Happy International Literacy Day 2021!

It's International Literacy Day! Here at Words Alive, we champion the beauty and importance of literacy each and every day. But each year, on September 8th, International Literacy Day is celebrated worldwide as a way to highlight the importance of literacy for children and adults of all backgrounds, nationalities, communities, and societies. Though we started out as a San Diego-focused organization, the Words Alive community now spans the globe, with our volunteers supporting us from 18 different countries and creating content for our readers in eight different languages!

Here's what one of our volunteers in India, Meher Gandhi, had to say about the importance of today: "Is literacy only about reading and writing or is it about thinking at such levels that form the base for confident and independent living? It must be the latter and if so, then the goal must be shared by all nations. This International Literacy Day, let's think about no boundaries except the one between literacy and lack of it." We're celebrating International Literacy Day because we believe that no matter where you are in the world, literacy matters!

Declared a UNESCO world holiday in 1966, International Literacy Day is celebrated under a different theme every year. This year’s theme is, “Literacy for a human-centered recovery: Narrowing the digital divide.” Although literacy has improved greatly in the past fifty plus years, illiteracy still remains a global issue. And with Covid-19 disrupting the lives of countless individuals across the globe, inequalities in access to educational and literary opportunities have been dramatically magnified. The shift to online learning upended the education of millions of children and sadly, kids from families with limited access to books, technology, and the internet were and are continuing to be the most affected.

This year’s theme will both celebrate and explore how literacy is impacted and changing with distance learning in a Covid-19 affected planet. Literacy is an essential piece of human and familial interactions as well as an integral facet of education and lifelong learning, and it is essential to our resilience and repair in the post-pandemic world. International Literacy Day challenges us to take ownership of the literacy crisis, taking the responsibility back home to local communities where literacy begins.

So what can YOU do to help, today on International Literacy Day and every day?

• Volunteer. Getting involved with Words Alive is a great place to start! You can find volunteer opportunities here.

• Take Action. Donate books to classrooms, start lending libraries in and outside your community, tutor, start a book club, and read with your family.

• Make a Donation. When we can count on your recurring support each month, we are able to reach more children, teens, and families. Your gift of just $5 each month supports a student's journey to connect to the power reading and can change the story of their life. Click here to make a donation.

Happy Reading!

This post was written by Keira Nordan, a Words Alive volunteer! Do you love writing and have an interest in helping Words Alive create this type of content? We'd love to have you on the team! Email to learn more.

Why Should We Write?

You probably know that here at Words Alive, we believe deeply in the power of reading. But did you know that the act of writing has tremendous value, too? As well as being a powerful tool for communication, writing can also be an art form—one that is capable of helping us understand our thoughts, emotions and situations. 

Read on to learn about a few of the many ways that writing can benefit us!

Writing can help us process emotions

““I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” ”

— Anne Frank

The ability to use words to shape an imagined reality, or to reflect our authentic realities, is not only a cathartic process, but one that can make our emotions clear to ourselves and help us make sense of them.

Creative writing can function as a medium for release of difficult emotions in a considerate, controlled way. It can provide anyone, young or old, with an environment free of judgement and expectations — a safe space where they can feel free to write their way through confusion, anger, frustration or sadness. And this has measurable impacts — the psychologist James Pennebaker has shown that when people write about emotional experiences, significant physical and mental health improvements often follow. 

Writing can increase our resilience

Another benefit of creative writing is its ability to develop resilience in a writer (one of our themes for this upcoming program year!). Writer and educator Laura Bean wrote an article for the University of California, Berkeley, about the various methods of creative writing that she uses to help her students build resilience.

In the face of challenges such as financial hardship, cramped living and learning environments, and domestic violence (and now isolation, health concerns, and mental health challenges brought on the pandemic), Bean describes how writing can help her students persevere.

By sharing their stories of bravery and resilience, they encourage a growth mindset in one another. Through studying and writing poetry, they focus on hope. As they reflect on their dreams, they build community and kindness towards themselves and others — all factors that contribute to resilience. 

Writing can help us become better readers

Mary K. Tedrow, an award-winning teacher and author of the book Write, Think, Learn asserts that writing and reading are fundamentally dependent on each other. As students develop their own work, they learn how to understand other authors better. Writing can help students become better readers by increasing their reading fluency, encouraging a deeper understanding of the written word, and helping them grasp the construction of an author's argument. According to Tedrow, “Students who write are better, more observant, more appreciative readers...and students who read are better, more competent writers.” 

