Back Packs & Back to School Supplies Presentation
Posted by Evangeline Allen on Sep 01, 2016
In Rotary, there are six areas of focus, one being Basic Education and Literacy. September is recognized as Literacy Month. This is when we focus on the importance of literacy and education in our humanitarian service.
Being literate does not just mean having the ability to read a book or a newspaper. Being literate means being able to comprehend the instructions on a medicine bottle, a set of directions, or a job posting. It means understanding the note written by a child’s teacher. It means being able to use a computer, follow a recipe or apply for a mortgage. Literacy means being part of the larger society. It means inclusion and it means empowerment.
Those who cannot read or write, whether they are children or adults, are cut off from important information in ways too numerous to count.
The Rotary Club of Antigua this year, have seen a simple and creative way to break this cycle. And what more creative way to start than by making this timely donation of backpacks and school supplies to twelve deserving students from the Five Islands, Green Bay and Golden Grove Primary Schools, three schools in Zone 1.
No skill is more crucial to the future of a child, or to a democratic and prosperous society than literacy. Literacy is the single most significant skill needed to function effectively in school and in the workplace.
And so with this in mind, we intend to reward students in Grades 1, 2 and 3 on a monthly basis from the three Schools in Zone 1 by offering lucrative prizes to the Student of the Month from each grade.
Literacy will also be celebrated with a Book Reading Competition for Grades 4 and 5 students of the Gray’s Green, Golden Grove and Five Islands Primary School. The goal of the Book Reading Competition is to increase the quality and quantity of books students read for enjoyment. Children love a challenge, so when we make reading into a competition, students who otherwise wouldn't want to read will be excited to read as much as they can.
In the words of Irina Bokova, ‘Literacy is much more than an educational priority – it is the ultimate investment in the future and the first step towards all the new forms of literacy required in the twenty-first century. We wish to see a century where every child is able to read and to use this skill to gain autonomy’.
On behalf of the Rotary Club of Antigua and on my own behalf, please allow me to congratulate the esteemed teachers, parents and students of the Five Islands, Green Bay and Golden Grove Primary Schools on the excellent job you are doing to foster and promote literacy. I encourage you to continue to always strive for excellence in education and at whatever else you choose to do in life.
Mr. Master of Ceremony, President-Elect and Service Projects Director Eric Joseph, Teachers, parents and students of the Five Islands, Green Bay and Golden Grove Primary Schools, good day.
I am the 2016-2017 Rotary President Mrs. Evangeline Allen.
Welcome to a very special occasion in the life of the Rotary Club of Antigua.
In Rotary, there are six areas of focus, one being Basic Education and Literacy. September is recognized as Literacy Month. This is when we focus on the importance of literacy and education in our humanitarian service.
Being literate does not just mean having the ability to read a book or a newspaper. Being literate means being able to comprehend the instructions on a medicine bottle, a set of directions, or a job posting. It means understanding the note written by a child’s teacher. It means being able to use a computer, follow a recipe or apply for a mortgage. Literacy means being part of the larger society. It means inclusion and it means empowerment.
Those who cannot read or write, whether they are children or adults, are cut off from important information in ways too numerous to count.
The Rotary Club of Antigua this year, have seen a simple and creative way to break this cycle. And what more creative way to start than by making this timely donation of backpacks and school supplies to twelve deserving students from the Five Islands, Green Bay and Golden Grove Primary Schools, three schools in Zone 1.
No skill is more crucial to the future of a child, or to a democratic and prosperous society than literacy. Literacy is the single most significant skill needed to function effectively in school and in the workplace.
And so with this in mind, we intend to reward students in Grades 1, 2 and 3 on a monthly basis from the three Schools in Zone 1 by offering lucrative prizes to the Student of the Month from each grade.
Literacy will also be celebrated with a Book Reading Competition for Grades 4 and 5 students of the Gray’s Green, Golden Grove and Five Islands Primary School. The goal of the Book Reading Competition is to increase the quality and quantity of books students read for enjoyment. Children love a challenge, so when we make reading into a competition, students who otherwise wouldn't want to read will be excited to read as much as they can.
In the words of Irina Bokova, ‘Literacy is much more than an educational priority – it is the ultimate investment in the future and the first step towards all the new forms of literacy required in the twenty-first century. We wish to see a century where every child is able to read and to use this skill to gain autonomy’.
On behalf of the Rotary Club of Antigua and on my own behalf, please allow me to congratulate the esteemed teachers, parents and students of the Five Islands, Green Bay and Golden Grove Primary Schools on the excellent job you are doing to foster and promote literacy. I encourage you to continue to always strive for excellence in education and at whatever else you choose to do in life.