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Getting Involved:
Volunteer Initiatives
Why Get Involved
Some Ideas for Getting Involved
Literacy has become a national priority.
We are no longer shying away from the fact that illiteracy in this country is
a major national problem which influences many other of our social problems.
Some estimates indicate that 20% of adults in America are illiterate, and an
even larger percentage are aliterate (they know how to read, but they
don’t). Recent studies show that one-third of all incoming university freshmen
require remedial reading (with percentages much higher –– up to and
over 50 per cent in some places).
It is fast becoming recognized that helping to develop literacy is not just
the responsibility of teachers, but is everyone’s responsibility. After
all, parents are children’s first (and most important) teachers. And community
members can do their part in being active members of the community of learners
in their neighborhoods to help our citizens know that reading and writing are
as natural and normal as breathing!
The key to developing lifelong readers is finding books which people want
to read! This is where the IRA CL/R SIG comes in -- we can help identify
excellent literature for people reading at virtually any level and on any topic
of interest. But identifying great books is only half of the battle!
We must broadcast this information widely and get it into the hands of everyone!
And we need to be supportive and encouraging to those whose literacy skills
are underdeveloped so that they will have the heart to keep practicing and developing
this extremely important skill (which becomes more refined with practice through
one’s entire life).
To reach everyone, we need lots of partners: people who love literacy who will
commit to do something to help in their families, in their local communities,
in their organizations, and in their schools and libraries. What can one person
do? Many things. If everyone does something positive, then our collective
work will have a tremendous impact, just as billions of drops of water can be
a mighty power indeed, though one small drop by itself may seem insignificant.
Some Ideas for Getting Involved
1. Actively read and write yourself, and let others (especially younger people)
see you do it. You are modeling that literacy is a vital and enjoyable
skill.
2. Buy books for special people in your life -- use
The Dragon Lode to identify books
which they might like to read or have read to them.
3. Talk about books, what you have learned from them, and how they have influenced
your life.
4. Give gift certificates to The
Dragon Lode to parents, teachers, and libraries.
5. Tell everyone you know about
• The
Dragon Lode,
• Notable
Books for a Global Society, and
• Los
Angeles’ 100 Best Books.
Help to make these concepts household words.
6. Read to young children to help them be 1000-book children before they
begin school -- that is the head start that every child needs.
7. Host gatherings (small informal ones or huge events) to help others know
about some of the outstanding books that are available (perhaps share some of
the books, invite an author to speak, etc.). Consider using the event as a fund-raiser
for purchasing Dragon Lode subscriptions
or good books for a children’s library (many of our nation’s school
libraries are very badly out of date).
8. Use your influence to share information about literacy and good books with
others (word of mouth, articles in various publications, reproducing and distributing
flyers targeted to specific audiences) and to encourage others to likewise get
involved in various aspects of this literacy crusade.
9. Participate in the IRA
CL/R SIG Network, identifying additional people in your state to
be recipients of information regarding excellent children’s literature
and sharing information from their communities to the nation.
10. Contact the leaders in this organization and share your ideas of other projects
which can help. Let us know what YOU want to do, and how we can help you spread
the word.
Officers
and Board of Directors
Committee Membership
IRA CL/R SIG Network.
©2002-present. IRA Children’s Literature
and Reading Special Interest Group (IRA CL/R SIG).
All rights reserved. Website:
http://www.csulb.edu/org/childrens-lit
Dr. Kaye West, Webmanager
Date modified:
May 15, 2004
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