Writing can generate change

Writing can be a powerful form of activism. Whether we are sharing our personal true stories, highlighting social issues through fiction, or writing protest poetry, we can use our words to call people to action and generate change. Last year, we saw students do just that through our exhibit, The Future is Us, as they used art and words to call community leaders to action on issues such as equitable housing, racism, and environmental justice. As college students Jessenia N. Class and Robert Miranda wrote for The Harvard Crimson, "Ideas of change are powerful. And the words and the stories we use to tell these ideas have the potential to spark great movements."

Ready to start your writing journey?

If you still need some inspiration, visit our Covid Diaries exhibit to see some incredible examples of student writing. And when you're ready to write, check out the Words Alive Write Now page to find writing prompts, advice from published authors, and hands-on activities to get started. Happy writing!

This post was written by Nia Lewis and Zoe Wong, Words Alive volunteers! Do you love writing and have an interest in helping Words Alive create this type of content? We'd love to have you on the team! Email to learn more.

A Year of Resilience, Repair & Joy

A message from Words Alive’s Program Director, Amanda Bonds 

Words Alive is determined to deliver hope, joy, and a sense of community to children, teens, and families in the coming school year. With the help of extraordinary volunteers and remarkable philanthropists, we aim to create 100,000 meaningful moments of connection to the power of reading this year.

Why is this important right now? Experts predict the COVID-related learning loss we’ll see in schools this year is substantial. An escalating literacy crisis threatens more than 400,000 children across San Diego. 

Students need our support and resources, quickly, to build on the resilience they have demonstrated during the recent reimagined school year, and to work toward repair of our communities. They also need uplifting, joyous moments to add warmth and connection to what’s been a long, often lonely path since March 2020. 

When we see ourselves in the stories of struggle and success of others, we realize what we’re made of and what’s possible. When we are resilient, we are braver, more curious, more adaptable, and more able to extend our reach into the world—we can reflect on our resilience and its role in repairing our communities. This is our hope for each person who participates in our programs. 

Words Alive will bring people together to focus on connecting youth to stories of resilience and repair in the 2021-22 scholastic year. 

Informed by our courage to collaborate creatively and our commitment to what works, the titles we read this year will tell these stories, reigniting the joy children, teens, and families hold in their heart for learning along the way.  You’ll find us reading books such as:

• The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba

• Shh! We Have a Plan by Chris Haughton

• Inky’s Amazing Escape: How a Very Smart Octopus Found his Way Home by Sy Montgomery

Throughout the year, we will track every touchpoint – each one of those meaningful mission moments – where we create a connection for a child, a teen, or a family to the power of reading. This might look like a book that goes home with a student, a view of our online Story Station videos, a text message from Words Alive received by a family, and more. These touchpoints will be delivered through our volunteer-facilitated core programs and inspired through our online resources and the books and learning kits we bring to our community. 

At Words Alive, we believe that everyone has something to give and to gain in the movement to make reading matter, and so we welcome your involvement on the journey to 100,000 touchpoints, whether you want to donate, volunteer, or just cheer us on. 

We are proud to come together as a community to strengthen our resilience, embolden our efforts at repair, and joyously celebrate the power of reading.

Plot Twist: Teoman Yazar

Welcome to our blog series, Plot Twist! Here, we'll be sharing the stories of people in the Words Alive community — stories of change, growth, and maybe a few surprising twists! We hope that through these stories, you'll get to know our community a little better and see the power of literacy come to life.

Meet Teoman Yazar: a multi-talented volunteer who, at 11 years old, is one of the youngest Page Turners in the Words Alive community! His myriad of talents and hobbies include playing four different instruments (and playing for rock bands!), rock climbing, snowboarding, and wakeboarding. When he grows up he is considering a career in the biomedical field or becoming a wildlife photographer.

During COVID, Teoman and his dad were looking for community service opportunities when they stumbled upon Words Alive. As an avid reader and someone that values helping others, he figured being a Page Turner would be just the thing for him. He has already read and reviewed 6 books for inclusion in the Words Alive curriculum! 

Watch Teoman receive his award at 11:12!

Besides the rewarding feeling that comes with doing something meaningful for others, Teoman received the Bronze President's Service Award this year in recognition of his work.  "I was really excited," he recalls, all smiles, "I did not expect that to happen."

When asked about why people should volunteer, he replied simply: "Well, it's just helping other people." He added, “If you grow up helping other people then when you grow up you’ll want to just help other people. And not necessarily by volunteering, but just in general.”

What's also fantastic about Teoman is that he really engages with the Page Turner process of reading and reviewing books. It can be challenging, he admits. “Having to explain the whole book in a couple sentences — that's usually pretty hard.”

“I learned to understand the book better.”

