The Feelings I'll Remember

Welcome to the second edition of our summer internship series! Today we are honored to share reflections written by Katya Barrett. Katya recently finished her freshman year at Brown University where she is thinking of majoring in education and comparative literature. She took a gap year between high school and college and spent 10 months working for the non-profit organization City Year in an urban middle school in San Antonio Texas. She loves to stay active and is a diehard Red Sox fan (despite growing up in New York!). Here's Katya.

For myself and the six LitCamp interns the past three weeks have been a wonderful whirlwind of getting to know each other and the full-time staff, beginning to plan our curriculum for the summer, and having inspiring meetings with many of LitWorld’s key partners. The days have been filled with interesting and varied work – from taking part in a poetry workshop and learning essential LitWorld songs, to hearing about co-workers' personal journeys in the world of education, and reflecting one-on-one about our hopes and dreams for the summer.

As fantastic as all of these opportunities have been, the standout moment of both this week and the summer for me so far was something entirely different. Earlier this week, the LitCamp interns were introduced to the teenage students who will be working with us throughout the summer as junior LitCamp counselors.

An excited team of LitCamp interns waiting for the subway to Broadway Housing Communities. (From left to right: Will, Adam, Rachael, Ashley, Eve and me, Katya.)

As we waited for the teens, who are from the Harlem community where our LitCamp operates, to meet us at Broadway Housing Communities, I had little idea what to expect. I'd heard stories of the teens and the important mentoring role that they play for the younger learners from our LitCamp directors who have worked with them for the past two years. Having spent much of the past few months looking forward to spending the summer with the children and young adults of Broadway Housing, the moments before our first introductions were filled with much excitement but also many unknowns.

But from the instant they joined our meeting, the teens filled the room with such joy, openness, and maturity. They jumped into our icebreakers, eager to discuss what their favorite cereals were, and as many of them are much more experienced in the ways of LitCamp than we interns, helped to guide us through the “Read-aloud” song.

Once we learned each other’s preferred breakfast cereal, we paired up (one intern with one teen counselor) to connect on a deeper level as we discussed our understandings of moving quotes by people such as Maya Angelou.

When we were presented with Maya’s powerful words, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel,” the room quickly filled with beautiful conversations about role models, encouragement, and how we can all embody these words this summer.

The work that we have been doing up until this point, figuring out how to work as a team and planning the logistics of classes and field trips, is hugely important. But for me, it was these discussions with the teens that gave the work real context. Their excitement, expertise, and thoughtfulness made returning to lesson planning the next day feel that much more meaningful, and even just meeting the teen counselors made the upcoming LitCamp begin to feel very real.  And that is very, very exciting.

5 Ways to Write On the Go

Summer. A time to explore, to wander, to travel, to visit friends and family. But also a time for reflection, for capturing moments and flexing and building strong writing muscles. Luckily writing is a naturally portable activity that fits into a busy schedule. Here are 5 tips that you can use to nurture your child's writing life this summer.

1. Take written pictures.

Make the age-old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" literal. This summer as you and your child are snapping pictures of people and places with your iPhone, have him capture moments with his words too. Travel with a pocket-sized inspiration notebook (or iPad, sketch pad, anything goes!) and take time - it doesn't need to be more than five or ten minutes - to have your child sit in a grassy spot and write down everything he sees, smells, feels and thinks about what it is he is seeing in that moment. Who is with him? What one thing does he want to remember about this moment years from now? Have him write down his stream of thoughts freely and encourage him to add illustrations too!

2. Breathe in stories, breathe out new ideas.

Writing is even more powerful when it is connected meaningfully to reading. Don't let finishing a book be the end of the story, show your child that sharing her own thoughts and ideas about what she's read is just as important as reading itself. A great way to do this when you're on the go is to have your child send a postcard or an email recommending the book to a friend or family member. Have her write both why she loved the book and why she is recommending the book to this particular person. Additionally she can write to someone she knows who has already read the book to compare notes on the characters and big ideas.

3. Embrace the live tweet.

Twitter is a fun way to share experiences and ideas with a real audience in real-time. Writing micro-stories is an art, and practicing to cull many thoughts down to a core, essential main idea is such a valuable skill to practice from an early age. If you worry about privacy and controlling your child's access to the internet you can create a locked account so that you can control who sees the content. Alternatively, you can do this exercise by writing on small slips of paper and posting them in the home (or on the back of a car seat).

