As our students head back to school, our cause area centers around education & literacy. Education is the backbone of any successful community as it is the gift that keeps on giving. When children are given the opportunity to flourish in school, they are then equipped to educate their community and loved ones, creating a beautiful chain of knowledge. Youth deserve to learn without impediments such as lack of resources and technology; all children should have equal access to high quality education.
Did you know that one in four children in America grow up without learning how to read?* In addition, students who don’t read proficiently by the 3rd grade are four times more likely to drop out of school and over 70% of America’s inmates cannot read above a 4th grade level (dosomething.org). It is statistics like these that exemplify how important it is to improve education at a community level. Many schools have limited access to the internet and diverse libraries which greatly affects the quality of learning. For years past and to come, Pebble Tossers supports the education system of the greater Atlanta area in a number of ways. As our membership and volunteers continue to increase, our community is able to make a larger impact in the lives of underprivileged children.
Pebble Tossers’ Book Nook program provides mini-libraries for four homeless shelters in Atlanta. The Book Nooks allow children to access new books on a monthly basis as we restock the books during Activity Nights. The children are encouraged to keep one favorite book to foster a love of reading. As children move on from the shelter, they will take the book with them as a gift. Studies show that children who grow up with an abundance of books tend to progress further in school. This will help develop a sense of responsibility and ownership in caring for their books.
Another imperative organization we work alongside is Breakthrough Atlanta. They are reaching out to youth from the greater Atlanta area’s BIPOC community to teach them about becoming an educator. This operation provides students with a wonderful opportunity to envision themselves as a teacher. Eventually, more underprivileged children will have access to educators that come from similar backgrounds, giving them someone who exemplifies their own potential to look up to.
Teens and youth who volunteer within the education/literacy area are able to develop a sense of empathy. They can put themselves in someone else’s shoes and begin to understand the diversity of childhoods present in their community first-hand. They develop gratitude for the opportunities they had growing up and connect with members of the community they may otherwise have had no communication with. How to get started:
Easy Action Steps:
- Check out our education-related nonprofit partners
- Volunteer as a tutor or to help a child read with one of our nonprofit partners
- Donate books to Pebble Tossers to restock our 4 mini-libraries at shelters
- Dresden Elementary School Back to School Supplies Drive.
- SCHOOL SUPPLIES ARE AN ONGOING NEED; Keep a look out for backpack and school supply drives every fall as well as individual donations based on ability
Highlighted Cause Area Organizations:
*WriteExpress Corporation. “Literacy Statistics.” Begin to Read. Accessed April 16, 2014