But as he reads and writes about more and more books, he's growing in his reviewing abilities. “I learned to understand the book better,” he says, “like what the more important parts of the book are rather than what the details are.”

He has this advice to share with his fellow reviewers: "Before you write the review, make sure to skim through the book a little bit… to refresh your memory on what the book is about." He also says that reading other reviews to ensure that you understood the book correctly may also be helpful.

About the importance of reading books, he notes, “Reading really helps – at least my – attention span because you have to sit down and read something for a long time.” He feels books can show readers a variety of experiences and perspectives different from their own. "It teaches you what other people have to go through sometimes,” he says.

The Whispers by Greg Howard.

The First Rule of Punk by Cecilia C. Perez. 

Some of his top picks from the Words Alive list are The Whispers by Greg Howard and The First Rule of Punk by Cecilia C. Perez. 

Unsurprisingly for a committed Words Alive volunteer, he's truly enthusiastic about reading, even outside of Page Turners.

Teoman shows off one of his favorite books.

When we asked about his personal favorite book, he eagerly held up several volumes to the camera and said, “I have four of my favorite books right here, just in case you asked this question!” His current top choice is One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus.

Teoman wants other people to enjoy their experiences with books, too. He appreciates that through Page Turners, he is able to help others avoid diving headfirst into a book without knowing what it's about.

“Sometimes I read a book and it’s totally not what I expect and I don’t want to read the book anymore, so I don’t want that to happen to other people.”

He hopes one day he can be a Book Hunter for Words Alive and find new books for other Page Turners to review. “I want to do that because I know a couple books that I would definitely recommend.”

Judging by his attitude towards helping others and his work as a Page Turner, service is evidently an ingrained part of Teoman's life. We're thrilled to see this young student already taking initiative to change his community. Keep up the amazing work, Teoman! You are already making a difference now; we are positive you will accomplish great things when you grow up, too.

This post was written by Idie Park, a Words Alive volunteer! Do you love writing and have an interest in helping Words Alive create this type of content? We'd love to have you on the team! Email to learn more.

Author Adib Khorram Visits Words Alive Students at San Ysidro High School

A picture of Adib next to the cover of his first book, Darius the Great is Not Okay.

Acclaimed young adult author Adib Khorram recently visited one of our partner classrooms at San Ysidro High School to share his story and chat with students! Thanks to a Words Alive volunteer who donated through last year’s Author’s Auction, high school students who have been reading Adib’s first book, Darius the Great is Not Okay, were able to meet him and ask questions. With humor and honesty, Adib shared insights about his path to becoming an author, struggles with mental health, the importance of representation and diversity in books, and of course, the power of reading and writing with our students.

When he was a student himself, Adib said, "All the books we read were really boring books about rich, straight, White people finding ways to have problems." When he first started writing, this pattern appeared in his own work, too.

"I didn't realize that you were allowed to write about other people," he said.

It wasn't until the We Need Diverse Books movement started in 2014 that he began to ask himself, "What's a book that only I could write?"

Darius the Great is Not Okay grew out of Adib’s own experiences growing up in diaspora as an Iranian-American, being a queer boy who didn’t line up with other people’s expectations of masculinity, and living with depression. He wanted to write a story that was authentic to his own lived experience.

As he shared these experiences, Adib was candid about the struggles he's faced and the nonlinear journey he took to becoming an author. He assured students that it's okay to not have everything together.

"My life has basically been a long series of 'This seems like a good idea...on second thought, maybe not,'" he said, laughing. "I'm a disaster, but I'm also still a functioning member of society, and I feel like people need to know that you can be both!"

Though the experiences themselves may have been difficult, telling these stories has been a powerful path to healing.

"Writing's a lot cheaper than therapy," he joked. "Writing about the things that hurt me, that made me afraid, that made me nervous, and finding out that other people felt the same way and that it resonated with them, makes me feel a lot less lonely."

Ultimately, his hope is that reflecting on the difficult experiences he’s had through writing helps his readers with the challenges they face in their own lives.

"Part of my job as a writer of young adult books is to make the world better for young adults," he said simply.

Students had lots of questions after hearing Adib share. They asked everything from “Why does Darius go into so much detail about things like tea and Star Trek?” to “How has the pandemic affected you?” to “How are you able to be so open about vulnerable parts of yourself?”

When one student asked how to overcome the uncertainty that comes with writing a story for the first time, Adib had this to say:

"Sometimes you're afraid to start a story because it's getting at something that you don't want to share. My advice is to be brave and take it a little at a time. Sometimes we don't want to start a story because we're not ready, and then it's important to be gentle with yourself until you're ready. Sometimes it's hard because starting is hard and a blank page is scary. I'm a big fan of just writing something, letting it be crappy, and then it's something that you can fix instead of start."