Start by exploring how Twitter works and read through some tweets together so that your child gets a sense of how it all works. Then let your child's creativity reign! Perhaps he'll want to tweet the top five things he learned at the Natural History Museum, or the best places that someone new to his city should visit, or the books from his summer reading list that every kid should read. Encourage the tweets to be idea and opinion-based so that he practices using his voice to tell the world what he stands for, what he is curious about and what he loves.

4. Simply remember your favorite things.

Literacy is reading, writing, listening and speaking. These skills are meant to play off each other and develop best not in isolation from each other but through activities that incorporate them all. A great way to do this is to have your child interview friends and family about his favorite moments from the past week, month or years. The process of reminiscing and self-reflection gives your child time to re-experience those joyful moments and think deeply about what he learned about himself and others. Have him write down these moments and a list of questions to ask family and friends who experienced each event with him. Seeking out other perspectives will bring even richer insight into these hall of fame moments. Your child may ask each interviewee how they remember a particular event or have them describe an experience in three words. At the end of the exercise you will have precious transcripts of your family history.

5. Found poetry: the travel game.

Bring road signs to live on your next car ride, airport visit or walk around town. Get in the habit of never leaving the house without that pocket-sized inspiration notebook and a pen or pencil. Have your child jot down words from all of the signs you pass on your travels. When she has about a paragraph's worth have her go back and underline the words that stand out the most to her. She will then re-write all the underlined words on the next page to create a "found poem" that will most likely read like a mad lib and what's more fun than that?

5 Ways to Reach Reluctant Writers

Although our LitWorld staff is full of voracious readers, this characterization is not one that all of us would have claimed as children. One of the reasons we believe so passionately in every child's ability to become a lifelong reader, is because we've experienced reading transformations ourselves. While feeling reluctance to read is frustrating for a child, and for parents and teachers, the good news is that it's not permanent. One important thing to remember is that it matters just as much (if not more) to talk to a child about "why" we read rather than focusing only on the mechanics of "how" to read. Here are five shifts to make in your home reading environment to reach out to your reluctant reader.

1. Be a listener, a coach and a mentor.

Sometimes, despite our best intentions, the reading "strategies" we test and try to make reading fun for children fail because we forget to start by asking a child for his own ideas. To reach a child as a reader we must first understand what is getting in the way. Is it that he is embarrassed to be seen reading a book that is "babyish" compared to friends who are reading at a more advanced level? Make it clear that every reader is different and praise and affirm his reading choices. Consider using an e-reader or decorating funky book covers, and carve out lots of independent reading time at home.

Perhaps your child isn't connecting with the content of what he is reading but feels stopping midway through would get him in trouble. Whatever the reason, make it clear to your child that you are on their team, that reading is meant to bring him joy and adventure. Have an honest conversation to get to the root of the issue and then work together to think of fun ways to fight back against their reading road blocks. We guarantee that your child will come up with amazing, creative, reasonable and fast-acting ideas.

2. Make reading social.

A feeling of isolation is a common reason that children push back when asked to read. So often reading is identified as a solitary activity that keeps them from being in the company of family and friends. Make a nook in your house that is close to the main action, but designated for reading. You can also form a reading group of friends that convenes weekly and gives children the chance to talk about books, share reading-related experiences, and ideas and opinions about what they are reading. Not only is the act of talking about reading critically important, you will also be facilitating peer-to-peer mentorship. Your child will be inspired and curious to read kid-recommended books and all will find common ground as readers.

3. Read aloud. Read aloud. Read aloud.

Reading aloud is so valuable and so powerful. It truly is the key to cementing a lifelong love of story and storytelling. Read aloud daily and never stop, even when your children are older. You don't always have to be the reader, of course. Have your child read aloud to you, have an audio book read aloud to the whole family during longer road trips. Reading aloud is a gift that you can give your child. A gift that allows him to read above his level and encounter new words. Studies have shown that reading aloud to kids every day will put them a year ahead of kids who are not read aloud to daily, regardless of socioeconomic circumstances. What a powerful, powerful gift.

4. Seek out the stories of strong readers.

Being a reader makes your child part of a huge, worldwide literacy club. A club full of diverse members who your child may not even think about as a reader. LeBron James reads in the locker room before a big game. Astronauts orbiting the Earth pack books in their "space" luggage. Crossing guards, firefighters, grandpas, and so many more all belong to the global literacy club. Have your child interview family members and community members about reading. What are there favorite books to read? When do they like to read? What do they NOT like to read? What is their favorite reading memory? Come up with a list of questions that covers all of your child's curiosities and then start interviewing! Everyone loves to know that their story is valued and that someone is interested in their life stories and experiences, so it will be a wonderful treat for the interviewee too!

