OUR FOUNDER, CAROLINE JANE KNIGHT, ANNOUNCES AN EXCITING NEW LITERACY INITIATIVE!

On the 8th September, International Literacy Day, we were excited to launch the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation (JALF) Literacy Mentors program.  The program enables literacy lovers to support and encourage school students around the globe to get passionate about writing!  

The Foundation is proud to partner with Pobble, a well-established online literacy resource, proven to create excitement about writing. Pobble’s online platform engages students in writing, encouraging them to be “published authors” as they upload their pieces of work for a global community of peers, families, teachers and authors to read! 

The Jane Austen Literacy Foundation will bring together teams of literacy lovers from across the globe as “literacy mentors” to read students’ work and respond with constructive feedback and encouragement. Importantly, the Foundation’s literacy mentors will focus on supporting schools for which literacy is a challenge. Throughout the program, literacy mentors will be supported and encouraged with regular updates to share fellow mentor experiences, program successes, challenges and advice.

A trial of the program conducted in early 2017 was a resounding success, and we were so excited to hear the feedback from the mentors: “I enjoyed reading many of the children’s stories…”, “I have loved doing this…”, “this is an amazing program to be part of and so rewarding. Many friends who are aware of what I am doing are keen to learn more.”

The powerful vision and driving force behind the program is best captured by the words of Kofi Annan: “Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope… education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family”. The program is designed to support the global fight against illiteracy, with alarming statistics noting that 115 million children worldwide do not attend school, and two thirds of children who cannot read or write across the globe are girls. The program enables the average person – a Jane Austen lover, a book lover, a literacy lover – the opportunity to join this fight. It is our hope that as people engage with the program, they not only support a love for literacy in children, but also find their own passion for literacy is reignited.

Excitingly, the program also expands the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation’s scope. Not only does the Foundation raise much needed funds for literacy libraries around the globe, but it is now harnessing the power of book lovers and the Jane Austen community in a new way. By equipping them with the right platform, people can directly and positively impact the lives of children.

If you are interested in joining the Literacy Mentor team, please email literacymentors@janeaustenlf.org for an information and sign-up pack. No formal qualifications are required - induction, guidance and regular updates will be available to welcome and support you!

The Literacy Mentor Program will be managed by Jacqueline Harris.  Like everyone at the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation, Jacqui is a volunteer generously giving her time and skills to help improve literacy rates, in honour of Jane Austen.

Jacqui is a Senior Programs Officer with the non-profit Queensland Education Leadership Institute in Brisbane. Jacqui coordinates state-wide leadership development programs for school leaders and educators and manages organisation-wide program data and reporting. She is also an experienced executive assistant, who holds qualifications in business, psychology and human resource management. 

Jacqui is passionate about history, literature and being part of her local church. Jacqui has admired Jane Austen ever since she picked up a copy of Sense and Sensibility as a young teenager. Her love for all things Austen saw her travel to England to visit the Jane Austen’s House Museum in the village of Chawton (where I grew up) and the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, with her very patient husband in tow! She is excited by the opportunity to combine her passion for education and all things Jane Austen to support the vision of the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation.   

I know you will all join me in welcoming Jacqui to the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation.

Caroline Jane Knight

Founder & Chair - Jane Austen Literacy Foundation

If you would like to join Jacqui’s team of Literacy Mentors, simply email literacymentors@janeaustenlf.org for an information and sign-up pack.

Image credit: Pobble.com