And if all else fails?

"Laying down on the ground bemoaning existence is good too," he said with a smile.

We're so thankful for this opportunity to partner with San Ysidro High School and grateful to Adib for stopping by for a visit! If you’d like to make more partnerships like this one possible, click here to learn more.

The Pandemic's Impact on Student Mental Health

Written by Ben Hollingshead, Words Alive volunteer and student at The Bishop's School in San Diego.

A student seated at a desk rests his head on his arms.

Last year, as COVID-19 started to spread virulently across the globe, schools were suspended in 188 countries and over 90% of enrolled learners, a whopping 1.5 billion students worldwide, were out of school, creating a global scale of disruption in education that is completely unprecedented. Today, over a year after the first cases of COVID were diagnosed in the United States, distance learning has taken a toll on the mental well-being of students.

“All we are left with is the monotony of academics on Zoom on repeat. ”

— RH, high school senior

One of my friends, a senior in high school, described it well when he said he has recently “hit the proverbial pandemic wall” after nearly a year in quarantine. “All that extra stuff that makes school fun—the sports, the rehearsals, the school lunches and just the fun spontaneously hanging out with friends—has been stripped from our experience. And all we are left with is the monotony of academics on Zoom on repeat.”

A black-and-white image of someone typing at a laptop.

For many of us, online school is frustrating. During a typical day online, students spend 6-7 hours staring at the computer screens trying to focus on lectures and then another 3-4 hours on homework also on the computer. These sterile digital screens typically do not allow us to gauge emotions in the room or truly interact with our friends like we would in a regular classroom.

This lack of interaction is tough, especially in classes where discussion and debate is the primary basis for learning. It also makes classes that require interactive laboratory work almost impossible to conduct effectively. So while students, in theory, are attending classes, they may not be getting the same level of academic rigor as they would in a typical in-person classroom. 

A girl sits alone on a couch.

While the loss of learning is concerning, it is the sense of isolation that comes with online learning that is the most disturbing. School is where most of us build our social network. Interacting with friends at school is a healthy way to buffer the stresses (tests, parental pressure) that we experience. With school closures, this physical social safety-net no longer exists. The new normal is disconcerting and extremely lonely. 

Added to this sense of isolation, many families face increased stress and anxiety as more parents are faced with job losses and food insecurity as a result of the pandemic. Even in households where the parents have not experienced job loss, students mention feeling cooped-up after months of isolation.

“We are on Zoom all day long, everyone staring at different computer screens 24/7.”

— A.V., high school first-year

My friend A.V. described feeling “claustrophobic as everyone in my family is stuck inside the house. I’m in my room, my brother in his, my dad and mom are in a separate room also working. We are on Zoom all day long, everyone staring at different computer screens 24/7.”

All these factors, coupled with the constant fear about catching the virus itself—not to mention the most vitriolic and divisive Presidential Election in the history of this country taking place as they struggle through school—has resulted in a significant increase in the number of students that need emergency mental health counseling services. In a recent Gallup poll, nearly three in 10 (29%) parents disturbingly say their child is "already experiencing harm" to their mental health because of social distancing and school closures. And another 14% of parents say that their children are close to hitting their limits.

A picture of Rady Children’s Hospital.

According to Sandy Mueller, Senior Director of Behavioral Health Services for Rady Children’s Hospital, the hospital has seen a “spike, about a 5 percent to 7 percent increase in the kids coming to our emergency room” with mental health issues compared to the previous year (San Diego Union Tribune 2/2021). This mirrors national data from the CDC that shows a 24% increase in mental health-related ER visits among children 5-11 and 31% increase among adolescents ages 12 to 17 compared to similar periods in 2019. 

What is especially heartbreaking is that the pandemic has disproportionately affected already vulnerable populations. In San Diego County alone, 100,000 children do not have basic access to the Internet so they can attend their classes. While the average student could fall behind seven months academically, the loss could be as much as 10 months for Black children and nine months for Latinx children. Students with existing mental health conditions and those with learning disabilities have not had the same face-to-face access to counselors and resources as they did pre-pandemic. Things have been especially dire for children in abusive homes, as the pandemic has forced them to be locked in with their abusers with no access to the safe haven of schools.

A picture of volunteers sorting book donations.

During the pandemic, Words Alive volunteers helped families grow their home libraries and read together while schools were closed.

