Weekly Elixir - Week of July 23, 2007

Literacy

Literacy is a global challenge. Rotary International this year emphasizes the importance of literacy and the importance of clubs getting involved in literacy projects.




What can the Parry Sound Club do to promote Literacy?

A couple of years ago, the club donated books to fill the library at the high school in Anguilla. Perhaps volunteering – keeping in mind the theme for 2007-08 “Rotary Shares” – would be beneficial.

From the RI website, here is some information on Volunteering for Literacy Projects.


Volunteering

Service-minded Rotarians love hands-on projects like volunteering as reading tutors or mentors.

“Volunteering in existing tutoring or mentoring programs is one of the most effective and rewarding projects clubs can do,” says David Plater, a program coordinator at Rotary International who specializes in literacy. “Both volunteers and students benefit from the interaction, and all it really requires is time.”

Your club’s community service or literacy coordinator can serve as a liaison to the community and seek out opportunities for tutoring. Clubs also can work with local affiliates of the International Reading Association to get project ideas and contacts.


Literacy projects

Literacy projects allow Rotarians to make a creative contribution to building communities, reducing poverty, and opening opportunities for those in need.

According to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization), 98% of the world’s illiterate population is in developing countries. There are roughly 137 million school age children who are illiterate around the world. Sadly, over 64% of all illiterate people in the world today are women and girls.

So, “What can my club do to make a positive difference,” you may ask?
Perhaps you can invite a guest speaker to discuss literacy and education issues that are important in your community, or plan a community awareness campaign to promote literacy.

The important question to answer today is simply this, does my club have a Literacy Committee to plan and coordinate literacy projects and activities during the year? If yes…Super! If no…Now is the best time to get started.


Let’s Get Involved

Let’s get involved with hands-on projects in our local club. The community – the wonderful town of Parry Sound – will benefit.