Room to Read Blog

A Call to Action: Guest Blog by Fifteen-Year-Old Noah Olsen

Noah Olsen is a sophomore at the American School of Paris. After meeting Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Nicholas Kristof and Room to Read Founder John Wood at a special sneak peek of Half the Sky last week, Noah was inspired to write about the role his generation has to play in ensuring girls have equal access to education as a guest blogger for Room to Read. Here are Noah's thoughts.

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Seeing Half the Sky was a big wake up call for me about the oppression of women around the world. It was also inspirational to see the great work being done by Room to Read and other NGO’s in the film.  I was moved by the strength of the human spirit to overcome adversity.   It was amazing to see how passion, commitment and personal force can overcome almost anything.  As a 15-year-old, I was both moved and inspired to action. If all other teenagers could be similarly affected, we could create not only a great force for change but a new generation of leaders—ready to help improve the status of millions of girls and women around the world. 

How can it be done?

First, we need to help teens understand the issue.  I think that through documentaries like Half the Sky and other individual stories spread through social media, we can help spread the word and make the case that something must be done. Second, we need to convince teens that even the biggest and most insurmountable problems can be overcome.  When Mr. Kristof was asked whether overcoming the oppression of women was a task too big to deal with, he admitted that it is hard to tackle, but maintained that with commitment, willpower, and energy it is possible to surmount anything.  To illustrate this point, he cited Jimmy Carter’s crusade to eradicate river blindness, which at the time of his presidency was an overwhelming problem.  Today river blindness is a non-issue.

One of the most interesting aspects of Mr. Kristof’s presentation was Half the Sky’s use of gaming to move people into action. In partnership with Games for Change, Half the Sky is looking to engage an audience that isn’t currently aware of the issues that oppressed women around the world face, in a fun and dynamic way.  Today’s youth is a multimedia generation.  Young people like myself are less likely to sit down to read a 300 page book, or watch a four hour documentary on the oppression of women—we are much more likely to spend hours playing a game on Facebook.

Once Half the Sky and Games for Change have grabbed our attention, each of us must decide how to best support the cause. Students have an important role to play in spreading the word about the injustices that women face around the world. Although adults may have more financial means to help the cause, children and teenagers have the ability to persuade a wide variety of people to donate and get involved (parents, grandparents, friends, etc.).

As an example of what students can do to make a difference, I would like to outline the actions that I’m personally taking to support Room to Read. First, I am working with my school administration to bring about a Room to Read movement at my high school.  Educating girls is at the core of reversing oppression against women.

Second, I will use Facebook to spread the word to friends and family and ask them do the same.  In the past year, we have seen the enormous power of social media to bring about social change in countries like Egypt. 

Third, I would like to raise money for Room to Read and encourage my friends to do so, too.  Room to Read has a remarkable track record in educating girls for only $250 a year.  I’d like to challenge 10 friends to raise $250 each, to allow 10 girls to go to school.  Now that’s real change!  And what better value for money?! 

Fourth, I would like to encourage everyone to watch Half the Sky when it airs on PBS on October 1 and 2.  I plan to host viewing parties at my home as a fun way to spread the word with friends. I know that once people see this documentary, they will understand the issues facing women and be moved to get involved.

It is by creating awareness, that we will inspire action and bring about real change. Not only will we be able to educate women in our lifetime, but we will change the fate of generations to come.  I hope all young people will join me and see how together we can bring about lasting change.

Learn more about how students can get involved with Room to Read.

Aussie Students Sign up to Build a Library in Cambodia, Just in Time for the New Year

This weekend, Cambodia held its annual New Year’s celebration (Chaul Chnam Thmey), and for the students of Pradak Primary School in Siem Reap, the new year will be one filled with hundreds of brand new books.

Starting today, students from primary schools across Australia will come together in a nationwide campaign, the Stubbies Schoolwear World Change Challenge, raising money to build the first-ever library at Pradak Primary.

