Saturday, April 5, 2014

READ THIS? YOU’RE LUCKY!

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 theyll get even more via the organizations  5th annual,  Eat. Drink. Read. A Culinary Event for Literacy..

Traveling Stories (TS) is the SDCOLs 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?   
EM: Thank you! Im 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 -
youre still a teacher?!
EM: Im actually not a teacher;  my background is in Journalism and Business.

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 youve established libraries.  Busy!  Here, what does a typical TS program consist of?
EM: Locally,  our program is the Story Tent. Its really simple, but kids love it. We have tents at FarmersMarkets 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, well launch a second at the El Cajon FarmersMarket. 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.) Weve 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 youre 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 kidsroutine. Families come to the FamersMarkets because their kids cant wait to read at the Tents! 


LW:    How strongly do you think - or have found -  that poverty and illiteracy are connected?
EM: Ive found there is a strong correlation.  Literacy is the cornerstone for all learning - fundamental for participation in todays 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 todays 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 Storiesalong with the SDCOLs other programs.  Tickets are $60 per person.  All event information:  www.eatdrinkread.com


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