The History of Storytelling

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By Jennifer Van Pelt

“Stories are our primary tools of learning and teaching, the repositories of our lore and legends. They bring order into our confusing world. Think about how many times a day you use stories to pass along data, insights, memories or common-sense advice.”

This quote by Edward Miller sourced by The Storyteller Agency encompasses how important storytelling has been and continues to be in every person’s life. Stories are what we grew up hearing, teaching us between right and wrong. We came running home from school, eager to tell our parents stories about our day. As we grow up, it’s a way to express ourselves through courses and college entrance exams, how we sell ourselves to potential employers. As an adult, the art of storytelling is a necessary skill in many careers to sell products to future customers or to let others learn from our mistakes. The stories we were told as children that stuck with us our entire lives will continue to be passed down for generations, serving the same benefit as it did for us. As we think about how prevalent stories are in our lives, let’s walk through the history of storytelling, from ancient history to present day.

Early Beginnings of Storytelling

An image from the Chauvet Cave, depicting multiple rhinos.

In a Princeton Publication titled “The Irresistible Fairy Tale: The Cultural and Social History of a Genre” by Jack Zipes, he stated that humans have been telling stories since we had the ability to speak, and potentially by forms of sign language even before that. Though these stories tended to mark an occasion, set an example, or warn about danger, they also sought to explain the inexplicable through forms of fairy tales or tall tales. Though to date, we do not have any recordings of these original stories, we have discovered proof of visual representations of stories from our late ancestors. The Chauvet cave in France is the oldest representation of storytelling found thus far, dating to 36,000 years ago. The cave paintings are believed to tell the story of a volcanic eruption, according to an article published on News.Artnet.com. Later forms of visual storytelling can be found in Egyptian hieroglyphics from around 3,000 B.C., which mixed pictographic symbols and sounds in order to tell a story. In “The Evolution of Storytelling” on reporter.rit.edu, it is mentioned that these stories were for religious documentation and to give messages to future generations and inhabitants.

Early Written Language

Around 700 B.C., there is evidence of the first recorded stories that include the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Iliad by Homer. The fact that these stories were recorded enabled them to spread quickly and widely across the world. Around this same period, there are other surviving stories that are still widely known today, which can be attributed to the fact that they were able to be recorded and written down, including those now known as Aesop’s Fables. Without the written language to record these stories that originated as person-to-person tales, they may not have lasted for over 2,000 years.

Modern Day Storytelling

Today, we tell stories through multiple methods of illustrations, written word, and oral storytelling. What began in the early stages as cautionary tales or part of ceremonial practices, has evolved into a method of exploring emotion, developing vocabulary, and strengthening overall cognition. Storytelling is important in all cultures to not only hear, but also to tell.

At Words Alive, we understand the importance of this and encourage our participants to relate their experiences to the books we read aloud and to join in telling their story to let their voices be heard. If you are interested in helping us build literacy skills for youth in San Diego, visit our website here to learn more details about sponsorship opportunities for our upcoming Author’s Luncheon!

You can help Words Alive connect students and families to the power of storytelling, by making a  $25 donation today. Click here!

Sources:

http://thestorytelleragency.com/goodreads/50-best-quotes-for-storytelling

http://assets.press.princeton.edu/chapters/s9676.pdf

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/chauvet-cave-paintings-404753

Fund a Mind, Transform a Life

By Jennifer Van Pelt & Sara Mortensen

The 15th Annual Author’s Luncheon & Fundraiser is coming up on October 19th and this year our signature fundraising event theme is: Fund a Mind, Transform a Life. This event is important to our organization in many ways, but the most important is this: the Author’s Luncheon & Fundraiser provides a significant amount of our income and allows us to continue to deliver high-quality literacy programs all over San Diego. When you buy a ticket to the event, donate towards a silent auction item, or contribute in the ballroom on the day-of, you are helping us fund the minds and transform the lives of the students and families we serve.

Every dollar you donate at the Author's Luncheon & Fundraiser helps to fund the minds and transform the lives of the students and families we serve.

