Reading Village

Maribél is a Success!

Watch Maribél delight a group of children in a story and then beam with pride as she shares her feelings of success.

Learning Journey July 2010

Nancy plays the role of the Cat as Luis reads The Little Red Hen to the kids.











Craig acts out animals and Rosmery invites the children to join in.











Carlos prepares Ryan and Angela for their parts in his puppet show.










Alice checks her Spanish dictionary as she engages Olivia, Rosmery and Maribel in conversation.











Enjoying a visit with Luis and his family at their home.











Alice tries her hand at weaving.











Larry and Julio Cesar joking with each other.











Rona and Maribel concentrate in a team-building game of spider web.











All together.

Latin American Heritage Camp

 

Last weekend Reading Village joined the one hundred ten families gathered at the YMCA's Snow Mountain Ranch in Fraser, Colorado for Latin American Heritage Camp.

It's three days of fun and learning for families with children adopted from Latin America.

The children got things started as they marched in by country, waving flags and proudly representing their countries of origin as parents clapped and cheered.

Parents enjoyed workshops on making empanadas, salsa dancing, planning a quinceañera celebration, and other topics specific to adoption while children participated in soccer games, did arts and crafts, had fun with Spanish, got out in nature and much more.

Our founder, Linda Smith, led a workshop for parents sharing Latin American Storybooks to include in their libraries. Parents found the Resource Guide we provided to be very helpful. You can download it here.   

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3210 15th St, Boulder, CO 80304 303-883-2822

Shop Online to Benefit Reading Village

Shop online at your favorite stores and a percentage of each purchase will be donated to Reading Village! 

More than 600 top stores are participating including Amazon, Expedia,Target, Staples, Best Buy, iTunes and more.

It's super easy!

1. Click on the GoodShop.com button below. 
2. Type "Reading Village" in the box titled Who Do You GoodShop For?
3. Choose your store and shop on their site just as you normally would.

Happy shopping and thanks for thinking of Reading Village!

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3210 15th Street, Boulder, CO 80304  303-883-2822

An Inspiring Guatemalan Father

Fifteen years ago, in the agricultural town of Concepción, Don Martín's eldest son Rufino asked permission to enroll in high school. Having only an elementary school education himself, Don Martín considered students to be lazy good-for-nothings who were only looking to escape hard physical labor in the fields. And no one in Concepción at that time even had a high school diploma. But he begrudgingly allowed Rufino to continue his studies on the condition that he keep up his obligations at home.

So every day Rufino got up before the sun to work the land with his father until noon, grabbed a couple of tortillas for lunch and then walked an hour to school. After school he walked an hour home, did his chores, ate a bit of supper and at ten o'clock finally had some time for his homework. He did this day in and day out, and his friends thought him crazy. But it paid off for him as he is now a professional manager working for an international microcredit organization, and here's the really good part...

Don Martín -- the one who thought students were lazy good-for-nothings -- now willingly sends his daughter, yes his daughter, to high school. Her name is Marcela and she's also one of our star reading promoters.

Because of Don Martín's ability to change, Marcela has the opportunity to fulfill her potential. She is growing into a capable community leader, and she is bringing books and a love of reading to the children in her community, giving them the opportunity to fulfill their potential. One day she will do the same for her children.

I've always believed it takes just one person to make a difference. Don Martín has proved it's true.

Join Don Martín in making a difference. Honor a dad for Father's Day with a gift to Reading Village. 

If you make your donation on Wednesday, June 16, GlobalGiving will match it 50%. Donate by clicking here on June 16th.

To donate any other day click here, or simply send a check to Reading Village, 3210 15th St, Boulder, CO 80304.

Don Martin and his family

 Marcela puts bunny ears on a child for story hour

 

Sprouting a New Generation of Readers

I have great news! Olivia, one of our teen reading promoters, just told me that she has seen the small children at the local daycare center, where she and the other teens in our program are regularly reading stories, imitating the teens.

One these little ones will stand up in front of the others, introduce him- or herself (using the name of one of the actual teens), ask the others if they'd like to hear a story and start off, "Once upon a time..."

Kids mimic the adults in their lives. Here in Guatemala they play act at carrying babies and working the fields. With this bit of news I can see that we're being successful at introducing new role models, behaviors, interests and aspirations -- all around reading.

See Olivia and our other teens in this video as they bring the joy of reading to the kids in their community.

And consider joining us in July on our Learning Journey and witness these inspiring moments first hand.