But while the challenges of the pandemic are many, we as a community, and you and I as individuals, are not powerless. One thing I am definitely grateful for is the opportunity to volunteer at Words Alive to support their work during the pandemic. It has shown me that we can take action to help our students, and over the last year, I’ve watched countless counselors, educators, nonprofits, families and community members do just that, stepping up time and time again to confront the challenges thrown at them by this virus.

And now, hope seems to be on the horizon. With vaccinations being administered and the number of cases dropping, public schools are beginning to reopen in a hybrid model. This model appears to be working well as many schools in San Diego have already moved to a hybrid model that combines distance and in-person learning, including The Bishop’s School, the school I attend. For the two days a week that I am physically at school, I appreciate, more than ever, the blessing of being able to hang out with friends and meet teachers on campus. 

A row of paper dolls wearing masks holds hands on an orange background.

This gratitude is ultimately the silver lining that I will take away from this pandemic. Small things that we tended to take completely for granted, like eating out or watching a movie with friends, will now feel new and will be celebrated.

After a year of disruptions and social isolation, I believe my generation of students will emerge more resilient and thankful for everything we have.

—

Thank you, Ben, for sharing your experiences with us! We are so grateful for your support and care for your fellow students.

If you connected with Ben’s story and want to take action to help our community’s most vulnerable students emerge strong from the pandemic, you can support our online, free resources for teens right here at Words Alive. Through our Treat Yo’ Shelf (formerly QuaranTEENs) resource, Words Alive has developed journaling prompts and writing exercises to help students explore healthy coping strategies for the increased stresses they are experiencing.

We are also about to launch our annual Art & Lit project in partnership with ArtReach and for the first time ever, the entire community can participate!

A red and gray Identity Circle from this year’s Art & Lit project.

Art & Lit helps students connect books to their own lives by guiding them through a thoughtful and engaging art project. In response to the mental health crisis many students are facing this year, our project is intentionally focused on books that explore themes of loneliness and isolation and you will explore themes of identity, courage, and bravery as you create your unique art piece. Learn more about getting involved here.

Plot Twist: Elise Goldwasser

Welcome to our blog series, Plot Twist! Here, we'll be sharing the stories of people in the Words Alive community — stories of change, growth, and maybe a few surprising twists! We hope that through these stories, you'll get to know our community a little better and see the power of literacy come to life.

Meet Elise Goldwasser, one of our youngest volunteers ever! Elise is 11 years old and in 5th grade. She lives in Northern California and loves to read, play the guitar, draw and dance. Recently, she joined us as a volunteer fundraiser for our Champions for Youth campaign. We talked to Elise about her experience with Words Alive and why everyone should volunteer, no matter how old they are!

Elise decided to start volunteering during the pandemic. “I was bored during quarantine,” she says, “and I just wanted to do something to help other people, particularly kids.” She first heard of Words Alive from her sister’s teacher, who shared an opportunity to record read aloud videos through our Kids Reading to Kids project. Because of changes in publisher permissions, Elise wasn’t able to record a video, but she was still committed to making an impact with Words Alive. She signed up to host a fundraising page for us during our 2020 Champions for Youth Campaign and raised $130 to support our mission!  

One reason Elise wanted to get involved with Words Alive is that reading is one of her passions. She loves too many books to pick a favorite, but one that she enjoyed recently is One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia.

She also knows that it’s important for kids to learn how to read. “It just helps them be successful in life, because it helps them in school—even math, with word problems and things,” she says. “It gets them into a good college and helps them get a job.”

What does Elise have to say to kids who don't like reading? “They haven’t found the right book!” Through her work with Words Alive, she wants to help other kids to discover the power of reading and learn to love books like she does.

Elise cares about giving back to her community in other ways, too. It wasn’t always easy to find volunteer opportunities that accepted kids, but she didn’t let that stop her. She volunteered with Resistance Labs (now Movement Labs) as a text banker for the 2020 presidential election and the Senate runoffs in Georgia, helping people get resources to vote. She also works with another organization, By Kids for Kids, to help younger children with reading.  

“You feel like you’re making a difference, and that’s really cool. I didn’t really know I had the power to do that before.”

All of this volunteering has been an empowering experience for Elise. “It’s definitely exciting, because you feel like you’re making a difference, and that’s really cool,” she says. “I didn’t really know I had the power to do that before.” She hopes that more kids will be able to try volunteering. “It gives them that responsibility and just learning about helping people from a young age,” she says.

And, as a challenge to kids and adults alike, she says, “There’s no reason they can’t [volunteer]! You should just do it because you can find something with a lot of work, or not that much.” If you want to give back, but aren’t sure where to start, Elise says, “Volunteer for something you’re passionate about, because that will be more fun for you. And for kids, take advantage of the places you can volunteer, because for me, there weren’t that many.”