Fund a Mind

Literacy is a foundational skill that is so easily taken for granted by many, yet nearly 450,000 San Diego County residents are considered illiterate. Literacy is a skill that is shown to not only have a relationship to someone’s socioeconomic status and earning capabilities, but can also transform one’s life by allowing them a well-rounded and fulfilling education that enables them to effectively communicate and participate in the communities around them.

According to the EARLY WARNING! Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, up until the third grade, most children are learning to read. Beginning in the fourth grade, however, they are reading to learn, using their skills to gain more information in subjects such as math and science, to solve problems, to think critically about what they are learning, and to act upon and share that knowledge in the world around them. This turning point at the end of the third grade is why growing amounts of resources are being directed towards children in Kindergarten through third grade.

An image of one of our Read Aloud Program volunteers reading to a classroom at Golden Hill School.

In fact, research like this is the reason why we have strategically designed our Read Aloud Program to target this age range. Reading aloud to young children is the most important thing we can do to help them become motivated, strong readers and in the Words Alive Read Aloud Program trained volunteers read aloud each week to approximately 4,300 children from early childhood education and Title 1 - eligible elementary school sites across San Diego.

Additionally, research from Yale University has indicated that three-quarters of students who are “poor readers” in third grade will remain “poor readers” in high school. Not surprisingly, students with relatively low literacy achievement tend to have more behavioral and social problems in subsequent grades. By focusing on providing additional literacy resources during these key years, it is helping to ensure that these children have the tools to succeed in following years.

Transform a Life

Effective literacy education needs to reach more than just the students that are between Kindergarten and third grade, however. An article published on WCNC states that reading to your child, even in the womb, can activate brain development, increase vocabulary by 24 months, and decrease risk of speech delay. Though this is a known fact amongst experts and doctors, not all parents are aware of the importance this holds on their child’s future success. Educating families as a whole on when to read to their children and what techniques they can use is equally important. Literacy skills can start building from an early age and are building blocks for reading proficiency by the end of third grade.

An image of one of the kids in our Family Literacy Program standing in front of a huge cutout of the Hungry caterpillar!

Words Alive’s Family Literacy Program aims to empower parents as agents of change and advocates for their families by meeting parents where they are and giving them the "ah-ha!" moments that lead to deeper engagement with their children. Parents in the program attend seven workshops, receiving approximately ten hours of parent education covering early literacy development topics specific to preschool age children. Each workshop includes a tailored information session and skill-building exercises for parents, a group story time, and guided activities for parents and children.

As we know here at Words Alive, literacy goes beyond the simple act of reading words off a page and interpreting their meaning. Dr. Berninger, Professor Emerita of Educational Psychology at the University of Washington mentioned in a New York Times article, “Literacy involves all aspects of language, including our oral language, what we hear and say, and our written language, what we read and write.” She called it “language by ear, mouth, eye and hand.” As children grow and  develop, they cannot be denied the resources that allow them to learn these skills.

All of our programs at Words Alive aim to , ensure that children are able to build the skills that can transform their lives and help them become well-rounded individuals with the power to change their communities for the better.

Simply put: Words Alive uses all donations to fund the minds of children, which helps them transform their lives. Join us for our Author’s Luncheon & Fundraiser, where you can enjoy a wonderful afternoon while knowing that your actions are making a difference in the state of literacy education in your community.

Click here for more information, and to purchase tickets or a table for the 15th Annual Author’s Luncheon & Fundraiser.

Sources:

www.aecf.org

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/16/well/family/literacy-builds-life-skills-as-well-as-language-skills.html

https://hechingerreport.org/how-to-help-struggling-young-readers/

https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/why-you-should-read-read-read-to-young-children/275-573777471

Meet Our Author's Luncheon Moderator: Dr. Seth Lerer!

