A program to help disadvantaged children has been brought to my attention over the past week and it's something I think deserves greater support and awareness throughout the community. 'Books in Homes' was initially started in New Zealand by Alan Duff (author of 'Once Were Warriors') and is now being promoted by Brett Kingston here in Australia.
So what is it?
Basically, these guys have seen that most inmates in jail have poor literacy skills, and usually came from a family with the same problems. So what they are trying to do is break this cycle and instill a love of learning into kids whilst they're still young. Book in Homes send a load of catalogues out to a school, then EVERY child in that school gets to choose 3 books. These books are then ordered and are returned to the school with a famous role model to hand them out (sports star, media personality, etc). Each book also has the name of the student printed inside (Yes, the kids now own the books!).
And it doesn't stop there.
The kids also recieve rewards for good behaviour throughout the year, in the form of books, donated by Books in Homes. They also get to choose another 3 books each year!
Since the inception of the program teachers have reported:
- increased reading ability
- better behaviour at school
- increased attendance
They are always looking for support as they are totally funded by donations. If you know any famous people who would be interested in helping out get them to contact Brett through this website: http://www.biha.com.au/ or if you're a business that wants to help out a wonderful program then I'm sure they'd love to hear from you as well.
Ray