In the future, she says, “I hope that Words Alive just continues to do what they do and help kids learn how to read and find a love for reading.” Elise hopes to do more work with Words Alive when she’s older! And in the meantime, she hopes that even more organizations will open their doors to kids who want to help.

“People should be more accepting of kids and not make everything ‘only adults,’ because kids can do a lot of things too!”

—

We couldn’t agree more. Elise, thank you for showing kids—and adults—what’s possible when we use our passions to serve our communities.

This post was created by Zoe Wong, a Words Alive volunteer! Do you love writing and have an interest in helping Words Alive create this type of content? We'd love to have you on the team! Email to learn more.

Meet the Curriculum Leads!

Here at Words Alive, we have four incredible volunteers who have stepped up to lead our Curriculum Crew — a team of more than 85 volunteers! They help coordinate other volunteers to write, edit, and design our curriculum guides and Write Now prompts. Read on to discover their favorite books, their reasons for volunteering, the challenges and rewards of being a curriculum lead, and more.

Cheryl Converse-Rath: Writing Lead

Tell us about yourself! (if you have one, what's your favorite book and why?)

I am a newly retired 7th grade social studies teacher from Marshall Middle School. I love to travel and read. I don't know that I have a favorite book, but one that has stuck with me a long time is Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper. Every chapter was in a different voice, which really made me question my beliefs—they seemed to change every time another character spoke. It really made me think hard about how I make decisions. The ethical choice the parents were forced to make and the sister 's awareness of that choice haunt me to this day.

What does being the Writing Lead involve?

In addition to writing curriculum, Learning Kit guides, and reviewing books for Page Turners, my "job" is to find people from the volunteer list to also write Curriculum and Learning Kits for accepted books. Sometimes the requests are "urgent" and we have to get a lot of writers on board quickly! Words Alive recently received two grants [for exciting new program partnerships]; the curriculum and learning kits have to be done by next month.

How did you get involved with Words Alive? Why do you volunteer with us?

I got involved with Words Alive because I knew I wanted to volunteer with kids and reading after retirement. The 1st place I signed up to volunteer for only needed 1 hour / week and it would be months before things got started. I reached out to Jose Cruz, the CEO of San Diego Literacy, and he told me about Words Alive. I love the mission and the variety of ways I can be involved. I can work a lot or a little. For now, being able to work a lot is helping me keep sane.

What are the most rewarding/most challenging aspects of your role?

The most rewarding part is to see how different volunteers take on the writing. It is great to have so many voices! The most challenging is when fewer people respond than what we need. I have to remember that although I am pretty free these days, not everyone else is.

Anything else you'd like to share?

Words Alive has introduced me to so many books and writers I would never have discovered on my own. I have read several YA books and have passed a couple on to other students I volunteer with in another program. My kids are all grown, so it has been a long time since I have spent time with picture books. The message and illustrations in Crown: Ode to a Fresh Cut and The Undefeated are inspirational!

Nanditha Krishnan: Editing Lead

Tell us about yourself! (if you have one, what's your favorite book and why?)

My name is Nanditha Krishnan and I’m a junior in high school. I’m an artist, I love using charcoal and taking photos out in nature. I’m also a classical dancer and I’ve been learning the Indian classical dance form Bharatanatyam for 11 years now! My favorite book has got to be Revival by Stephen King. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that fast before, and it kept me on edge the entire time I was reading!

What does being the Editing Lead involve?

It mostly involves distributing newly written guides to the editors and then passing them, once finished, on to the designing team. The leads organize guides by priority and type, such as curriculum, learning kits, and then further by age group. I also get to talk to a lot of the new volunteers who join the crew so that I can learn what kind of guides and books they prefer editing for.

How did you get involved with Words Alive? Why do you volunteer with us?

I got involved with Words Alive through another program called Californians For All. I initially was interested in the Read Aloud Program, but I ended up joining the curriculum team to help edit guides. (I also thought being on curriculum would give me an excuse to buy more books). I was excited to be a part of Words Alive because I really enjoyed reading as a kid and I wanted other kids to get the chance to read and learn from great books.

What are the most rewarding/most challenging aspects of your role?

The most rewarding aspect of my role is getting to learn new perspectives from the editors. For example, the editors with young kids will point out things about learning activities that might be fun for kids to try that I had never even thought of. As a high schooler, I’m definitely not as familiar with what kids might enjoy, so its exciting that I get to meet so many different people and see things from their view.

Anything else you'd like to share?