Our 15th Annual Author’s Luncheon & Fundraiser is being held on October 19th and will feature best-selling author Mary Kubica. Once again, Dr. Seth Lerer will be joining to moderate the conversation with our featured author, and this year marks his fourth time joining us at our signature fundraising event! Since 2014, Dr. Lerer has moderated conversations with Anna Quindlen, Isabel Allende, and Salman Rushdie for the Author's Luncheon & Fundraiser.

Seth Lerer is a distinguished professor at UC San Diego, where he served as the Dean of Arts and Humanities. His studies and teachings focus on Medieval and Renaissance Literature, History of the English Language, Children’s Literature, as well as Shakespeare. He has several published works that focus on these areas, as well as multiple literature and teaching awards. He is a Guggenheim fellow, a prestigious award for those who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship and ability in the arts.

One of Dr. Lerer’s many pronounced works is titled Children's Literature: A Reader's History from Aesop to Harry Potter. His book outlines the history of Western Children’s Literature, looking at stories from Mother Goose fables to J.R.R. Tolkien. As a professor who has extensively studied, published, and edited literature-based works, we are excited to welcome him back to our Author’s Luncheon & Fundraiser!

Now, let's hear directly from him:

What first compelled you to work with Words Alive? Why do you continue to work with Words Alive on the Author’s Luncheon?

Words Alive shares many of my own professional and community goals: a commitment to developing literacy and a love for reading; a recognition that the human imagination matters; and a philanthropic mission to bring the magic of books to young people who may not have those books. Words Alive is one of those organizations that, I believe, is preparing young people to become my future college students. The Author’s Luncheon provides a wonderful opportunity for me, personally, to meet and talk with leading writers and to find ways of getting them to share their craft and their own devotion to the written word. The audience for the Luncheon is always receptive, and I hope that when the authors leave, they can recognize what a great reading community we have in San Diego and, thus, spread the word.

What is your favorite Author’s Luncheon memory?

There are so many: joking with Salman Rushdie about the satiric quality of our current lives; sharing the sensitivity of Anna Quindlen on life choices; and flirting with Isabelle Allende while discussing her stories of love and friendship.

What do you most look forward to at the Author’s Luncheon?

I most look forward to finding a point of contact with an author: finding out not simply what we have in common, but how a creative writer and a scholarly writer (me) can learn from each other about the meaning of books and the imagination. And, of course, doing all of this with some five hundred of San Diego’s most committed readers makes it fun.

What are you most excited to talk to Mary Kubica about after reading her latest book, When the Lights Go Out?

I have just started the book. But clearly, it is a work of suspense and narrative propulsion. I think it will live up to its arresting opening. I’ll look forward to talking with Mary Kubica about holding an audience, building reader interest, and shaping plot.

Why is reading and literacy important to you?

Through reading, I discovered myself. We all read not only books but the world: experience is made up of signs and symbols, stories and tales. We can aspire to be the heroes of our own novels. When I teach literature, I try to show how fiction is not a lie: it is the artful re-imagination of experience. It is a lesson in living and a goad to our creative understanding of the world.    

Secure your seat at the 15th Annual Author's Luncheon & Fundraiser today! www.wordsalive.org/authorsluncheon

Sponsor Highlight: City National Bank

By Jennifer Van Pelt

An image of the City National Bank logo, which features a latter and the tagline "The way up."

Words Alive's signature fundraising event is the Annual Author's Luncheon & Fundraiser. Celebrating its 15th year, the Author's Luncheon has featured world renowned authors such as Salman Rushdie, Jodi Picoult, and Isabel Allende.

Taking place each fall, the Author's Luncheon is attended by over 600 patrons that include book lovers, philanthropists, educators, civic organizations, and people invested in creating a more literate and thriving San Diego. This intellectual, elegant, and fast-paced fundraising event helps Words Alive raise over $200,000 annually, funds that make up a considerable portion of what Words Alive needs to continue serving thousands of children and families each year.

This event would not be possible without the support of our sponsors, the generous people, companies, and organizations who know how important literacy is for a successful and thriving community, and support our mission of opening opportunities of life success by inspiring a commitment to reading.

