Tuesday, June 28, 2011

500 Books Wow!

(Feedback from school children in Detroit)

“Thank you for the book. That is some good book.” –Elijah

“I’m a bookworm. 500 books, wow! Thanks I can’t wait to read it. I love to read! Thanks for give us all of the books. I love the books.” –Janelle

“Thank you Reader to Reader for the books! They will take me to college.” –Elivana

“I love that you send people books and you are nice. I love books. Thanks. P.S. You are making me smarter!” –A’Niya

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

15,000 More Books for the Navajo Nation Library

Reader to Reader volunteer Maypaz Goldstein and summer intern Emily Norman stand next to the latest batch of books for the Navajo Nation Library Book Drive.

The book drive has collected 15,000 books this year for all ages and brings the total collected for the Navajo Nation Library to date to 45,000 books.

The Navajo Nation Library Book Drive is collecting 100,000 books and 100 computers for the Navajo Nation Library. The Navajo Nation Library serves the 27,000 sq. mile Navajo Nation in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Amidst Tragedy, A Helping Book

Dear Mr. Mazor and Reader to Reader,

On June 1, 2011 Monson was devastated by an F-3 tornado that not only destroyed much of Main Street center, but many homes and community streets. Many of our schools’ students and families have been displaced due to their homes being destroyed or damaged.

Losing everything they have, they are living in a variety of settings as they pick up the pieces and start to rebuild.

Reader to Reader has graciously donated hundreds of books to not only the elementary and middle school libraries, but also has provided many books to those students who had lost all their books due to the effects of the tornado. These books will give them the opportunity to take a little time out and get “lost” in an out-of-this-world fantasy, a thrilling adventure or even a riveting mystery.

There is a need in Monson and Reader to Reader offered a helping “book."

Sincerely,

Cheryl A. Clarke
Principal
Granite Valley Middle School
Monson, Massachusetts

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Care Center Students Visit and Get Lots of Books

Teen mothers taking the Humanities 108 class at The Care Center in Holyoke, MA, celebrated their completion of the course with a visit to Reader to Reader to pick out lots of books for themselves and their children. The young women filled bag after bag with a wide variety of books.

Dear Reader to Reader,

THANK YOU so much for our fabulous visit yesterday to Reader to Reader. The girls had a great time exploring your shelves and came away with armfuls of books. It was wonderful to see them so excited and full of joy about their finds! You made five young women (and their children) very happy.

Thanks, as always, for your support of The Care Center and of Humanities 108 in particular.

Yours,
Anita Gallers
The Care Center
Holyoke, MA

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Podcasts for Peace to Empower Youth in Nicaragua

Who could be more powerless than the children living at the municipal dump in Managua, Nicaragua?

One young college graduate has a plan to make their voices heard.

Reader to Reader is proud to support the Podcasts for Peace project, a recipient of the prestigious 100 Projects for Peace funding. The project received a grant of $10,000 from the Davis UWC Scholars Program to create a radio and digital storytelling program for youth who live in and around the municipal dump in Managua, Nicaragua.

Beginning June 2011, the program will teach media literacy and empower disadvantaged youth to tell their stories digitally, from brainstorm to final edit. By sharing personal and collective stories, they will foster dialogue about critical issues in their community.

The central component of Podcasts for Peace is its Youth Media Program, which promotes media literacy and production skills, social justice values, community connections, and leadership. Supported by local community leaders and volunteers from the United States, youth participants produce their own digital stories and radio diaries, learning hands-on skills in audio-visual technology, interview and narrative techniques, and digital editing.

Podcasts for Peace staff provide two hours of daily instruction and personalized coaching four days per week, in addition to weekly workshops led by guest instructors. Participants are encouraged to exchange feedback with their peers as they develop their own projects from brainstorm to final edit. Completed projects are screened at community meetings and posted on this the Podcast for Peace website podcastsforpeace.weebly.com to support broader conversations about the issues they raise.

The project is the inspiration of Mika Kie Weissbuch, a recent graduate of Mount Holyoke College, Mika spent a semester abroad in Nicaragua researching privatization and the nonprofit culture in and around the municipal dump in Acahualinca, Managua. She worked with local community leaders in Acahualinca, many of whom are now involved with Podcasts for Peace. She and Yamileth PĂ©rez developed a vision of empowering youth through the digital storytelling process. The Davis Project for Peace award allowed the vision to become reality as Podcasts for Peace. Mika received training in digital storytelling at the Center for Digital Storytelling and from NPR reporter, Nancy Eve Cohen.

Reader to Reader is helping Podcasts for Peace with their fundraising, as their budget exceeds the $10,000 grant, and is donating books and computers to boost their resources.