Assault On Illiteracy -Bringing the Book to Life

K-12 STEAM education

South LA Long Beach South Bay

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

The issue …TBC has been actively engaged in youth education and empowerment for more than two decades. In response to the pandemic, we formed within our organization a campaign against youth illiteracy. Our goal is to provide books to marginalized ethnic minority communities, address the issue of "book deserts" where children of color have limited access to books at home, leading to lower reading proficiency and a reduced emphasis on reading within their households.
TBC normalizes reading by empowering youth to read.

TBC has been actively engaged in youth education and empowerment for more than two decades. In response to the pandemic, we formed a program to initiate a campaign against illiteracy.
Since 2019, this initiative has successfully distributed over 5,000 high-quality hardcover books to youth, allowing them to own and contribute to their own personal library.
TBC introduced the Assault on Illiteracy-"Bring the Book to Life" program, wherein we offer support to entire classrooms (approximately 30 students) and provide culturally relevant books that address the social and emotional challenges faced by inner-city youth. During these interactive sessions, students read individually and as a group, guided by TBC members. They also engage in activities that bring various aspects of the books to life, enhancing their reading experiences.TBC normalizes reading by empowering youth to read aloud from the books it provides to them, introduce vocabulary words, provide an activity that involves the imagination of the children to bring a portion or idea from the book to life.
Examples include, building a town described in a book, or students imaginations prompted to …being on a ship crossing the Middle Passage, or writing poetry and performing in an impromptu poetry slam. These hands-on activities open the mind of each child to limitless images and memories.

Our Los Angeles County students and youth community will have an enhanced educational experience that includes a culturally responsive engagement, and this will further increase the learning as students grow towards college and or career readiness.