How you can champion literacy

Literacy Champ!

If you have been following me for a bit, you have probably recognized that I am a champion of literacy! I believe that literacy is a basic human right and foundational to our societal well being.
Although the global literacy rate has been steadily increasing, there remains so much work to be done in this area, and probably in your local neighborhood as well. In my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, for example, a staggering 66% of residents are functionally illiterate meaning that they have a math, reading or language level below a fourth-grade level. Literacy is such an important determinant of a persons future success as it undermines all aspects of education and consequently, life long employment opportunities.

I have found that many people shy away from volunteer opportunities, often feeling that their efforts will not manifest in a measureable difference or that they will have to devote considerable amount of time to a cause. I am here to tell you otherwise! There are countless ways to promote literacy development in every community, from becoming a reading tutor, to a library volunteer to collecting books to donate to your local book bank.

In my own community, I volunteer at Lake Erie Ink, a literacy nonprofit. My role here is twofold- I serve year round as an editor on their teen editorial board which is responsible for creating an annual anthology of art and writing from Cleveland teens. As an editor, we put out a call for submissions, meet monthly to review all art and writing samples, compile the book, perfect its design and take it to print! I also volunteer at Lake Erie Ink as a summer camp counselor where I help to tutor children on reading and writing skills. My time at Lake Erie Ink is invaluable to me and I enjoy the variation in my duties there– from working with younger students developing a love of language and reading to reviewing submissions for the annual teen anthology- it is inspiring to be part of a program that values the voices of children and teens.

Perhaps one of the easiest and most accessible places to volunteer is your local library! Or maybe you are a bit crafty and would like to create a free little library of your own: https://littlefreelibrary.org

If you are interested in a more statistical perspective about the impacts of literacy, this website is a great place to start:  https://ourworldindata.org/literacy

I hope you look into opportunities and organizations that you can work with to promote literacy in your community!