Reading Aloud to Children

Reading Aloud to Children

In 1985 a US Department of Education Commission on Reading shared the 

results of 10,000 research projects done over 25 years to get at the core of 

what really works in terms of turning kids into skilled readers. Among its 

primary findings was this:

"The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for 

eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children."

Notice they didn't single out Baby Einstein or flash cards, phonics, homework

or worksheets. They discovered that reading aloud to children, both at home 

and at school -- even after they can read for themselves -- was the 

greatest predictor of success. 

I am encouraged by this finding because reading aloud to children is the 

core of our work in Guatemala. Kids love to be read to, and the more they 

associate reading with fun, the more they read. The more they read, the 

better they get at it. The better they get at it the more they like it...This is 

our engine for developing a culture of reading in Guatemala.

So please (1) read to the children in your life and (2) continue supporting us 

as we encourage the same in impoverished communities where books are 

scarce and illiteracy is rampant.

A Book for You

Reading Village will receive all the royalties earned in the first six months of

sales of the book Standing in the Fire: Leading High Heat Meetings with

Clarity, Calm and Courage by Larry Dressler. It's perfect for a wide 

variety of readers including managers, facilitators, mediators, community 

activists, teachers,clergy -- anyone, really, who finds themselves leading a 

meeting. If you are interested in purchasing a copy you can do so by going 

to standinginthefire.com. Please share this link with friends and 

colleagues who might also be interested.

Thank you for all you do to bring the joy of reading to children,

Linda

Reading Village Off to a Great Start in 2010

Daniel Guzmán, our In-Country Coordinator, welcomed parents and promoters. Nearly every teen had at least one parent present -- a big sacrifice on the part of the parents who have much work to do and an important show of support for their sons and daughters and for our program.
Laura's parents returned a little later to present Daniel and me each with a large bunch of onions, carrots and squash freshly picked from their fields in thanks for our work.

 
After the parents left we played some team-building games and broke the ice. I was very impressed with how quickly and skillfully our returning youth stepped into leadership roles.

Rosmery (returning from last year) presented each new promoter with their Reading Village book bag. Their faces and posture visibly change to reflect the pride they feel in this moment, and I received many heartfelt "Gracias."
We closed with a candle lighting ceremony to symbolize each one taking the light of literacy out into the community. I am impressed and inspired by the goals they set for themselves and their dedication to their futures, their community and this work.

Me and the gang (minus one, Marcela was down with the flu.)

 

 

  

Eight Remarkable Teens

Eight remarkable teens will join the 2010 Reading Village team of reading promoters. Living in an agricultural community they came to their interviews having quickly spruced up from their work in the fields. Some came with wet hair, others picking dirt from under their fingernails, and all in their best clothes. They told me of their dreams and how hard they struggle to accomplish things that are just handed to us in the US, like K-12 education. Here's a bit of what I learned about them...

Victor Saminez Cosiguá: This charming boy loves to talk! Though his parents didn't complete elementary school, he wants to be a teacher, and I think he'll make a great one. His work with Reading Village will be good preparation for him.
 
Johana Sequec Cos: She was a shoe-in for next year as she participated alongside our reading promoters  all this year without receiving one centavo in scholarship funds.

Maribel Juracán Solís: This sixteen-year-old's face completely lights up when she talks about how much she has learned already in the workshops associated with our selection process and can't wait to begin reading to children.

Olivia Lopic Tos: She didn't make the cut in 2009 because she was just so painfully introverted. But she has been watching her sister Rosmery in our program and attended some of our workshops. She has come out of that shell!

Luís Xitamul Balam: He nearly cried as he told me he failed a year of school for lack of the $1 daily bus fare to get to class, yet he hasn't given up on his dream of becoming a music teacher.

Carlos Juracán y Juracán: He's one of those thoughtful quiet types -- you can see it in his eyes, can't you? He's got a talent for taking things apart, wants to become a mechanic and open a shop in his town.

Laura Bocel Lopic: The youngest of five siblings (none of them educated), she stood up to her father and told him she wanted to study. This girl's got determination! 

Antonio Coxolcá Sequec: Eleven people live in his very humble adobe home. He wants to become a professional so he can help his family. 

Expressions of Gratitude

At the end of our time together we held a candle lighting ceremony. The reading promoters each lit and candle from a central white one. In Maya cosmology this symbolizes the light of life, which for us is literacy. They then each lit the candle of a volunteer, sharing a few words to express their gratitude, and the volunteers responded in kind. There wasn't a dry eye in the house.