The campaign kicked off at Ocean Shores Public School, where students raised AU$575 in one day—enough to print 575 local language books to stock the shelves of the soon-to-be-constructed library. To earn the money, students participated in a number of activities, ranging from a mini read-a-thon to a book swap, and one teacher even sponsored a student to keep quiet for the whole day!

Children’s book author Tristan Bancks helped Ocean Shores make a video about the day they spent changing the world (below) to help inspire other schools to get involved. An writer-ambassador for Room to Read, Tristan has even volunteered his own time to the challenge—pledging to hold an exclusive reading and writing workshop with the classroom that raises the most money towards the $20,000 goal.

Good luck to all the schools participating and thanks for being a part of the global movement for education!

Watch the video:

  

Learn more about our work in Cambodia.

Show and Tell: Students Sing for a Cause in California

This post is part of the ongoing series, Show and Tell, where we bring you photos and stories collected by Room to Read team members on the road. 

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Last Saturday, a passionate group of students from Milpitas, California put their talents to the test, hosting a live music performance to raise funds for Room to Read.  Dressed in traditional Indian attire, the group performed at Shirdi Sai Parivar Temple, and shared information about Room to Read's work in between songs. After just 2.5 hours, the students had raised nearly US$4,000!

Kim Vallejo, Room to Read's Community and Youth Outreach Associate, attended the event and brought back these photos of the students in action.

Learn more about our Students Helping Students program.

Student Groups Across Canada Plan “In-Tents” Event to Support Global Literacy

It’s not uncommon to hear university students speak of “living in the library,” but it’s usually meant as a metaphor. This January, though students from 10 campuses across Canada gave the phrase a new meaning, all in the name of literacy.

As part of the annual “Live-in for Literacy” event, students set up camp (tents and all!) in their school libraries and stayed there for an entire week.

Organized by a student organization called DREAM (Discovering the Reality of Educating All Minds), based at Queen’s University, the live-in started in 2006 as a means of raising both funds for Room to Read’s programs and awareness of illiteracy worldwide. This year’s live-in included campers from Queen’s University, Laurentian University at Georgian, Laurentian University at Sudbury, McMaster University, Memorial University, Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia, University of Ottawa, University of Toronto at St. George and York University.

“We believe that everyone has the right to be equally educated, and we want to open the eyes of our colleagues and peers,” say DREAM organizers Nitasha Sarin and Kat Manica. “As university students we have had the privilege of education, and we want to share that access to knowledge to others around the world.” 

Since 2005, DREAM has raised over $100,0000 for our work, all through grassroots outreach efforts like this one—having funded 9 libraries in Nepal, 5 libraries in India, 1 computer lab and the publishing of over 10,000 local-language children’s books.

“It’s a lot of fun,” says one camper from Queen’s. “Sometimes [people] are surprised by what we’re doing, but mostly the reactions are very positive and people cheer us on.” Receiving donations from her peers, she says, is a highlight. “It feels great knowing that people in the community care about our cause and are willing to support us.”

More than just a fund-raising effort, the event was extremely successful in raising awareness for Room to Read across Canada. Many of the campers made their local broadcast news, and the tents drew the attention of fellow students.

Congratulations to all the student teams for yet another great event, and thanks to the participating schools for your dedication to ensuring all children have the chance to pursue an education!

Feeling inspired? Learn more about our Students Helping Students program, or join us for a live webinar in March to learn how you can plan your own "Live-in" event. [For details email students@roomtoread.org; subject: LiL webinar]

Students in Dubai Serve Up World Change at “Room to Read Café”

At Room to Read, we believe that everyone has a role to play in promoting literacy and gender equality in education in developing countries. To that end, we work with youth from around the globe who want to do their part by helping them raise awareness and funds in their own community to support Room to Read’s work in Asia and Africa. This Students Helping Students program, as we call it, now spans across 30 countries, and more than 600 student teams have supported our cause since 2004. From Girl Scouts to graduate students, these teams are made up of passionate advocates and rock star fundraisers—having raised more than US$360,000 for our work in 2011 alone.

