Why Words Alive Matters
At Words Alive, we understand the life-changing power of reading. Reading helps us to succeed in school and the workplace but reading also changes our lives in ways far beyond this. The purpose of Words Alive is to make reading matter – truly matter – for young people and families in every community in San Diego and beyond, so they have the power to write their own stories.
When you become a reader, especially as a young child during crucial stages of brain development, our lives change:
We become learners — Reading helps us learn much more beyond how to understand words on a page. Through reading we learn new vocabulary, critical thinking, writing skills, self-expression, self-awareness, curiosity, and so much more.
We become empathetic — Through reading we experience the world in new and exciting ways. When we read stories about people different from ourselves, we come to understand different cultures, people, and life experiences a little bit more, allowing us to extend empathy to those we perceive as “different.”
We become advocates for ourselves and our futures – Through reading people build their vocabulary and abilities of self-expression, with increased self-confidence we are empowered to ensure our community has access to the best educational opportunities available.
We are an organization that brings words alive! We place caring adults in classrooms and create environments where learning is fun and exciting. Through engaging activities, we guide program participants to make connections between the books we read together, themselves, and the world around them. We promote a back and forth dialogue in all of our programs, ensuring that each participant has a voice.
Simply put, Words Alive changes the story of your life. Whether you are a donor, volunteer, participant, or all the above, Words Alive has a meaningful impact on your life story. Follow the links below to learn what becoming a reader looks like in each of our programs.
Words Alive’s Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility
Adopted by the Words Alive Board of Directors on May 18th, 2021
Reading has the power to change the world. A book helps you understand the story of someone different than you. At the same time, stories have the power to reflect our own experiences back at us and tell us: We are not alone.
Words Alive values your life experiences, cultural background, family and loved ones, gender identity, faith and beliefs, socio-economic status, where you live, education, abilities, and talents. We are a compassionate community—one where you are respected, cherished, and celebrated.
At Words Alive, representation matters. We are committed to reflecting the lived experiences of our community in our programming and curriculum; governance and policies; leadership, staff, and volunteers; partnerships and collaborations; and through the work we do every day to advance our mission.
Reading has the power to change the world, but only when we bring our words alive with our actions.
Volunteer Round Up
A report on the demography of words alive’s volunteer base
In 2021, Words Alive launched the Volunteer Round Up, a quarterly report to update stakeholders on trends in volunteer recruitment for the organization. Our volunteer corps reflect five generations, with ever changing gender, racial, and educational diversity. The reports below include recommendations, reflections, and thoughts on our growing edge—that is the space where we believe we have the strongest potential to grow and meet our organizational Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (I.D.E.A) goals.