Thursday, May 14, 2015

Read Across Jamaica

Book display at St. James Parish Library
Read Across Jamaica Day is celebrated in May during Education Week. I thought it was simply a day when schools invited people to come and read to students, to highlight the importance of literacy. Now I know it is much more than that. Read Across Jamaica Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to introduce creative methods of teaching reading to children, and encourage them to enjoy literature as an aid to changing future disparaging lifestyles affected by illiteracy. It places special emphasis on ensuring access to much needed resources in disadvantaged communities and stands firmly behind its motto:
Share a book with a child and you have given illiteracy a dose of cure.
Ms. Ja'nice Wisdom
Ms. Ja’nice Wisdom, its founder, first introduced the literacy initiative concept to the Jamaica Teachers Association in 2003 as a research paper while studying at the University of Maryland University College. Ms. Wisdom, who now lives in California, is a second generation Jamaican with strong ties to family in Siloah, St. Elizabeth. She is passionate on issues related to children and literacy.
Initially, she modelled the Read Across Jamaica concept after the NEA’s Read Across America Day initiative, otherwise known for celebrating the March 2 birthday of children's book author Dr. Seuss (Ted Gieselle) with a strong emphasis on the universal appeal of “Cat in the Hat.” However, this year she focused on Jamaican authors. Working in collaboration with the Book Industry Association of Jamaica (BIAJ) 10 copies of each of 50 titles of books by Jamaican authors were purchased and distributed to 10 schools and/or libraries. A big 'thank you' to Kellie Magnus for emailing authors, compiling the list, liaising with Ja'nice, and coordinating the collection and handing over of the books. Authors of these books were on hand to read from them at selected locations, during Education Week.
Following a church service in Trelawny on Sunday, May 3, Ms. Wisdom presented the Minister of Education, The Honourable Ronald Thwaites with a copy of  “Oh, The Places You'll Go!” by Dr. Seuss, to kick-off their Island Wide Bus Tour which began on Monday, May 4 and ended on Saturday May 9.
The schools visited were: Portsmouth Primary, St. Catherine; Mustard Seed Community–Little Angel’s Learning Center, Kingston; Hope Valley Experimental, Papine, St. Andrew; St. Benedicts Primary, Kingston; Port Royal Primary, Kingston; Harbour View Primary, Kingston; Sankofa Primary, St. Thomas; McIntosh Memorial Primary in Manchester; Siloah Primary and Appleton Basic Schools in St. Elizabeth; and finally St. James Parish Library, where I was privileged to be invited to take part in the activities. 
Ms. Wisdom, with the help of library staff, had set up display tables with books and activities for children to take part in.
 She started the program by playing the song ‘Education is the Key’ by TashaT. 
“Education is the key to success, Education is the way of survival,
  Without education you will be declined in this modern time.
“Education is the key to success, Education is the way of survival, 
  Education is the means of sharpening the mind, in this modern time.” 
 Children then sang along, moved to the beat, played tambourines and hit an exercise ball with drum sticks. After this ice-breaker, Ms. Wisdom talked about juggling different aspects of your life – self, family and friends. She illustrated this by juggling balls. As in life, if you drop them, someone will help you retrieve them.
She then read from “Oh, The Places You'll Go!” by Dr. Seuss, picking up two main themes. One tied in with juggling aspects of your life with its ups and downs. The other illustrated the way in which books can allow you to travel the world without leaving your home.
In keeping with this year’s decision to highlight Jamaican children’s authors, I was then given the opportunity to read from “Delroy in the Marog Kingdom”.  Starting with two boys acting the parts of Delroy and Mario putting the frog in a pot, and involving all the children in aspects of the story, I hope I have encouraged them to read the book, copies of which are available in the library. 
With Ja'nice and staff from the library
After my reading there were more activities for the children. Ms. Wisdom and the library staff assisted them in making wordless book bracelets. Then Ms. Wisdom displayed her artistic talents in painting the faces of the participants, one child at a time, meanwhile the others were supplied with paper and crayons for their own art work.
I applaud Ms. Wisdom for her vision, her generosity, her leadership skills and her energizing of the week’s activities for over 12 years in Jamaica. Read Across Jamaica Foundation Inc. is certainly an organization well-worth supporting.
CONTRIBUTE:
Donate@ReadAcrossJamaica.com
BOOK DRIVE: 
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/read-across-jamaica-2015



