ADVOCACY & AWARENESS
The Kansas Children’s Literacy Festival is a major part of our literacy awareness and advocacy for Storytime Village. Take a look at this video about the program and explore below for other programs that help us accomplish this focus area:
Literacy Champions
This program is a literacy leadership program for high school students that provides opportunities to grow in leadership, advocacy, and service. Champions are matched up with a struggling second or third grade reading reader. They utilize a reading curriculum to help improve the elementary student’s reading skills. The Champions are also advocates for literacy at the state capital, by participating in Literacy Day at the Capitol, community events and meetings, and other Storytime Village events. Champions are provided leadership training and participate in training provided by the Kansas Leadership Center.
Literacy Day at the Capitol
This program addresses the literacy achievement gap in the state of Kansas by focusing on early literacy and mobilizing Literacy Champions to raise their voices and bring awareness to this critical issue. This day features panel discussions, workshops, and opportunities to network and discuss important literacy challenges with state leaders.
Hoops for Literacy
Hoops 4 Literacy is an annual fun and engaging basketball game to promote literacy for 3rd grade students. Each year the Wichita Police Department plays against the Sheriff’s department along with their celebrity friends. The celebratory guests include local community leaders along with former Harlem Globetrotters and members of the semi-pro team the Wichita Wizards. All students leave the game with a new book to help build their home libraries.
Read and Rise Breakfast
This program honors individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions in improving the lives of Kansas children through literacy while raising vital funds to support the literacy issue.