An image of Words Alive Executive Director, Patrick Stewart, and Volunteer Program Manager, Christina Meeker, with representatives from City National Bank.

City National Bank is a Southern California based company with 71 offices nationwide that offer banking, trust, and investment services. Their commitment to highly personalized service and corporate social responsibility has quickly brought them to the top. They have been recognized for excellence in business banking for more than 10 consecutive years.

Their company culture and values support diversity and involvement within the company and for the community around them. Through several company-wide drives, community service days, and donation matching, they give back in numerous ways to foster economic and community development.

City National Bank has a corporate literacy initiative to empower children and adults in the community to provide more access to books and education. They not only provide numeracy and financial programs for the community, but they also have established a Reading Is The Way Up program of which they invest and reinforce the benefits of reading to better the communities around them. Through the program, they gift books to K-12 school libraries, invest in grants to K-12 schools to assist the literary efforts, and reward their employees with three hours of paid time off each month to read during the workday to local students. Their investment in turning reading into a passion for future generations complements Words Alive’s mission to achieve the same in San Diego.

“We are so proud to partner with Words Alive and provide them with some of the financial support they need to help children and families in San Diego develop a love of reading,” said Bernadette Bach, San Diego regional executive for City National.  “Educational outreach is a huge part of our overall community support and the mission of Words Alive is closely aligned with the goals and objectives of our literacy programs.”

Since launching its literacy program 16 years ago, City National has donated more than 800,000 books to school libraries in six states, awarded over $1.5 million to teachers in elementary, middle and high schools in eight states, launched an award-winning financial literacy program called Dollars and Sense, instituted an author visit program with schools in five states, and so much more.  City National colleagues also provided thousands of hours of volunteerism each year reading to students, teaching financial literacy, building literacy gardens and more.

As an Impact Sponsor, City National Bank not only has the opportunity to introduce the moderator or MC at the luncheon and be recognized on our Words Alive bookmarks, but they are also contributing to Words Alive’s commitment to provide high-quality literacy programs to thousands of students and families in San Diego.

We have many sponsorship opportunities still available! If you, or the company you work for, believes in the importance of literacy and is interested in helping Words Alive foster a more literate community, check out sponsorship details here. We have benefits available from social media promotion, to recognition on centerpieces, to the opportunity to announce our featured author, Mary Kubica, at the event!

Celebrating Our Scholars: The 2018 Words Alive Westreich Scholarship Award Ceremony!

By Izzy Ster

An image of the 2018-2019 Words Alive Westreich Scholars!

On August 22nd, Words Alive held the annual Words Alive Westreich Scholarship (WAWS) Award Ceremony at the San Diego Central Library to celebrate the 2018-2019 Words Alive Westreich Scholarship recipients.

Unlike other scholarship programs, which typically fund only tuition, books, and educational supplies, each scholar in the WAWS program is eligible to use their scholarship funds to cover the cost of rent, food, childcare, clothing, transportation, and other living expenses. Words Alive awarded $37,500 in scholarships for the 2018-19 academic year. Nine of the scholars are returning to the program after participating in at least one other year and are receiving a $3,500 scholarship, while three first-time scholars are receiving a $2,000 scholarship from the organization’s Julia & Zoey Shenkman Award. Additionally, each scholarship recipient is matched with a mentor. The mentors meet with their student throughout the school year to help provide guidance and, often times, a shoulder to lean on.

This year, Words Alive is happy to present these 12 remarkable students with the Words Alive Westreich Scholarship: Paulina Aguilar-Lino (Southwestern College), Zaphire Alonso Duarte (San Diego State University), Destiny Frost (Cal State Bakersfield), Rose Gonzalez (San Diego State University), Diana Gonzalez-Soto (San Diego City College), Ulises Izucar (Point Loma Nazarene University), Aaron Juarez (Southwestern College), Zaira “Lexi” Martinez (San Diego State University), Alicia Osuna (San Diego City College), Daimeon Rodriguez (San Diego City College), Antonise Stewart (San Diego City College), and Domminiece Willis (San Diego State University).

