goals for the School Year 

Help your kids think through what is important to them. Is it reading more words or minutes than last year? Maybe their goal is to make a new friend or join a Scout troop. These are awesome examples that exhibit kindness and the idea of belonging to a community--both of which can and should be developed. Whatever their interests, help them set smart, reachable goals for their year. 

4. Understand and Recognize Courage

Back to school can be a difficult transition time. Learning, even when in a routine, can be hard for some kids. The struggles children face, whether it is bullying, difficulty in a sleep routine, or just getting through school, are very real. It takes courage and confidence to handle these hiccups as a kid. Reinforce their positive behavior and ensure them that they are not alone.

When we focus on finding kids’ inherent strengths, allow them to make choices, and teach them to be resilient, you are providing the foundation for powerfully positive ways of communicating and interacting with the world. In this way, we can help all children define their story and find their path to achieve their dreams.