One of our most active teams, from the American School of Dubai, recently wrapped up their 2011 fundraising efforts to the tune of over US$10,000! Read on to learn how they managed such an impressive feat and what made them want to be involved with Room to Read in the first place.

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Club Room to Read at the American School of Dubai (ASD) has been very busy the last few months. Students of all ages are standing up for literacy and gender equality in education, and seeing some serious results. Last year alone they raised US$10,000—one of our biggest student donations of the year!

One secret to their success is their innovative “Room to Read Café” fundraiser. About 5 times a year, ASD student plan and staff “Café Days” held at a local establishment.  The students design special menu offerings and assist wait staff in serving clientele. For their efforts, a portion of the day’s proceeds are donated to Room to Read.

In addition to these Café Days, ASD students have also hosted a number of other events, including book sales, talent shows, competitive stacking games and a writing competition—all to celebrate literacy and support our work in Asia and Africa!

ASD students say they support Room to Read because the organization’s mission aligns with something they are personally passionate about: educating those who are less fortunate.

“Your education is something nobody can ever take away from you; it’s yours to keep”, says student Andrea Izem Yener. Participating in Students Helping Students, she says, “has definitely made me appreciate what I have more.”

Congratulations to all of our ASD student supporters and a special shout out to writing contest winners Anjika Bhatnagar, Amaar Qureshi, Olivia Quern and Rohan Khanna. All of your hard work and energetic support is helping Room to Read to change the lives of millions of students in Asia and Africa!

Stay up to date with the latest information about Students Helping Students on Facebook.

Why I'm Lucky: Guest Blog by Eight-Year-Old Jazmin Zage

Transcription: My name is Jazmin Annabelle Aiko Zage. I am 8 years old. I am American and live in Singapore. On November 3rd, 2011 I went to Cambodia with my family to visit schools and libraries that were built by Room to Read. When I visited a school I realized how lucky I was. I learned that most schools don't have libraries or many books. It made me think of my huge library at the Singapore American School. I thought I was very lucky that my mom and dad have enough money to send me to such a good school.

I noticed that the kids at the school were very happy even though they didn't have much. The children were very friendly. I got to go into a classroom and participate in their writing lesson. One of the students taught me how to write Cambodian words.

I think Room to Read has really helped these Cambodian children. But there are still so many children to help.

Learn more about our Students Helping Students program, or how you can visit our work in person.

Photoblog from Zambia: Meet the Next Generation of World-Changers

Last month, eight teens (ages 15-23) from all around the world gathered in Zambia to embark on Room to Read’s first-ever Teen Trek. Along with their parents (or in some cases, grandparents), Nick, Tegan, Kate, David, Kyle, Rachel, Robert and James spent a week in the Lusaka province, visiting schools and libraries, and learning more about what they can do to support the global education movement.

Their story is a powerful one, and best told through the photos they brought back with them. This photoblog is a taste of exactly that. Our thanks to all of our participants for making the Teen Trek such a success, and to the Room to Read Zambia team for being a gracious host.

 

 

Learn more about how students of all ages can get involved with Room to Read through our Students Helping Students initiative.

In Honor of J.K. Rowling's Birthday: Meet the Next Generation of Storytellers

"It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be." 

— J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)

Today is J.K. Rowling’s birthday, and in honor of her literary contributions (over 4,000 pages of them!), we bring you the story of two young women from Sri Lanka who are following in her footsteps.

At just 15 and 17 years old, respectively, Sarasi and Chathurika have already written and illustrated a successful children’s book with the help of Room to Read’s Local Language Publishing program.  Now, three years after the book was first published, the two girls reflect on their first foray into children’s literature, and what the future has in store for them.

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Three years ago, a small ad in a leading newspaper in Sri Lanka inadvertently brought two young school girls together for the first time. It was a call for submissions for a competition held by Room to Read that aimed to find and develop young literary talent in Sri Lanka, as well as identify potential authors and illustrators for the Local language Publishing program.