One of the scholars, Daimeon Rodriguez, is a student at San Diego City College with plans to major in computer engineering and is proud to have made the Dean’s List this past year. Daimeon is from a rural part of Texas, an oil town, where many people don’t “make it out.” He said he is very grateful to receive the scholarship again and to continue his path towards a successful future. At the scholarship ceremony, he explained how his experience with Words Alive has changed his life for the better.

“[They’ve been] amazing. They’ve been great in giving [me] opportunities to apply for the [Westreich] scholarship and volunteer work.”

Rose Gonzalez, another returning scholar, was the highest scoring applicant for the past two years and is attending San Diego State University. During the ceremony, she presented her very moving application essay describing the hardships she has endured such as bearing witness to family members’ drug and alcohol abuse, homelessness, and identifying as an unaccompanied youth. During her youth, Rose missed two years of school and would often stay with neighbors because her family would “simply forget about her.” It was in Tijuana where Rose said she realized what her mother was doing was “illegal and morally wrong.”

“I always knew I had the potential to create a purposeful future for myself, even if I was on my own,” she said. “To survive in life...I matured at a very young age. I had to understand that the only way to be successful was to not become like my mother and break our bond. I needed to keep going to school and receive an education to become an independent woman and an educated woman.”

All recipients had a mentor, family member, or close friend to present the scholarship to them, all of whom spoke very highly of the scholar, with continuous praise to the amount of drive, determination, and grit of each student. Many of the students have overcome unbelievable obstacles including homelessness, teen pregnancy, abusive relationships, familial drug and alcohol abuse, and juvenile delinquency. These are students who have taken the initiative to help create better lives for themselves, even if at times they believed that was not possible.

Congratulations to 2018-2019 recipients of the Words Alive Westreich Scholarship and thank you to those who joined us at this event. If you would like to learn more about the scholarship, visit our website at this link: www.wordsalive.org/teenservices/  

Sponsor Highlight: First Republic Bank

Image: the First Republic Bank logo with features a gold eagle on a white background and the tagline "It's a privilege to serve you."

Words Alive's signature fundraising event is the Annual Author's Luncheon & Fundraiser. Celebrating its 15th year, the Author's Luncheon has featured world renowned authors such as Salman Rushdie, Jodi Picoult, and Isabel Allende.

Each fall, the Author's Luncheon is attended by over 600 patrons including book lovers, philanthropists, educators, civic organizations, and people invested in creating a more literate and thriving San Diego. This intellectual, elegant, and fast-paced fundraising event helps Words Alive raise over $200,000 annually, funds that make up a considerable portion of what Words Alive needs to continue serving thousands of children and families each year with high-quality literacy programs.

This event would not be possible without the support of our sponsors, the generous people, companies, and organizations who know how important literacy is for a prosperous community, and support our mission of opening opportunities of life success by inspiring a commitment to reading.

First Republic Bank is a returning sponsor for the Annual Author’s Luncheon & Fundraiser and is our VIP Reception Sponsor! They told us that they were “delighted to continue to support Words Alive, what positive and inspiring work you all do!”

First Republic was founded in 1985 and has since provided services such as private banking, private business banking and private wealth management, including investment, trust and brokerage services. Additionally, they specialize in delivering exceptional, relationship-based service with a commitment to responsiveness and action. First Republic offers a complete line of banking products for clients, including deposit services along with residential, commercial, and personal loans. These services are offered primarily through preferred banking or wealth management offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Newport Beach, San Diego, Portland, Palm Beach, Boston, Greenwich, and New York City.

Thank you First Republic for your help with this event and for recognizing the importance of literacy! With your support, Words Alive is able to provide high-quality literacy programming for students and families in San Diego communities.

Words Alive is also excited to announce our VIP reception for our table sponsors and their guests and the host committee after the main event on the day of the Luncheon! This exclusive function will provide more quality time with featured author, Mary Kubica, and you won’t want to miss it! In addition, event sponsors can get access to noteworthy benefits such as social media promotion, recognition on centerpieces, and the opportunity to announce Mary Kubica at the event!

