Read Out Loud! Empowering Children, One Story at a Time.

Imagine being 5 and having no one read out a book to you? 

You love the picture of the elephant on it but you are little so you can’t read the big words yet. You want to know what he is saying to the tree. You could read some of it but now have forgotten those words since school has been closed for 18 months now. You don’t have a phone or TV. You cannot meet your friends. You feel stuck and bored and can’t see a way out. You are only 5, you see? And this is a very complex problem. 

Nearly 247 million primary and secondary school children across India have been impacted due to school closures. Children are stuck at home. They have had little to no learning for 18 months and for primary age students even lesser as device penetration is very rare for this age group in lower socio-economic communities. Therefore, they also have little means to learn, have fun or discover new things. Younger children have not just faced disruptions in their academic learning but also in social interactions, routine, a sense of well-being and safety. 

With continued disruptions, schools may not reopen in a sustainable manner any soon.

The government school-going children in Goa come from some of the most vulnerable communities in India. Their parents serve as migrant workers, farmers or daily wage earners who do not have the luxury to spend time with them as they have to step out to work every day. There are not many alternative community spaces where children could continue to access socialising, learning and opportunities to discover, grow and have fun!

"Sometimes reality is too complex. Stories give it form." --Jean Luc Godard

We want to harness the power of communities and storytelling to support children, their wellbeing and learning.

Why?

Simply put, our children deserve this. They deserve much more but this is definitely what they need right now. They need the adults to show up for them and there’s no better way than storytelling. Storytelling is known to create a sense of community and wellbeing. It helps children make meaning of life and creates purpose. It establishes a routine and engages their brain and senses. Above all, it inspires them to discover and lets them have fun without holding them accountable! It sets them free when everything around them is restrictive. 

What?

Read alouds!

A read-aloud session is an activity where a storybook is read out loud to a group of kids by an adult. 

Read-aloud sessions are a recommended form of engaging children as they allow them to develop an interest in reading. They help them discover new things, instil a sense of hope and encourage imagination. Read alouds don’t expect anything from them but are entertaining and can also help them learn new words and sounds.

Reading aloud has been proven to enhance understanding of sounds, enhancement of vocabulary and increased listening skills thus paving the way for independent learning. A 2017 read-aloud program - Words Alive, conducted with over 4,300 students from kindergarten to grade 3, resulted in better foundational literacy skills in students, with over 96% of teachers reporting vocabulary development and increased knowledge of literary terms and approximately, 95% of the teachers reported an increase in student interest in reading. 

How?

Step 1: AQEF team will identify volunteers and interested schools in Goa. Sessions will be conducted to prepare the volunteers on how to facilitate read-alouds in a safe and effective manner by Liferarians Association team. Work will also be undertaken to ensure that the right kind of books are available for the read aloud sessions to be conducted which will be collected and transported to and within Goa. 

Step 2: Connecting volunteers with children in schools and/or village community spaces and getting them started with their sessions. Steps will be taken to ensure that safety protocols are adhered to.

Step 3: The AQEF team will monitor progress and support the volunteers through weekly check-ins to ensure the read alouds are having their intended impact on students. A peer learning community of volunteers will also be developed through this process.

Students who have missed out on schooling for more than 18 months will be engaged in their education and continue learning through read-alouds and mentoring, thus supporting their language skills and providing a source of social-emotional well-being for students.

Your contribution to the  read-aloud sessions will impact children’s learning and well-being in the following ways:

Children will 

- understand written language read aloud

- learn to read with understanding by themselves 

- tell stories to each other 

- increase their vocabulary 

- become independent learners