5. Find unconventional things to read.

Reading is so much more than traditional novels and picture books. We read newspapers, blogs, cookbooks, even the narration of video games. Often our own reading lives are somewhat hidden from our children because it happens in our heads. Call attention to all of the different ways you read throughout the day. Find kid friendly news sites online, kid blogs and even emails from family members.

LitWorld Through the Eyes of Our Summer Interns

The arrival of summer and the LitCamp season also brought 8 Summer interns into the LitWorld office here in New York. We want you to get to know these brilliant young leaders, so we've asked each of  them to take a turn sharing their LitWorld experience. Our trailblazer is Melissa Aybar, a recent graduate of Amherst College. Melissa majored in Psychology and French and plans to pursue a career in the field of education. She has spent the past four years working with a special needs facility in the Dominican Republic and will be moving to Boston (her hometown!) this fall to start teaching. And with that we are honored to welcome our guest blogger, Melissa!

Right now my brain is on what I’m calling “information overload.” I have spent a lot of time figuring out what exactly LitWorld does as a whole - figuring out what the people who make up the organization do, and how it all functions together. This is hard to do in two short weeks but it is really incredible how the staff here has taken the time to sit with me and tell me exactly what they do, what they’re thinking about for upcoming projects, and genuinely ask me what I want to learn and how I want to get involved.

It isn’t typical to start a summer internship and have the people working there take a high interest in what it is you want and what it is they can do for your learning experience. These last few months I have been thinking about what my role as an educator is going to look like next year because it’s a little scary! Being able to share the skills I want to gain and being able to step back and see how everyone else views learning has been incredibly helpful and a highlight of my week.

Here I am (on the left) with my fellow Research & Development Intern, Isabelle! We're in the middle of planning a summer LitFest at the Polo Grounds Community Center in Harlem!

All of the people that LitWorld has connected me to since the beginning of the internship have been my high point. Meeting some of LitWorld's longtime friends and partners and getting to know my fellow interns has allowed me to hear the stories and journeys that led them to the organization. Everyone has a different narrative and we all have different passions and hopes, but we all connected to LitWorld and we all identify with its mission.

This week the LitWorld Summer Interns had an inspiring meeting with Jeremy Kohomban, President & CEO of LitWorld's longtime partner organization, The Children's Village.

​Starting the internship with people so knowledgeable about education, literacy, community involvement, teaching, youth, and other amazing things in and out of New York was an inspiring way to start us off. These last two weeks brought on a new appreciation for the work I am so passionate about because I see the many ways people are putting in their time, effort and skills to connect to other people and really push for change.

I had absolutely loved reading aloud with the Power Women Moms LitClub of Kibera, Kenya over Skype.

This summer I am excited to continue learning about this organization and be a useful part of the team. I can’t wait to get both the experience of seeing the inner-workings of such an influential non-profit and the chance to work directly with the children and families that are part of LitWorld programs. I have already learned a ton of things that I can take with me into the classroom (shooting stars for EVERYONE!) and am most looking forward to seeing how all of the new and wonderful ideas I have been hearing about unfold.

Stories Are Not for Sale

In her latest blog for The Huffington Post, LitWorld's Founder, Pam Allyn, addresses the importance of integrity in the humanitarian field. She stands in fierce opposition to activists, foundations, journalists and non-profits who claim that manipulating individual stories is okay when it "helps" people. Sharing inauthentic stories is never okay. At LitWorld we take a tremendous amount of care with the authenticity of stories and storytelling. We cherish those stories, and we protect and defend them. The truth in them is the beacon of hope that every child has. Taking that away harms all the work that non-profits do and puts at risk all the true stories that need to be told.

Please read and share Pam's piece: http://huff.to/1v5t5sz.

5 Ways to Use Technology for Family Storytelling

Technology has dramatically changed the way we communicate, create and collaborate with each other. It makes our world more connected and amplifies individual stories. And yet keeping up with the latest apps and gadgets and learning how to use them can feel intimidating and overwhelming. One of the things we love the most about technology and the digital age is that it encourages us all to be curious, forever learners. Embracing technology and experimenting with new devices and platforms in your home makes you and your child co-learners. It is okay not to know everything. It is liberating for your child to see you as both a learner and a teacher and above all an open-minded explorer. Here are five ways to use technology for family storytelling.