Interested in availability for our sponsorship opportunities? If you, or the company you work for, believes in the importance of literacy and is interested in helping Words Alive foster a more literate community, check out sponsorship details here.

Sponsor Highlight: Geppetto's

Image of the Geppetto's logo! The logo features a toy Pinocchio holding a sign that says "Geppetto's" with the tagline "a child's fantasy".

Words Alive's signature fundraising event is the Annual Author's Luncheon & Fundraiser. Celebrating its 15th year, the Author's Luncheon has featured world renowned authors such as Salman Rushdie, Jodi Picoult, and Isabel Allende.

Taking place each fall, the Author's Luncheon is attended by over 600 patrons that include book lovers, philanthropists, educators, civic organizations, and people invested in creating a more literate and thriving San Diego. This intellectual, elegant, and fast-paced fundraising event helps Words Alive raise over $200,000 annually, funds that make up a considerable portion of what Words Alive needs to continue serving thousands of children and families each year.

This event would not be possible without the support of our sponsors, the generous people, companies, and organizations who know how important literacy is for a successful and thriving community, and support our mission of opening opportunities of life success by inspiring a commitment to reading.

Gepetto’s, a San Diego staple, is a local toy store and a returning Promoting Sponsor for the 15th Annual Author’s Luncheon & Fundraiser!

An image of the various, overflowing toys available at Geppetto's!

Dubbed as a San Diego tradition, Geppetto's has been operating for over 40 years and is proud to be locally owned by the Miller Family. This magical world of toys started with an original location in Old Town, but has since grown into 10 storefronts, spanning from Carlsbad to Coronado. Products in stores range from the latest and greatest to classic toys, guaranteed to spark nostalgia within all adults. Their mission is for customers to enjoy their award-winning stores where they will find toys to inspire creative play for the whole family. Additionally, Geppetto's specializes in exceptional service for shoppers, offering complimentary gift wrapping daily and Toy Experts, happy helpers stationed in stores to recommend engaging age appropriate toys for children.

Thank you Geppetto's for supporting Words Alive with the 15th Annual Author’s Luncheon & Fundraiser! Promoting sponsors for this event not only receive recognition on press releases and printed collateral, but they help Words Alive continue to serve thousands of students and families in San Diego with high-quality literacy programs.

We still have many sponsorship opportunities available! If you, or the company you work for, believes in the importance of literacy and is interested in helping Words Alive foster a more literate community, check out sponsorship details here. We have benefits available from social media promotion, to recognition on centerpieces, to the opportunity to announce our featured author, Mary Kubica, at the event!

Join Us in Recognizing the 2018-2019 Words Alive Westreich Scholarship Recipients

Image: The 2017-2018 Words Alive Westreich Scholars pose with their awards at the San Diego Central Library.

Transitioning from high school to college can be challenging. In fact, as many as one-in-three first-year college students don’t return for sophomore year, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Here at Words Alive, we set college-bound students up for success through the Words Alive Westreich Scholarship and Mentorship program.

Domminiece Willis was a homeless, first-generation college student who struggled with depression and other personal and educational challenges when she first started college. Instead of giving up, she persevered and completed her associate’s degree at Southwestern College.

With hard work, determination and the support of the Words Alive Westreich Scholarship program, Domminiece is transferring to San Diego State University in the fall. She wants to work as a child life specialist, and eventually, a pediatrician.

“I am extremely proud of Domminiece for her resiliency and persistence through community college,” wrote Megan Turner, college and career coordinator at Monarch School, Domminiece’s alma mater. “She is a true example of hard work and determination for our younger students.”

Words Alive will present Domminiece, along with 11 other remarkable students from Juvenile Court and Community Schools, with the Words Alive Westreich Scholarship during the annual Awards Ceremony & Dinner on Wednesday, Aug. 22 at the San Diego Central Library.

