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The Igniting Superhero Readers internship will continue throughout the school year

The Igniting Superhero Readers internship will continue throughout the school year, thanks to a grant from the City of Asheville! The interns will support elementary-age students in the Youth Transformed for Life and Christine W. Avery Learning Center after-school programs.

This is an exciting opportunity to support young adults in the Asheville community as they build their knowledge and skills. The interns will provide 1:1 reading tutoring to the children participating in the after-school programs.

 The Igniting Superhero Readers internship emphasizes recruiting youth of color for paid internships to serve as tutors. Recent research documents that students of color taught by those who share their identities and cultural backgrounds benefit academically and emotionally (source: Teach for America, June 2019). 

 
In the 2021 summer program, the bond between the interns and campers was almost instantaneous, and the results were encouraging. The campers received pre-and post-tests conducted by Title I Reading Specialists from Asheville City Schools, using the same tools used during the school year. Of the campers who completed both the pre-and post-tests, 41 out of 44 (93%) improved their test scores in at least one literacy area.
 
The experience is beneficial to the interns/tutors as well. They learn a new skill, gain the experience of a summer job, have an opportunity to “give back” to the community, and receive letters of recommendation. Once a week, they attend professional development sessions on interview skills, financial literacy, and how to describe the intern experience in college essays and resumes. Read more about their experiences participating in the internship.

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The Youth Literacy Program wrapped up the summer program Igniting Superhero Readers!

Igniting Superhero Readers summer programThe Youth Literacy Program wrapped up an 8-week summer program, Igniting Superhero Readers, in August! Twenty-six interns, young adults in the Asheville community, supported elementary students with 1:1 literacy instruction. Over 75 students participating in the Youth Transformed for Life and Christine W. Avery Learning Center summer camp programs received tutoring services to strengthen literacy skills and a love for reading!

Here is what some of the interns shared about what they learned from their experiences and the ways they saw their students grow:

“My student wanted to title a drawing she made Masterpiece, and she made a great attempt at spelling such a long hard word by herself. “

Igniting Superhero Readers summer program“My student once told me in the most adorable and goofy way, “I can’t read!” but towards the end, when we got farther in his lesson book, he was reading the lines of words very well and could also write words after I say them. Finishing the post-assessment definitely made me proud because I’ve seen my student working hard and I could tell his skills improved.”

Igniting Superhero Readers summer program“This internship contributed to my goals in the future because it has always been my dream to help POC children in the community. I always wanted to be the inspiration I wanted as a kid, and I feel I have done that with this internship.”

Igniting Superhero Readers Summer Camp

 

 

The Youth Literacy Program improves the academic achievement of children from low-income families who struggle with literacy skills.  The project trains tutors who provide free, one-on-one instruction in reading, writing, and spelling.  This program serves approximately 50 students per year (Read Izzy’s success story!). 

Youth Literacy tutors work with children from low-income families who read, write, and/or spell below grade level. Tutors in this program complete an initial orientation and 16-20 hours of training, which includes some pre-course work and/or homework (short articles to read, short videos to watch). They then receive follow-up support and the option to attend in-service training throughout their tutoring commitment.

Tutors in this program work with their students twice per week for 50 minutes each session for at least one school year. Literacy Together has identified two afterschool programs in Asheville to work with their students:  Youth Transformed for Life (YTL) and Christine W. Avery. Learn more about volunteering with this program.

Read these Youth Literacy success stories

 

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María Guadalupe, an ESOL student from Mexico

María Guadalupe is an ESOL student from Mexico
 
María Guadalupe is an ESOL student from Mexico. In this video, she talks about how improving her English has enriched her life and how she can now support her family to navigate her father’s medical appointments. Thank you, Lupita, for sharing your experience!
 

The English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program teaches oral English, reading, and writing to adults who have immigrated to the U.S. from around the world. ESOL is the largest program at Literacy Together, serving approximately 250 students annually. Our students’ most common goals in learning English are to improve their employment prospects, help their children in school, and pass the U.S. Naturalization exam

Each student works with a trained volunteer tutor, either individually or in a small group of ten people. Tutoring takes place for two hours each week at times and locations that are mutually convenient for students and tutors. Tutors may choose to teach one (1) two-hour session or two (2) one-hour sessions each week and may do so online or in person. Sign up online to volunteer.
 

The ESOL Program welcomes volunteers from all over the world. We now have tutors in Florida, New York, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Texas, the UK, and Germany! Read Barbara’s experience tutoring Maryna remotely, or Cecelia’s work from Germany as an ESOL tutor of six students.

Enjoy these ESOL success stories!

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WLOS’s interview with Julie Taylor, the Youth Literacy Program Director

interview with Julie TaylorOn Tuesday, July 19, the City of Asheville’s Housing and Community Development Committee reviewed and made its final recommendations for which organizations should receive funding from the city’s Strategic Partnership Pilot Program to help close the opportunity gapThe Evaluation Committee then sent a list of their top 8 recommended recipients to the Housing and Community Development Committee for review, and Literacy Together is one of them. Here you can read the article and watch the interviewThank you!
 

The Youth Literacy Program improves the academic achievement of children from low-income families who struggle with literacy skills.  The project trains tutors who provide free, one-on-one instruction in reading, writing, and spelling.  This program serves approximately 50 students per year.

Read these Youth Literacy success stories!

This video portrays two of our Youth Literacy students and their tutor. Enjoy it!

 

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Our Igniting Superhero Readers Summer Camp is going strong!

Igniting Superhero Readers Summer CampThe Youth Literacy Program just wrapped-up week five of summer camp! Igniting Superhero Readers Summer Camp is an eight-week program working with fifty-two elementary-age students in the Youth Transformed for Life and the Christine W. Avery Learning Center summer camps. Twenty-six young adult interns received training in phonics-based instruction to work with the students daily to build literacy skills and a love for reading! 
 
Igniting Superhero Readers Summer Camp
The interns also benefit from professional learning opportunities. Joseph Jamison from United Way, Lauren De Haan from the UNC Asheville Career Center, and David Dowd from Bank of Americahave provided workshops for the interns to build their professional knowledge, skills, and experience.
 
 

An abundance of research supports the implementation of community-based summer bridge programs to decrease reading loss, especially for youth from low-resource households. A study published in Reading & Writing Quarterly (2018 34:3, 263-280) demonstrates that a well-designed, community-based summer program can improve literacy skill outcomes for elementary-aged students. 

 Igniting Superhero Readers Summer Camp intentionally emphasized recruiting youth of color for paid internships to serve as tutors. Recent research documents that students of color taught by those who share their identities and cultural backgrounds benefit academically and emotionally (source: Teach for America, June 2019). 

 
In last summer’s program, the bond between the interns and campers was almost instantaneous, and the results were encouraging. The campers received pre-and post-tests conducted by Title I Reading Specialists from Asheville City Schools, using the same tools used during the school year. Of the campers who completed both the pre-and post-tests, 41 out of 44 (93%) improved their test scores in at least one literacy area.
 
Igniting Superhero Readers Summer Camp

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