Find your Talent through reading and libraries

1
Find your Talent through reading and libraries

• Reading for pleasure is more important to a
  childs educational achievement and life chances
  than their familys wealth or social class
  (Reading for Change, OECD, 2002).

2
The opportunity

• To reposition libraries strongly as creative
  providers
• Every pathfinder has to include reading and
  libraries
• Reading groups and author visits are specifically
  mentioned
• DCSF recognises the importance of libraries and
  wants to see closer partnerships between schools
  and libraries using the Enjoying Reading
  Framework
• Aiming High has huge potential for libraries
  work with young people DCSF are interested in
  the Youth Offer
• The government is committed to supporting the
  National Year of Reading legacy.
• At the right time
• Ministers expect literature to be a big element
• ACE and The Reading Agency are embarking on a new
  Creative Reading Manifesto to profile libraries
  dynamic cultural role.

3
Reading is

• the ultimate aspiration raiser
• a powerful way to develop enquiring minds
• one of the most creative, accessible and cheapest
  ways of engaging with culture
• a way to develop self expression, self
  confidence, imagination and empathy
• a support to childrens learning, life chances
  and educational achievement
• a way into different and wider cultural
  experiences

4
Building on strengths

• Libraries have developed some fantastic national
  reading programmes over the last few years.
• Theres an opportunity now to build on them
  locally to help every child enjoy reading and
  cultural activities in libraries.
• Its all about consolidating and celebrating
  what libraries do brilliantly, and innovating to
  fill the gaps and broaden the offer.

5
Book gifting

• The DCSF recognises the link between reading for
  pleasure and achievement which is why they are
  investing to put more books into the hands of
  children and young people, especially boys. Their
  new Narrowing the Gaps strategy can only work if
  book gifting is underpinned by a sustainable,
  dynamic relationship between libraries, schools
  and publishers.
• Consolidate
• Grow your links with families and pre-school
  children through BookStart
• Kick start a conversation with local schools,
  using Enjoying Reading resources
• Get local libraries and schools talking every
  library could adopt a school
• Innovate
• Create an authority-wide Enjoying Reading
  strategy to jumpstart closer school/ library
  cooperation
• Create joint reading groups or awards to build on
  book gifting.

6
Reading groups

• Reading groups encourage children to read more
  and more widely. Imagine a ChatterBooks in every
  library, every school a network of groups linked
  with libraries to support and feed enthusiasm for
  reading.
• Consolidate
• Encourage Chatterbooks leavers to create school
  or library teenage reading groups
• Innovate
• Establish Radio Reading Clubs to engage young
  people through broadcast media.
• Set up online reading groups for young people
  using social networking site Groupthing.org.
  Designed by and with young people, the site
  focuses on their passions. They can set up their
  own groups, slam, and meet authors online.

7
Summer Reading Challenge

• The Summer Reading Challenge (SRC) engages
  thousands of young readers every year. Research
  shows us that once children join the Challenge,
  they return to it year on year, and gain huge
  confidence in their reading. They see themselves
  as readers.
• Consolidate
• Generate pre and post-SRC momentum in schools
  using new Year 6/7 transition resources
• Build reading confidence, self esteem and
  citizenship through mentoring schemes with young
  people supporting younger readers through the
  Challenge
• Run Young Cultural Creators projects to promote
  reading, free expression and engagement, bringing
  together a variety of art forms and cultural
  organizations.
• Innovate
• Use new cultural ambassador models to support
  your Challenge participants
• Create author relationships and events through
  Childrens Reading Partners

8
Young peoples participation

• With the publication of Aiming High and new PSA
  targets, young peoples participation and
  volunteering are a major local authority
  priority.
• Consolidate
• Use The Reading Agencys new Youth innovation and
  Change programmed to assess your service, effect
  staff culture change and increase young peoples
  participation.
• The powerful tools and resources in TRF are
  excellent for building staff knowledge and skills
  to work with children and young people.
• Innovate
• Create youth forums, involving young people in
  Find Your Talent decision making
• Create transformational branded Headspace spaces
  and activities designed by young people, for
  young people
• Introduce Groupthing.org to engage teenagers
  whod never join a reading group
• Work Childrens Reading Partners to offer
  publisher internships and volunteering activities
  for young people in your authority.

9
Working with the Reading Agency

• The Reading Agency has the passion, experience
  and connections to help make reading and
  libraries core to the cultural offer Well be
  working at national level with DCMS, DCSF, ACE
  and MLA to help make the arguments for reading
  and libraries.
• The Reading Agency can help you
• Connect children to more reading activities
  through powerful national programmes delivered
  locally
• Offer children opportunities to meet authors,
  through Childrens Reading Partners
• Build on the legacy of the National Year of
  Reading and other national advocacy work such as
  the Youth Offer at a local level
• Link into big national partnerships like the BBC
  and Childrens Reading Partners to stimulate more
  reading activities locally for children, such as
  the opportunity to meet authors
• Be a bigger part of the push from the DCSF to
  narrow the gaps for children and young people,
  through our models for school/library
  partnerships based around reading
• Offer more pathways to volunteering,
  participation and careers through innovative
  programmes like Fulfilling their Potential and
  Headspace
• Be part of a push to generate a new creative
  cultural vision and practice for libraries.

10
Contact details

• Miranda.McKearney_at_readingagency.org.uk,
• Liz.Dubber_at_readingagency.org.uk,
• Claire.Styles_at_readingagency.org.uk

www.readingagency.org.uk
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Useful links

• National Offers from libraries
• Enjoying Reading libraries and schools offer
  www.enjoyingreading.org.uk
• Library Offer to Young People www.readingagency.or
  g.uk/young/library-offer-to-young-people/
• National Programmes to improve your delivery of
  creative reading
• Booked Up www.booktrust.org.uk/show/feature/Natio
  nal20programmes/Booked-Up
• BookStart www.bookstart.org.uk
• Boys into Books and Book Ahead www.sla.org.uk
• Chatterbooks www.theirreadingfutures.org.uk/Chatt
  erbooks
• Fulfilling their Potential www.readingagency.org.
  uk/young/fulfilling-their-potential/
• Groupthing www.groupthing.org.uk (available from
  Autumn 08)
• Headspace www.theirreadingfutures.org.uk/headspa
  ce
• National Year of Reading www.yearofreading.org.uk/
  
• Reading Connects www.literacytrust.org.uk/readingc
  onnects/index.html
• Reading the Game www.literacytrust.org.uk/Football
  /index.html
• Summer Reading Challenge 2008
  www.teamread.co.uk
• Young Cultural Creators www.youngculturalcreators.
  com