Words Alive has awarded $37,500 in scholarships for the 2018-19 academic year. Nine returning scholars of the Words Alive Westreich Scholarship program will receive a $3,500 scholarship, while three first-time scholars will receive a $2,000 scholarship from the organization’s Julia & Zoey Shenkman Scholarship fund.

The 2018-2019 Words Alive Westreich Scholarship program recipients are: Paulina Aguilar-Lino (Southwestern College), Zaphire Alonso Duarte (San Diego State University), Destiny Frost (Cal State Bakersfield), Rose Gonzalez (San Diego State University), Diana Gonzalez-Soto (San Diego City College), Ulises Izucar (Point Loma Nazarene University), Aaron Juarez (Southwestern College), Zaira “Lexi” Martinez (San Diego State University), Alicia Osuna (San Diego City College), Daimeon Rodriguez (San Diego City College), Antonise Stewart (San Diego City College) and Domminiece Willis (San Diego State University).

Unlike other scholarship programs, which typically fund only tuition, books and educational supplies, each recipient is eligible to use their scholarship funds to cover the cost of rent, food, childcare, clothing, travel and other living expenses. Additionally, the program matches each scholarship recipient with a mentor, who meets with their student throughout the school year, providing guidance, direction, and often times, a “shoulder” to lean on. 

San Diego philanthropist Ruth Westreich created the Words Alive Westreich Scholarship Program in 2007, with the first scholarships awarded the following year. The program awards scholarships to Words Alive Adolescent Book Group program participants to support them in their pursuit of higher education at the college or vocational level.

According to a 2018 survey, 100 percent of Words Alive Westreich Scholarship recipients said they now know how to access academic, professional and community resources on their own. Seventy-eight percent of scholars said they now feel more hopeful about their education and future.

“I realize that I’m resilient,” Domminiece wrote. “I might take a break, but I get back up. I won’t let myself fail.”

To recognize the 2018-19 scholarship recipients, Words Alive will host its annual Words Alive Westreich Scholarship Awards Ceremony from 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 22 at San Diego Central Library, 330 Park Blvd. in downtown San Diego. RSVP here to attend. 

What Does It Mean to Be Ready for College & Career?

By Jennifer Van Pelt

Our Words Alive Westreich Scholars attended a comprehensive and hands-on financial literacy workshop at Junior Achievement’s Finance Park, learning skills necessary for college and career success!

As students near the end of high school, there is pressure to make decisions about colleges, scholarships, and careers. There is an added level of pressure and confusion surrounding the transition from high school to college when you are a first-generation college student, as is the case for many incoming college students.  Discussions amongst teachers and counselors can surround the topic around who is “college ready” or “career ready”, which can be an ambiguous term for students and parents. What does it mean to be college or career ready? What can you do to help ensure that you or your children are properly preparing for the next steps after high school?

What Does it Mean to be College Ready?

According to an article published on Educause Review, there are five tangible areas that a student should be comfortable with before proceeding into higher education. Touching on just a few of these areas, study skills is mentioned as the first area of importance. This means teaching students an effective study method that will help them succeed in college level courses. By discovering the method that works for a student’s learning type, knowledge of the subject, and difficulty of the course, a student is better set up for success.

Another area mentioned is information literacy, meaning that a student needs to be able to differentiate what information is important and then how to properly verify that the information they were given is accurate. Not only is this needed for college papers, but it’s also important for the life of any young adult in the 21st century as we are bombarded with information from all forms of social media, news outlets, television, and millions of Google results.

What Does it Mean to be Career Ready?

Achieve.org dives into what the goal of being college and career ready after high school really means. In their article, being “career ready” is ensuring that a student has the tools to not only obtain a job after graduation, but also is ready to pursue any vocational, apprenticeship, or on-the-job trainings that will enable them to succeed in their chosen career. Through the standardized testing system that the United States has established, the Common Core standards are the agreed upon “knowledge skills” that a student needs to have before pursuing college or a career after high school. However, for many vocational careers, there is no high school preparation for the demands of these jobs that are often very technical and specific. Due to the focus on an education surrounding English, Math and other “core” subjects, the emphasis remains to be competent in these areas to allow the basis for career-specific training.

