Literacy Team

Promoting literacy and education is one of Rotary International’s seven areas of focus. The Rotary Foundation supports education through scholarships, donations, and service projects around the world.

Rotary’s goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy. Rotarians support education for all children and literacy for children and adults.

To implement the literacy goals of Rotary International, District 5960 supports a Literacy Team which encourages clubs to implement literacy projects. The goal of the District Literacy Team is to provide guidance, resources, and recognition to clubs interested in helping communities address the full range of literacy challenges for learners of all ages, as well as teacher training.

What is a literacy project?

A literacy project can be as straightforward as raising funds to buy a set of books for a school, community group, or a retirement village. But a project is not necessarily about raising money. It can be about educating people who need support in developing literacy skills needed for everyday life.

How to choose a literacy project?

There are many things to consider when choosing a literacy project for your Rotary Club. Club projects are just like other things; they need to be evaluated with regularity to ensure they still are the best value for dollars and time spent. The points below address only a few of the things we, as club members, must consider when allocating resources to literacy projects.

1. What group are you projecting to target? What is the need within that group? How will you assess the need? With whom will you talk? Literacy needs exist from cradle to career. Assess where there is greatest need, consider less served groups (like Correction Services, Visual/Hearing Impaired, Homelessness) and see if there is something your Rotary club can do to improve the quality of life for your local or global neighbors. The key is assessing the need.
2. Once you know the need and have a plan to address it, ask yourselves: What is the intended impact of the program? How do you plan to evaluate your program? You may also want to consider planning ahead for how you will expand the project.
3. Consider opportunities to partner with others to increase the effectiveness of the project. Sometimes the expense and administration of a project make it imperative to involve other members of the community. In addition, this often allows expanded awareness, which will assist in alerting target groups and spread knowledge of the program and of your club.
4. Is this project currently valid or has technology reduced its usefulness? Literacy support resources have changed with the rapid increase of technology in the learning environment making traditional resources less engaging and useful.
5. Does the project consider the cultural background of the targeted group? There needs to be an awareness of the cultural practices, values and sometimes income levels of the targeted group.

This short list of things to consider is meant to promote thoughtful analysis of the projects supported by Rotary Clubs. As George Bernard Shaw said: “The only man who behaves sensibly is my tailor; he takes my measurements anew every time he sees me, while all the rest go on with their old measurements and expect me to fit them.” Evaluation is essential.

Questions: Contact David Waldschmidt, Team Lead, Stillwater Sunrise Rotary Club

Literacy Goals

The Literacy goal of District 5960 is to strengthen the capacity of our clubs to create projects to help communities address the full range of literacy challenges for primary, vocational, and adult learners as well as teacher training. Literacy is traditionally understood as the ability to read and write However, literacy also encompasses mathematics, health, media, cultural, informational, scientific, financial, critical, digital – to name a few.

Most of the ideas offered in the Literacy Activity Examples dropdown focus on reading and math because basic education and literacy are essential for reducing poverty, improving health, encouraging community and economic development, and promoting peace. What your club decides to do, however, will be based on your community needs and may include other literacy areas.

As you are planning, consider – What are the literacy goals of your club?

Here are examples of Literacy Goals

• Every Rotary year undertake at least one literacy project locally and/or internationally.
• Earn a District Significant Recognition Award by submitting your signature literacy project
• Use your literacy projects to recruit new members.
• Partner with your local library and/or literacy organization to expand the scope of your club’s literacy project(s).
• Partner with other Rotary clubs or local organizations that serve disadvantaged communities to support their literacy projects.
• Publicize your literacy project(s) to broaden awareness of Rotary and your club and to recruit partners and volunteers.
• Invite Interactors and Rotaractors to participate in your literacy projects.
• Recognize successful literacy programs hosted by local organizations in your community.
• Your club’s own unique goal.

Literacy Project Activities

Community Service (libraries, senior centers, tutoring orgs, Boys & Girls Club, etc.)

• Start a community library where one is not available.
• Deliver library books to shut ins. (Perhaps partner with Meals on Wheels)
• Sponsor a reading program targeted for preschool children. For example, “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” national program or Jump into Literacy at River Falls Club.
• Celebrate National Library Week, April 5-9, 2021, with a project at your local library. http://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/natlibraryweek
• Provide books to children at local food pantries.
• Sponsor a Summer Reading Competition at your local library or school.
• Sponsor a StoryWalk
• Start a campaign in schools to promote reading instead of video games or TV.
• Provide journals to students to create their own stories.
• Read to elementary students during Rotary Basic Education and Literacy Month in September and/or Read Across America https://www.readacrossamerica.org/
• Schedule “Rotary Readers” to read with or to their student buddies.

Club Service

• Recognize an outstanding teacher or teachers on October 5, World Teacher’s Day and invite school administrators. https://observances.global/world-teachers-day/
• Have your club’s Literacy Team invite speakers addressing issues in the different areas of literacy: digital, cultural, numerical, civic, as well as reading and writing.
• Recruit a new member with a literacy classification (perhaps a mathematician).
• Recognize Students of the Month in the different areas of literacy.
• Invite local authors to share information about writing.
• Recognize a community leader who is a “Literacy Champion” “Mathematics Leaders”

Vocational Service

• Sponsor / implement a financial literacy workshop or series.
• Create a scholarship for a high school student pursuing a teaching degree.
• Include career preparation sessions or job shadowing opportunities for STRIVE or at- risk students
• Be mentors and/or judges in a math, science , robotics, Lego or technical fair
• Partner with an organization to establish a literacy center where adults can study and meet tutors.
• Support a character / civic literacy project provided by an outside agency, such as Laws of Life https://mnfccla.org/newsletters/, Junior Achievement, Girl Scouts.

International Service

• Find an international partner and support their proposed project. https://my.rotary.org/en/learning-reference/about-rotary/partners
• Contribute to an international mini-library, book supplies or equipment project, e.g.
  • Hands Across the Sea https://www.handsacrossthesea.net/
  • Global Partnership for Education https://www.globalpartnership.org/