1. Make visual literacy meaningful.

Learning how to tell a story through a photo, and how to see the story within a photo is an important part of literacy. A fun way to incorporate visual literacy and technology is to use some of the great photo sharing apps to give out positive affirmation. LitWorld's Story21 Family LitClub uses 23snaps to express love and praise within families. Every week families take portraits of each member and caption the photo with one nice thing about that person or one thing they did well that week. At the end of the program we'll be printing photo books of their pictures and writing using the app. It is important to publish and celebrate the artistry and thoughtful work you are doing as a family, and the photo book captures precious moments in your family's narrative.

2. Decide what you stand for.

At LitWorld we are constantly thinking about our mission statement and core values. What are we "for"? What change do we want to see in the world and what practices and mindsets define who we are as an organization? This practice is a valuable exercise to do as a family. Defining together what you value and believe in is an important process to go through as a family. Your resulting mission statement or core values will provide touchstones for your child as he navigates the world.

A great app that we've found for this type of activity is CloudArt. It's an app for making word clouds and for brainstorming. Use it to think together about a concept or big idea. We have found that this visual way of writing really brings kids with varied interests, strengths and needs together. Start by making a family word cloud about each of your core values. This way each family member can share their personal understanding of every value. Don't forget to come back to these word clouds regularly to review, revise and to talk about the specific ways that everyone is exemplifying the core value.

3. Collect and share inspiration.

The internet gives us the extraordinary opportunity to learn from people around the world and to benefit from their experiences, creations, and wonderings. Of course it is also an opportunity to share our own inspiration and ideas out into the world. Pinterest is a great way to curate all of this inspiration. If you're unfamiliar with this platform, it is a website that allows you to create digital bulletin boards by "pinning" images, quotes, articles and more to your personal Pinterest page.

Open a family account and create some categories together that you will "pin" artifacts to as you come across them. For example, you may choose to make inspiration boards titled, "Places we want to explore;" "Things that make us laugh;" "Books we love;" "People we care about." Make sure you come together as a family regularly to review new additions to each board so that you and your child can share what it was about a particular quote or image that inspired you to pin it to a particular board.

4. Imagine and create together.

Not all family storytelling has to be non-fiction. Writing together is a wonderful way to explore curiosities and to learn about each member's creative process. Of course the stories you create can be based on real experiences, but they do not have to be. There are some great apps that can structure the writing process and bring your stories to life. We love Toontastic, an app we've used in our Story21 program to write superhero stories, and stories of friendship. This app teaches elements of story (character, setting, plot, build, resolution, mood/tone) in a really fun way. Once you finish recording and creating your story, you can play it as a movie too.

We also love Scribble My Story, which is a storybook creating app. The families of our Story21 program appreciate the freedom the app gives them to create whatever they can think up. It's also great to use with younger children because it has story templates where children can add elements to a pre-written story such as key words and their own illustrations.

5. Go offline. 

Technology and the internet do not have to be synonymous. While it's wonderful that we have the power to share everything that we create, not everything belongs online. Use a video camera (or your iPhone or tablet) to record family interviews. Have each member take time to think about the questions that they are really curious about and then hit record. Make it truly inter-generational by involving grandparents, great-aunts and even lifelong family friends. Have a private viewing party and debrief afterwards by talking about what was the most surprising thing that each family member learned, and what their favorite and least favorite part about the experience was.

Remembering A Beloved Friend of LitWorld

At LitWorld we are privileged to be surrounded by extraordinary girls and boys, women and men. These individuals inspire us and it is an honor to work hand-in-hand to create a future where every child has a safe space to learn. One of these passionate and compassionate kindred spirits that we had the absolute honor to know and to love was Elinor Ratner and last week we were saddened to learn of her passing. 

Elinor was a member of LitWorld's Advisory Council and a founding member of our Gala Committee. We join with our extended LitWorld family to celebrate Elinor and all she accomplished in her 94 years. We will forever remember this inspiring, generous and fiery woman through her daily embodiment of LitWorld's guiding principles, our 7 Strengths.

Elinor Ratner (third from left) at the LitWorld Gala 2013 celebrating with members of the LitWorld team and Gala Committee.