How to Coordinate a Literacy Event
Literacy is a building block in education. A 1988 study conducted by Anderson, Wilson and Fielding, found that reading 15 minutes a day can equate to reading a million words of text a year. Children and adults benefit from literacy activities and events that promote reading and education. With the help of sponsors, schools and local advertisers, coordinating a literacy event at an elementary school or in a community does not have to be a struggle. Literacy events should include good books, stimulating activities and volunteers who support the event.
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Instructions
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Coordination
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1
Decide what the goal of the literacy event is. What are you trying to say with the event---do you want to promote family reading or perhaps the importance of literacy in young children?
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2
Narrow down an age group. Smaller literacy events with a more targeted demographic like an elementary school population are easier to plan than broader ones that include K-12. Don't forget, the students' parents should be invited also.
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3
Find sponsors to help buy books, pay for advertising and help with food or other materials. Local businesses are a good place to start as they are always looking for ways to give back to the community.
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Purchase books for the event. Sending every child home with a book makes the literacy event a success no matter what the numbers.
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Coordinate volunteers to help execute any planned activities. Volunteers come in all ages and many can be found at the local high school, through the families of the children involved and even from local non-profit organizations in the area.
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Advertise the event. Even the best events can fail without advertising. Ask local radio stations and newspapers to run free or reduced-priced ads and don't underestimate the power of posters and word of mouth.
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Follow up with the participants. Feedback is essential if the event is ever going to be repeated. Have participants fill out a questionnaire about their experience---what worked and what didn't.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't set expectations too high. Not every event attracts hundreds of people, and the success should not be measured in numbers, but in how well literacy was promoted to the area.
Many large book wholesalers will give a discount to educators for use in literacy events. Exhaust all resources to find free books or books at a discounted price.
Having a hard time finding volunteers? Look to the local libraries. Offer to advertise the library's summer reading program or include them in future events.
Trying to serve food makes an event more difficult to pull off, so instead of providing a full dinner, serve cookies and punch or have volunteers bring finger foods.
Most schools are more than happy to help sponsor an event like this, but sometimes there is opposition if the event is not tied to the school in some way. Getting a parent or a teacher to help with the event is an advantage.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Books image by explicitly from Fotolia.com