Nearing the end of high school is a pivotal point for young adults, and it’s important they have the right support during this time. The Words Alive Westreich Scholarship Program helps students from the Juvenile Court & Community School system achieve their higher education goals. The scholarship awards money to help with living expenses as well as a mentor to help guide them through the new academic landscape while also building relationship skills and learning more about the professional world.

For more information about Words Alive, please click here.

Sources:

https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2017/2/what-does-college-ready-mean

https://www.achieve.org/what-college-and-career-ready

Sponsor Highlight: Voice of San Diego

Words Alive's signature fundraising event is the Annual Author's Luncheon & Fundraiser. Celebrating its 15th year, the Author's Luncheon has featured world renowned authors such as Salman Rushdie, Jodi Picoult, and Isabel Allende. 

Taking place each fall, the Author's Luncheon is attended by over 600 patrons that include book lovers, philanthropists, educators, civic organizations, and people invested in creating a more literate and thriving San Diego. This intellectual, elegant, and fast-paced fundraising event helps Words Alive raise over $200,000 annually, funds that make up a considerable portion of what Words Alive needs to continue serving thousands of children and families each year.

This event would not be possible without the support of our sponsors, the generous people, companies, and organizations who know how important literacy is for a successful and thriving community, and support our mission of opening opportunities of life success by inspiring a commitment to reading. 

Voice of San Diego (VOSD) is is an award-winning nonprofit news organization based in San Diego, California, and the Media Sponsor for the 15th Annual Author's Luncheon & Fundraiser! Laura Kohn, Words Alive Board Member and co-host of VOSD's Good Schools For All podcast, had this to say about both organizations:

"Words Alive and Voice of San Diego are both about helping San Diegans engage with the community through words and knowledge. The children and youth who benefit from Words Alive’s programs will hopefully grow up to be civically active community members who vote and participate in our democracy. And our local democracy will be healthier for them thanks to VOSD’s intrepid reporting."

Hear more from Voice of San Diego:

Want to know what’s really happening in San Diego?

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Then check out Voice of San Diego’s Morning Report to learn more. As a Words Alive supporter and someone who cares about San Diego, we think you’ll enjoy reading it. 

Voice of San Diego is an award-winning nonprofit news organization that digs deeply into local issues and organizations that affect the public. Our mission is to deliver ground-breaking investigative journalism for the San Diego region and to increase civic participation by giving residents the knowledge and in-depth analysis necessary to become advocates for good government and social progress.

VOSD’s stories spurr officials to act, catalyze change, and enhance the lives of our fellow residents. Below are a few examples of how VOSD made a difference in our community in 2017.

PUBLIC HEALTH: VOSD Coverage Spurs City and County to Act on Hepatitis A

Within a day of Lisa Halverstadt’s story describing county and city officials’ foot-dragging on a response to the Hepatitis A crisis, both entities announced they would take swift action. The story prompted public responses from elected officials and attention from national media outlets.

GOVERNMENT: SANDAG

SANDAG Executive Director Gary Gallegos stepped down following a nearly yearlong investigation by Andy Keatts, that culminated in a brutal report from an outside law firm.

Legislation to overhaul the San Diego Association of Governments, written by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown earlier this month. The bill was spurred by our reporting on SANDAG’s faulty revenue forecasts.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

A San Diego Superior Court judge sided with Voice of San Diego and found that San Diego Unified improperly withheld documents related to our investigation of former trustee Marne Foster. The case sets an important check on public agencies who try to keep public records from the public under the guise of exemptions to the California Public Records Act.

RECENT AWARDS

The San Diego County Taxpayers Association gave two awards to Ashly McGlone and Andy Keatts to honor their coverage of the Field Turf contracting issues and the SANDAG scandal, respectively.

San Diego Society of Professional Journalists recently announced Andy Keatts as 2018 Journalist of the Year for his investigation into SANDAG.

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