PRESIDIO SENTINEL SAN DIEGO, April, 2014
By Laura Walcher
If you can read this, you are appreciably literate. Not so for nearly 200,000 adults and
children in San Diego who cannot read. While
illiterate adults and children get plenty of help from the S. D. County on Literacy (SDCOL) year ‘round, on May 14 they’ll get even
more via the organization’s 5th annual, “Eat. Drink. Read.
A Culinary Event for Literacy.”.
“Traveling Stories” (TS) is the
SDCOL’s newbie in their
family of county-wide programs. There, Emily Moberly oversees a small staff and
volunteers who make it their business to
read to children in “story tents” - free, easy,
enjoyable. Story Tents, she says, helps kids
develop strong literacy skills, confidence in their ability to read - and a love for reading. Those go a long way to combat the ills
of illiteracy:
We wanted to hear more:
LW: Welcome to the S.D.Council on Literacy network!
What took you so long?
What took you so long?
EM: Thank you! I’m so glad TS is
finally at a stage where I can devote more time to these partnerships!
My story starts with my own love for reading. - the way that books put the whole world in the palm of my
hand. Through reading I had great adventures and met extraordinary people. I
explored the jungles of India; helped establish schools in remote Afghanistan;
took my first trip to Africa!And, reading made me want real life adventures of my own.
After college, I moved to Honduras to teach high school English - a place with almost no access to reading material. When I saw how the lack of books impacted my students. I decided on a solution - at least a start. So, when I went home for Christmas, I gathered up 40 books, which became, ‘Ms. Moberly's Library.’
LW: What motivated you to establish TS -
you’re still a teacher?!
In Hondras, it was realizing that kids around the world do not have access to books that motivated me to start TS. I wanted to give a voice to the voiceless. to invest in kids' imaginations, believing that books strengthen minds and inspire dreams. They also help people overcome the obstacles that prevent them from becoming their best selves.
Instead of through journalism, it turns out I am doing it, instead, through books!
LW: In seven other countries you’ve established libraries. Busy! Here, what does a typical TS program consist of?
EM: Locally, our program is the ‘Story
Tent.’ It’s really
simple, but kids love it. We have tents at Farmers’ Markets
and encourage kids to read to volunteers for ‘book
bucks.’ The kids can then spend their book bucks on
prizes. This motivates kids to read, and it also teaches them basics about
money management! Our Story Tent in City Heights has about 40 kids every
Saturday morning; on May 1, we’ll launch a second at the El Cajon Farmers’ Market.
Last year, over 300 kids read with
us! We also offer a Story Tent affiliate opportunity for people who want to use our model to start a ST in
their own neighborhood.
A cool aspects about the program is that most of
the kids read to us. (Volunteers read to kids who cannot read yet.) We’ve
created a safe, relaxed environment where kids are not afraid of messing up or
getting a bad grade. As a result, they not only get better at reading but they
gain confidence - and, they read
in their spare time!
LW: Who are the children you’re reading to?
EM: We focus on communities where kids lack access to books or that are
considered low-income or at-risk.
One of the reasons that kids here and at our
international libraries know about us is because of our consistency. We try not
to miss any weeks of the Story Tent,
and our international libraries are open the same time every day - no matter what! This allows us to
become part of the kids’
routine. Families come to the Famers’ Markets
because their kids can’t wait to read at the Tents!
LW: How strongly do you think - or have found - that poverty and illiteracy are connected?
EM: I’ve found there
is a strong correlation. Literacy
is the cornerstone for all learning - fundamental for participation in
today’s global society. Imagine not being able to read
your medicine label, or a note that your child brings home from their teacher
or instructions for filling out an application? More than 793 million people
across the globe cannot read and
write. In today’s world,
two-thirds of illiterates are female and more than 90% live in
developing countries.
I believe that this relatively small investment
in human capital (the human brain) can more than pay for itself.
LW:
Do you follow up with
the children you read to? (i.e. any
outcomes research?)
EM: Parents say that their kids are doing better in school –
with their grades and their behavior. We are putting more emphasis on
collecting outcomes data, so we will hopefully know more about the impact our
programs are having.
LW: You
seek donations, of course - and volunteers?
EM: We rely on volunteers for everything! We
also need administrative, technological and fundraising assistance.
(www.travelingstories.org )
“Eat. Drink. Read. A Culinary Event for Literacy,” (May 14) will benefit “Traveling Stories” along with the SDCOL’s other programs. Tickets are $60 per person. All event information: www.eatdrinkread.com
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