When the competition ended, 12-year-old Sarasi and 14-year-old Chathurika were among the winners. “I had participated in several competitions so when I was told that I was the winner, I was happy and all I expected was some kind of prize… I never thought that I would get an opportunity to write a story to be read by children all across my country,” says Sarasi.

Chathurika, too, did not expect the competition to be a life-changing event. “When I submitted my painting, I did not even know that I had this potential—I enjoyed drawing but never took it seriously,” she confesses. “But when I was selected, it made me realize that I can draw—it was a moment of epiphany.”

Thinking back to her days at the illustrators' workshop held for the winners, Chathurika says she is almost embarrassed by how “raw” she was, having never taken a formal drawing class before. “I had no idea about scale or shading or about the different mediums of this craft,” she says, "it was at the workshop that I realized that there was much more to drawing than just copying—I learned that there was indeed a method to this madness!”

It took her precisely 20 days to do the artwork for Sarasi’s 20-page story, Baby Fish Goes to School, which the young author says came to her almost immediately when she joined the writers’ workshop. “We had just put a civil war behind us and because my dad is in the army, the message of peace was at the top of my head,” she says.

Three years later—after becoming a much beloved children’s book in their native Sri Lanka, Baby Fish is back, with a whole new set of illustrations, courtesy of Chathurika.

Since their first foray into children’s literature, both girls have continued to develop their talents. Sarasi has even begun illustrating some of her own stories. “I have dreams of becoming an army doctor or a scientist,” shares the 12 year-old with confidence, who plans to continue writing and publishing her stories on the side.

Chathurika, on the other hand, says that art has become her life, having illustrated several more Room to Read local-language books since Baby Fish. After passing her exams, she has decided to attend art school, and dreams of one day holding exhibitions of her work. “I will always find time to do books for Room to Read however,” she says with a smile, “for after all it was Room to Read that showed me the way.”

Learn more about our programs in Sri Lanka.

Show and Tell: Students Go Global in England

Often at Room to Read, our quest to lead a global movement to support developing world education takes us on the road. Between our global office in San Francisco, California, seven international fundraising offices, 53 chapters worldwide, and 10 program countries…at any given time it’s a safe bet that somewhere in the world, a member of the our team is in transit—by plane, on foot, or even by boat—raising funds, building awareness and implementing programs on behalf of Room to Read.

On these voyages, there seems to be a pattern: send a passionate, enthusiastic Room to Read team member out into the field, and they will return with stories of inspiring individuals they met along the way.

Without further ado, we welcome you to the first installment of our newest blog feature: Show and Tell. When we come across a great photo or other tidbit while out and about, we’ll post it here, and you can let us know what you think.

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Today’s photos come from Jill Carlson, a development fellow who helps students around the world find ways to get involved with Room to Read. Jill is in England this week, where she is working on the Go Global Challenge—a competition in which high school students are challenged to come up with entrepreneurial fundraising plans to fund our programs in Asia and Africa. So far, the ideas have been incredibly impressive, as has the students’ dedication to helping their peers in developing countries.

Here are some pictures Jill shared of students in Blackburn, England, working on their Room to Read fundraising plans:

Learn more about Student Engagement at Room to Read.

One School Takes Global Literacy Local and Makes Year-long Commitment

Room to Read’s Students Helping Students program started when students began raising awareness and funds on behalf of the organization following the 2005 Asian tsunami. Since then, schools and communities around the world have worked tirelessly to support Room to Read in big and small ways—from bake sales and read-a-thons to large-scale events, student groups have taken action on behalf of literacy and gender equality in education. 

 

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As with many of our best relationships, our partnership with the John Eliot School, an elementary school in Needham, Massachusetts, came to us by way of a dedicated Room to Read chapter. In this case, Boston chapter leader Wendy McAllister had been working with the Eliot school and forging a friendship with its principal, Ms. Suzanne Wilcox, when a partnership was born. Ms. Wilcox saw the connection between Room to Read’s work and her own school’s challenges almost immediately.

