We're committed to ensuring Salford is a great place, where children have the best start in life, and can learn and develop the skills they need to thrive. Being able to read and write not only enables us to be able to do simple things like read letters from the doctor and communicate well with others, but it also opens up opportunities in our careers, boosts creativity and helps us to enjoy life more fully. National Literacy Trust Tom Stannard Jonathan Douglas CBE, Hon FRSL Melissa Caslake Jim Cammell Teresa Pepper #NationalLiteracyTrust #Salford
This week, as part of our communities work we launched a 10-year campaign in Salford which aims to raise literacy skills by boosting reading for enjoyment levels in the city. Levels in the region have hit a record low, with just 2 in 5 children in the North West telling us that they enjoy reading in their spare time. At the National Literacy Trust, we believe in the transformative power of literacy to change life stories, and we pride ourselves on working in communities where people need us most – where as many as one in three people have low levels of literacy. That’s why we work directly in local areas across the UK, bringing together schools, families, and community organisations to support literacy development, raise reading enjoyment levels and reach families who need support. In partnership with Salford City Council, we are aiming to increase the number of children reading for pleasure in Salford, with a focus on showing children the power of non-fiction reading to help learn in a fun and engaging way, discovering topics that interest them. At our launch event at Salford City College Group, we invited the fantastic Emily Coxhead, author, illustrator, and founder of The Happy Newspaper, to help children find fun and interesting facts based on their interests using non-fiction books. Giving children the opportunity to make a personal choice and explore what interests them can be a great way to engage disinterested readers. Children also took part in a workshop with Curtis Jobling, illustrator, author and animator, drawing some of his characters and learning all about creative jobs and opportunities in the North West. As well as our special pupil guests, we invited representatives from local community organisations to hear from our team and members of Salford City Council about the campaign, as well as enjoying a performance from the St Sebastian’s Primary School Choir. The launch marks the start of our wider work across the city including a project to collate Salford’s Happy Facts – an initiative to celebrate local knowledge and to help children to build a sense of pride and connection to their wider community. Throughout our 10-year campaign, we will partner with local schools, businesses and community organisations to reach families who are struggling to access support, setting up a network of local volunteers and delivering a variety of events in and outside of schools. By forging strong partnerships across the city and bringing together inspiring role models, we will work to ensure that every child grows up with the literacy skills they need to get the most out of life. Find out more about our communities work, including our new campaign in Salford, and how businesses and volunteers can get involved: https://lnkd.in/eqPxxQJE