Books by Jamaican Authors distributed by Read Across Jamaica Foundation


Little Lion Goes to School by Kellie Magnus

Little Lion at Bat by Kellie Magnus

Little Lion Goes for Gold by Kellie Magnus 

Nancy and Grandy Nanny by Rebecca Tortello

Gammon and the Woman's Tongue Trees by Diane Browne

Every Little Thing Will be All Right by Diane Browne

Island Princess in Brooklyn by Diane Browne

Ash the Flash by Hazel Campbell

Miss Bettina's House by Hazel Campbell

Bernie and the Captain's Ghost by Hazel Campbell

Freedom Come by Jean Goulbourne

Jo-Jo's Treasure Hunt by Cherrell Shelly-Robinson

Jenny and the General by Jean D'Costa

Little Island, Big Adventure by Maria Roberts Squires

Forest Fever by Sharon James

Bolo the Monkey by Jonathan Burke

Irie Morning by Alison Moss-Solomon

All Over Again by A-Dziko Simba Gegele

Ptolemy Turtle by Melisande Potter Hall

Soon Come by Melisande Potter Hall

Lucille Travels at Christmas by Jasmine N'Toume

Kito in the Kitchen by Radha Poorhan

When the Sun and the Moon Ran Away by Maizle Goulbourne

Dale's Mango Tree by Kim Robinson

Beautiful Blue Shirt on Barry Street by Isabel Marvin

Saving Joe Louis by Isabel Marvin

Naughty Eddie Larue by Julia Wohlt

Suck Finger Pickney by Tracey McNair

The Adventures of Lumi & Twizzy by Gina Harvey Lewis

Fly Away Home by Andy Mead

Project Climate Save by Petre Williams-Raynor

Tilly Bummie by Hazel Campbell

Anancy's African Adventures by Beulah Richmond

Anancy & Friends by Beulah Richmond



Children's Basic Sight Words by Donna Reid
Drog: A Dreggen Story by Hazel Campbell

Juicebox & Scandal Bag by Hazel Campbell

Lally Mae's Farm Suss by Melanie Schwapp

A Boy Named Neville by Linda Gambrill

Miss Tiny by Linda Gambrill

Croaking Johnny and Dizzy Lizzy by Linda Gambrill 

Marcus Garvey by Suzanne Francis Brown

Searching for Pirates: A Port Royal Adventure by Suzanne Francis Brown

Young Heroes of the Caribbean by Gwyneth Harold

The Turtle Tale by Latoya Newman

Children of Hopeful Village by Latoya Newman

Aiden and the Apple Tree by Johnathon Kelly

Prayers for School Days by Carolien Aikman

Delroy in the Marog Kingdom by Billy Elm
 Errol’s Taxi by Helen Williams

Little Meeta by Jean Goulbourne

Mystery of the Golden Table by Suzanne Francis Brown

Blue Mountain Trouble by Martin Mordecai





3 comments:

Gwyneth Harold Davidson said...

Thank you so much for this Helen. I thought that Read Across Jamaica Day had become a joint initiative with the Jamaica Teachers Association. It is not!

Melanie K Wood said...

What a neat opportunity to spread the love of reading and literacy in Jamaica! Spinning off the American version, Ja'Nice Wisdom and the foundation have the right idea in making stories come alive (Helen, I love the interactive roleplay with children acting out Delroy and Mario!). They also go further than the Dr. Seuss concept by creating a list and diatributing books of Jamaican authors that the local population can appreciate. I think Read Across __ should be a daily event, highlighted by special weeks like the one for Dr. Seuss and the education one in Jamaica. Thank you for spotlighting how it's done in Jamaica!

Diane Browne said...

Excellent blog, Helen. Thanks for writing it. Much praise to Ja'Nice Wisdom for this initiative and being able to carry it forward.