Something new that I learned when I became a curriculum editor is the amount of work that goes into building social/emotional learning (SEL) questions about themes in novels. I had never heard of SEL before joining Words Alive so I found it really interesting that outside of checking comprehension, the guides were meant to create meaningful conversations about social topics and teach new themes.

I’m currently reading George Takei’s They Called Us Enemy!

Vivian Lin: Design Lead

Tell us about yourself! (if you have one, what's your favorite book and why?)

I am a UCSD Human Biology graduate with a minor in Psychology and I'm currently preparing to apply for med school! My favorite book is If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino. It's a very special book in which each chapter is seemingly telling its own story, but as you read on, you will realize that all individual stories are connected!

What does being the Design Lead involve?

[It] involves managing the designing stage of all the curriculum projects. Essentially, I coordinate with our excellent curriculum designers to finalize SEL icons, format curriculum guides, and design learning kits!

How did you get involved with Words Alive? Why do you volunteer with us?

I found Words Alive when I was looking for online volunteer opportunities during COVID. I am very glad that I found Words Alive because I just love the message the organization is spreading across local communities as well as how passionate everyone on the team is! Overall, volunteering with Words Alive has been a very rewarding and enriching experience!

What are the most rewarding/most challenging aspects of your role?

It always warms my heart whenever I see the finalized curriculum projects because I know that each of them has been the product of very solid teamwork!

Anything else you'd like to share?

Sara [our Community & Content Manager] is a super amazing coordinator! She's super helpful and very patient! Big shout out to her! :D

Marcus Weber: Write Now Lead

Tell us about yourself! (if you have one, what's your favorite book and why?

Hello. My name is Marcus Weber. My favorite book is a series, named Tucket’s Travels written by Gary Paulsen. It’s the story of Francis Tucket, a fourteen year old traveling west with a wagon train. The series chronicles his adventures and mishaps. I was drawn to the resourceful creativity Francis used to survive in the wilderness and amongst strangers as he faced challenges in the unforgiving wilderness.

What does being the Write Now Lead involve?

Write Now is a place for teens to cope and connect with current events. I coordinate a team of volunteers to produce writing prompts about current events. We post these prompts to the Words Alive website for anyone to use in their processing of current events. The most exciting part is hearing back from the people who use our prompts.

How did you get involved with Words Alive? Why do you volunteer with us?

I first became aware of Words Alive through the Target App. The app gives you the options to donate points to local nonprofits and Words Alive was one of them. Words Alive's mission to inspire lifelong learners through reading speaks to an instrumental aspect of my life: self-education. I enjoy knowing my effort is creating for others, the foundation in literacy which has benefited me tremendously in my life.

What are the most rewarding/most challenging aspects of your role?

There are many rewarding aspects of this role; working with other volunteers is one of my favorites. I get to read the creative prompts that are contributed by our team of volunteers. The most challenging aspect is maintaining a consistent stream of content; quality writing prompts take a decent amount of coordination before they are posted to the website.

Anything else you'd like to share?

We are always excited for new volunteers to join our team. If you're unsure of how much time you can commit to Words Alive, writing prompts for Write Now is a great place to start.

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We’re so thankful for these four volunteer leaders and all that they do! If you’ve been inspired by their stories and would like to work with them on the Curriculum Team, click here to learn more.

The Words Alive Reader: September 9, 2020

Welcome to The Words Alive Reader, a regular newsletter keeping you up-to-date with the latest in how we've been connecting children, teens, and families to the power of reading. What have we been up to and how can you help? Read on to find out!

This newsletter, in addition to our blog and social media content, is written by us, a cohort of volunteers! Do you love writing and have an interest in helping Words Alive create this type of content? We'd love your help! Email to learn more.

- Eli and Titiksha, Words Alive Volunteers

Back to School!

A young girl smiles and holds a backpack. Text above the photo reads, “Reagan got her Words Alive backpack! She is so excited!”

As schools begin to re-open, we want to remind you that Words Alive is here to help! Even through unprecedented challenges, we were able to serve 3,280 students and families last school year, and we will continue to do so while adapting our programming into virtual or hybrid models. 

One of our core values is responsiveness. We are dedicated to listening to community needs and developing innovative solutions. Would you like to help us as we journey into new adventures this school year? Sign up for one of our Virtual Best Practices Trainings to learn all the skills you need to volunteer in remote classrooms!

New Story Station Conductors!

Pictures of Sandy, Jim, and Gina reading aloud on Story Station!

We've been hosting Words Alive Story Station on Facebook Live every week day since the pandemic hit to spread joy, and engage our little learners with fun and inspiring stories that the whole family can enjoy. Now, we're happy to welcome new Story Station Conductors to our team!

