(519) 316-0059 sonyawhite@oneworldschoolhouse.org
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(519) 316-0059 sonyawhite@oneworldschoolhouse.org
Where Imagination Takes Root FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 17, 2013 Media Contact: Sonya White, Richard Clewes (519) 316-0059 sonyawhite@oneworldschoolhouse.org richardclewes@oneworldschoolhouse.org CANADIAN – CREATED ANNUAL BOOK FESTIVAL TO CULTIVATE LITERACY IN NINE CARIBBEAN NATIONS. “For its capacity to broaden our horizons, use our imaginations, think creatively, understand ourselves and others better, and feel engaged as citizens in the world – reading… must be a vital component of what we encourage in our schools.” People for Education (2011) Reading for Joy “For individuals, families, and societies alike, literacy is an instrument of empowerment to improve one’s health, one’s income, and one’s relationship with the world.” UNESCO --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TORONTO - On September 30th, RAINFOREST OF READING®, a book festival featuring 12 award-winning children’s books from Canada, will plant its roots in schools throughout the Eastern Caribbean starting in Saint Lucia and Grenada. The three-week event will engage 4,000 Grade 3 students in over 100 primary schools. It is the largest literacy initiative ever undertaken in a region still reeling from infrastructure damage caused by Hurricane Ivan (2006) and Hurricane Tomas (2010) and the economic impact of a global recession. “The need for this project couldn’t come at a better time” said Michael Willius, Consul General of Saint Lucia in Canada. “There is no educational priority greater than literacy; we’re very excited” said Jenny Gumbs, Consul General of Grenada in Canada. In May 2013, UNESCO Institute for Statistics reported a “significantly lower youth literacy (aged 15-24) rate in the Caribbean sub-region, which was 82% in 2011” – even less than its previous measure of 87% in 2000. The festival grew from the experience of Sonya White, a special education teacher in Guelph and her husband, Richard Clewes, who collected over 13 tons of books (about 130,000 titles) this year for Caribbean schools through their charity, OneWorld Schoolhouse Foundation. The goal of RAINFOREST OF READING®, according to the couple, is to transform lives through the acquisition of tools that build lifelong learning. The festival’s theme – “Books can take you places you've never been before. Imagine That!” – was inspired by UNESCO’s Literacy Decade. Festival organizers plan to add seven member countries from the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) over the next 4 years. This year’s nominees include Richardo Keens-Douglas, a Grenadian-Canadian and author of The Nutmeg Princess. Nominees were selected by local Ministry of Education literacy co-ordinators from a list of 250 Canadian children’s books. The 12 finalists are: • “Bee Yourself” by Kerry Sather. Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing • “Crazy about Soccer” by Loris Lesynski. Annick Press • “Ella’s Umbrellas” by Jennifer Lloyd. Simply Read Books • “Gift days” by Kari-Lynn Winters. Fitzhenry & Whiteside • “Jack the Bear” by Christina Leist. Simply Read Books • “Look at that Building!” by Scot Ritchie. Kids Can Press • “Pussycat, Pussycat, Where Have You Been?” by Dan Bar-el. Simply Read Books • “Stanley’s Little Sister” by Linda Bailey. Kids Can Press • “The Matatu” by Eric Walters. Orca Book Publishers • “The Nutmeg Princess” by Richardo Keens-Douglas. Annick Press •” Today, Maybe” by Dominique Demers and Gabrielle Grimard. Orca Book Publishers • “Wishes” by Jean Little. North Winds Press To recognize their journey through the RAINFOREST OF READING® students have “Passports” authorized by their teachers using an animal sticker for each title. “Since oral language is the foundation of literacy, the Passports have guiding questions to generate discussions for each story” said Sonya White, Co-Executive Director of OneWorld Schoolhouse Foundation and festival director. “We’ve also reserved space in the passports for students to collect autographs from their favourite authors.” The festival culminates in a national assembly of all Grade 3 students in Castries, St. Lucia and St. George’s, Grenada this October where reading experiences will be celebrated through author visits, music, games and literacy-based activities. The winner of the RAINFOREST OF READING® Award will also be announced. “It may sound like a simple strategy but the collective imagination of the kids themselves has the power to turn around a decade of declining literacy rates. Engaging young readers today increases the likelihood that they will become lifelong readers and support dynamic communities” said Richard Clewes, Co-Executive Director of OneWorld Schoolhouse Foundation. The festival ends in October after which, books become the property of school and community libraries. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT RAINFOREST OF READING® The RAINFOREST OF READING® Festival was created by OneWorld Schoolhouse Foundation in co-operation with the Saint Lucia Ministry of Education, Human Resource Development & Labour and the Grenada Ministry of Education & Human Resource Development. The festival was inspired by the Ontario Library Association (OLA) whose FOREST OF READING® program has been cultivating lifelong readers in Ontario schools for over 2o years. OneWorld Schoolhouse Foundation is a registered Canadian Charity (#825358484 RR0001) founded by Sonya White, a special education teacher and her husband, Richard Clewes, a graphic designer/writer. The foundation also collects used textbooks and storybooks from schools in Ontario for re-distribution in the Eastern Caribbean. As of August 2013, over 13 tons (about 130,000 individual books) have been received by schools in Saint Lucia and Grenada. The animals in the RAINFOREST OF READING® were created by Carolyn Gavin whose whimsical, book-reading birds are the magical vitality of the festival’s posters and passports. Carolyn, with brother Mark Gavin, are principals at ECOJOT, an environmentally-sustainable paper stationery company based in Toronto. RAINFOREST OF READING® SUPPORTERS (Non-financial) Ministry of Education, Grenada; Ministry of Education, Saint Lucia; The Consulate General of Saint Lucia, Toronto; The Consulate General of Grenada, Toronto; OneWorld Schoolhouse Foundation; Ontario Library Association; Ecojot Inc. RAINFOREST OF READING® SUPPORTERS (Financial) Blue Waters Products Ltd. (Trinidad); Courts; LIME (Cable & Wireless Grenada); M & C Group of Companies Ltd.; RBC Financial (Caribbean); West Indies Shipping. ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION OF EASTERN CARIBBEAN STATES (OECS) OECS is an inter-governmental organization dedicated to economic harmonization and integration, protection of human and legal rights, and the encouragement of good governance. Its current members are: Antigua & Barbuda; Dominica; Grenada; Montserrat; Saint Kitts & Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent & The Grenadines; Anguilla; British Virgin Islands. At present, the total number of students enrolled in OECS schools is 126,000 (est.). ABOUT LITERACY IN THE CARIBBEAN • “Statistical Tables” Table 1 Adult (aged 15+) literacy rate and gender parity by Region 1990-2015, Male/Female literacy in the Caribbean sub-region dropped from 72.5% in 2000 to 69.0% in 2011. SOURCE: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, May 2013. • “Statistical Tables” Table 3 Youth (aged 15-24) literacy rate and gender parity by Region 1990-2015, Male/Female literacy in the Caribbean sub-region dropped from 86.7% in 2000 to 81.5% in 2011. SOURCE: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, May 2013. CONTACT INFO OneWorld Schoolhouse Foundation 40 Woodland Court Caledon, ON L7K 0C2 Tel.: (519) 316-0059 E-mail: sonyawhite@oneworldschoolhouse.org Website: oneworldschoolhouse.org
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