Literacy, library centre holds key to learning for Zwide kids

The colourful walls invite you in, the bookshelves hold the promise of worlds of wonder, and unlocking all these books for eager young minds in Zwide are previously unemployed graduates from the community.

A new joint library and literacy project at Isaac Booi Primary School is a beacon of hope for both the children who receive daily reading lessons in the library, as well as local young graduates who are employed there.

The Literacy and Library Centre will be launched on Thursday and is a partnership between two Port Elizabethbased charity organisations, Masinyusane and United Through Sport.

Masinyusane’s executive director Jim McKeown said: “We are proud to report that the project is off to an excellent start. We have successfully hired and trained five local, previously unemployed youth.

“We received nearly 100 applications and are thrilled with the passion, energy and commitment of this first group of youth leaders.”

The youth leaders began literacy sessions with foundation phase children from Isaac Booi Primary School in April, after receiving training in the Wordworks literacy methodology.

“Each one of these youth leaders lives within walking distance of Isaac Booi. This was intentional, as one of the project goals is to hire talent from the community surrounding the school and empower them.

“The jobs provide more than just an income to these youth. They gain work experience, develop professional skills, are put in a leadership position in which they’re helping uplift children from their own neighbourhoods and create a sense of purpose and meaning,” McKeown said.

With classrooms in township schools traditionally having more than 40 pupils a class, the literacy sessions provided give the Grade R and Grade 1 pupils much needed one-onone attention.

Isaac Booi headmaster Ludwe Memese said: “This programme will enhance and instil a culture of learning to the pupils at the tender ages of 6 and 7 years old and also, it will improve their level of confidence.

“As a school we are looking forward to strengthening our relationship with Jim and Nick respectively, who have made this programme a success.”

This term the partnership will extend to girls from neighbouring schools who form part of United Through Sport’s Junior School of Excellence Programme.

United Through Sport director Nick Mould said two of the youth leaders would assist with the roll-out of GirlsUnite, an empowerment programme for girls aged 10 to 13 years old, at Isaac Booi. “The after-school programme is focused on empowering senior primary girls, with various workshops and literacy sessions taking place at the Isaac Booi Library and Literacy Centre,” Mould said.

It is a future goal of the project to expand and include more library initiatives for children of all ages from the local community in order to create and encourage a culture of reading.

“We are very excited about the project and look forward to working together to grow, expand and help more children.

“Together, we are providing these children with the academic foundation they need to unlock their potential and succeed in future school years.”