Despite being a high-performing school, the Eliot School’s literacy test scores had reached a plateau. Once she learned more about Room to Read’s work, Ms. Wilcox realized that taking the global literacy movement local might be just the way to improve performace at Eliot. “It occurred to me that becoming involved with this organization just might be the ticket to engaging students in more recreational reading, resulting in improved rates of literacy for the students at Eliot,” said Ms. Wilcox. “Developing an interactive program with Room to Read would naturally align with our school and district goals, 'to advance standards-based learning, develop the social and emotional skills of all students, and promote active citizenship'.”

Ms. Wilcox knew that the success of embedding Room to Read’s work within the school’s curriculum wouldn’t ultimately hinge on her, but on the talented and dedicated faculty at the Eliot School so she presented the idea to her colleagues. "In a matter of minutes, the room erupted with enthusiasm,” she said. Brainstorming ensued. At the end of their meeting, the teachers agreed to collaboratively create a curriculum spanning classrooms and content areas. Ms. Wilcox applied for and received a grant from the Needham Education Foundation to sponsor staff development days for teachers to come together to plan out the year ahead. Their sessions resulted in three components that led to the school’s success: summer reading (adult and student), classroom buddies, and the Eliot School Cultural Diversity Day celebration.  

Planning for success from the beginning, Ms. Wilcox and her team put on a skit just before the start of summer vacation. She and a teacher posed as a student and teacher and explained to the children the importance of a summer read-a-thon.  To the students, "it seemed unthinkable that so many of the world's children, partuclarly girls, had no access to books or education."  Shortly after, the school’s motto for the summer was formed: “Give the gift of literacy while receiving it yourself!” The students left for the summer, reading logs in tow, revved up to read more than ever before. In addition, parents and teachers were given copies of John Wood's Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, to further unite the community in this effort. “Research shows that when children see their parents reading, it encourages them to read as well,” Ms. Wilcox added. At the end of the read-a-thon the students and teachers were thrilled to discover they had raised $5,000 and that over 85% of the students had participated!

Once the summer read-a-thon ended, the "reading mileage" challenge began. Ms. Wilcox and her team decided to have their buddy pairs (one upper-grade student and one lower-grade student) calculate the mileage needed to travel to their Room to Read country of choice and back to Needham. Those miles then converted into pages and with their itineraries set, the pairs took off on their read-around-the-world challenge.  As a result, every buddy pair read their way to their country and back, and some made the trip more than once! 

The school’s year-long focus on Room to Read and its program countries culminated in the Eliot School Cultural Diversity Day celebration, where classrooms presented their projects on Room to Read countries. Throughout the project, parents had many opportunities to engage in the overall reading goals of the school, including several opportunities to participate in book discussions. From classroom buddies to logging their miles, the students, staff, and families of the John Eliot School truly demonstrated that literacy is a priority, both at home and abroad. 

As Ms. Wilcox examined her test data last fall, it was clear the campus-wide campaign had worked; students' scores showed marked progress in both English language arts and mathematics, particularly among special education students. “The notion that Room to Read could serve as a catalyst to help students explore and understand world issues, offer students an opportunity to take action and increase the volume of student reading with the outcome of an improvement in overall literacy rates was simply something we could not pass up,” she said. 

The Eliot School is kicking off its second annual summer read-a-thon this summer and is looking ahead to a school year full of service learning tied to Room to Read’s mission. Learn more about our Students Helping Students program or email Jill Carlson at jill.carlson@roomtoread.org.

Photo caption: Director of the Cambodia office of Room to Read Kann Kall poses with members of Allison Dick's 3rd grade class. From Left: Lila North, Jenna Sandler, Kurt Brinkhaus and Brian Poolman. Photo credit: Credit Robert Rosen