The Youth Literacy Program has had a successful year! Our volunteer tutors and interns worked with 165 scholars throughout the last year, and we are so grateful for their commitment and support. Some of our tutoring pairs will continue their work throughout the summer, and our interns will provide intensive literacy support for scholars enrolled in our partner summer camps.
Our volunteer tutor, Karen, serves at the Christine W. Avery Learning Center and shared, “This has been one of the most joyful experiences of my life! My student has made tremendous progress since February, and I hope to work with her again next year.”
Laurel is one of our interns at Literacy Together. She works at Youth Transformed for Life, and she had this to say: “Literacy Together has been an incredibly valuable experience for both me and my scholar. One of the biggest obstacles we’ve been working through is a general intimidation of reading big words or books. We use a lot of rhymes, pictures, and hands-on activities to break words down into individual sounds in an engaging and memorable way. This past year, I’ve noticed not just his skills improve, but also his patience, receptiveness, and excitement about reading. At the beginning of the year, my student refused to read words with four letters. Now, he dives into words like “hamburger” with no hesitation! Seeing the progress he’s made in such a short amount of time is so encouraging and really shows the power that a little extra help can have on both a student’s academic performance and perception of reading.”
The Igniting Superhero Readers Summer Internship starts June 17, and we have already hired 95% of our interns for the program. This summer, we’ll work at the Christine W. Avery Learning Center, Youth Transformed for Life, and the YMCA at Johnston Elementary, serving 60+ students across eight weeks. Interns will undergo training in order to deliver 1:1 instruction to young scholars in need of support with their foundational literacy skills.
Our interns will also receive professional development from community partners, including Misfit AVL, First Bank, UNCA Career Center, United 4 Youth, and more. If you know someone between the ages of 15-23 who would be interested in joining our internship program, please encourage them to complete our application before May 31.
The Youth Literacy Program will also welcome and train new volunteers in September for the 24-25 school year. We will predominantly volunteer in the afterschool programs, but there are other options as well. Sign up to volunteer during the next school year!https://lit-together.org/volunteer-roles-literacy-together/become-a-volunteer/
We had another fantastic edition of Authors for Literacy, our signature fundraising event. It was a pleasure to host New York Times bestselling author Lisa See! We are so grateful for everyone who came to support Literacy Together’s mission of changing lives and communities through the power of literacy. 
Special thanks to our adult learners Fernanda (ESOL) and Karima (Adult Literacy), who, accompanied by their incredible tutors, moved us to tears with their courageous, inspiring, funny testimonials.
Thank you! Here is our staff; we love what we do, and it shows! 😍