Volunteers Sandy, Jim, and Gina are positive reading role models to the 10,000+ kids, families, and classrooms that viewed their Story Station videos in just their first week as Conductors. Join us for Story Station at 2 p.m. PT every weekday on Facebook Live: @WordsAliveSD.

Creative Collaborations!

A screenshot from of one of our Zoom trainings!

By the end of September, we will have trained seven community organizations to deliver the three Words Alive core programs! By providing training, curriculum, books, and supplies, we're making sure that organizations like United Way of San Diego, City Heights CDC, Project Concern International, Groundwork San Diego, Oceanside Public Library, and more are able to connect 300 students in their communities to the power of reading.

Another one of our values is collaboration and in these extraordinary times, we need to support one another more than ever. Help support our efforts to train even more organizations by donating today! 

The Life Cycle of a Page Turners Book

An infographic that displays the life cycle of a Page Turners book: from UNKNOWN to UPLIFTING. (1) a stack of books with a question mark; (2) a girl reading (3) a girl typing at her laptop (4) a girl hugging a stack of books.

Since January, our volunteer-led, ever-growing Page Turners community has helped us identify a whopping 28 books that reflect our students' lived experiences to include in Words Alive programming. How does it work?

1. A new and promising book is brought to our attention.

2. Page Turners read and let us know if it's a good fit for our students.

3. Books that receive multiple glowing reviews are passed on to our Curriculum Crew, volunteers who produce high-quality curriculum guides for the book.

4. Curriculum is taught in partner schools and sites, introducing students to empowering, entertaining, and engaging books that they can relate to, igniting their love of reading and setting them up for success!

Want to join the Page Turners community? Sign up here! 

Donate Here to Support Words Alive!

The Words Alive Reader: August 26, 2020

Welcome to The Words Alive Reader, a regular newsletter keeping you up-to-date with the latest in how we've been connecting children, teens, and families to the power of reading. What have we been up to and how can you help? Read on to find out!

This newsletter, in addition to our blog and social media content, is written by us, a cohort of volunteers! Do you love writing and have an interest in helping Words Alive create this type of content? We'd love your help! Email us to learn more.

- Eli and Titiksha, Words Alive Volunteers

Help Us Give Learning Kits to Children & Families!

A woman holds up a backpack in front of a young child.

“Miss Ana is giving me books to learn.”  An 8-year-old participating in Words Alive programs through our partnership with  City Heights CDC and United Way of San Diego scribbled that short, powerful message in their journal. 

Distance learning is providing challenges for teachers, parents, and students in different ways. Before the pandemic, 94% of public school teachers spent their own money on classroom supplies and now, some children are at home attempting to learn with few to no books or supplies around them.

Words Alive is here to help students, parents, and teachers all at the same time! Our Learning Kits are stocked with the tools students need to succeed: pens and pencils, stationary, scissors, and, of course, brand-new books. It takes just $125 to fund one Learning Kit for a child. If you’d like to help level the playing field for a child, donate here!

More Than 200 Page Turners?!

275 book reviews, 1141 hours volunteered, 28 new books added to curriculum, 229 Page Turners, and 177 reviews in progress!

We launched Page Turners last fall so that our Words Alive community could help us find new, diverse books to read with our students. Since then, over 200 volunteers have joined Page Turners, allowing us to add 28 new books to our programming!

Are you interested in joining a community of passionate readers who are helping us read and review titles? Click here to sign up to read a book!

We Could Use Your Help!

Dozens of cardboard boxes with the Words Alive logo.

To meet the changing needs of children, teens, and families because of the pandemic, we are looking for some specific (donated) expertise and thought you might be able to help:

1. Individuals interested in mentoring first-generation college students for the upcoming school year. In addition to general interests, to help meet needs of specific Scholars we're also seeking professionals with work experience in graphic design, the criminal justice system, or based in Portland, OR. 

2. Pro-bono services from legal and public relations firms

3. App developers or website designers

4. Large, vacant storage unit (or garage) on the ground floor where we can accept, sort, and redistribute book donations safely on an ongoing basis 

If you, or someone you know, is able to volunteer or donate in any of these ways let us know!

Join our Mission Marketplace!

A hand holding a heart filled with books above the words “Support small businesses!”

We know that, now more than ever, it's essential to support the small business owners in our community. If you own a business, restaurant, or even an Etsy store you can team up with Words Alive for our Mission Marketplace! We will promote your business throughout the month of October (or another timeframe that works for you!) in exchange for a portion of proceeds being donated to Words Alive in support of our mission. Win-win!

If you'd like to learn more about the Mission Marketplace, email us here!

Donate Here to Support Words Alive!