Find Your Talent:

1

• Find Your Talent
• Libraries cultural contribution
• www.enjoyingreading.org.uk

2

• Reading for pleasure is more important to a
  childs educational achievement and life chances
  than their familys wealth or social class
• Reading for Change, OECD, 2002

3

• Cultural value
• Culture enriches livesAs well as being valuable
  and enjoyable in its own right, participation in
  cultural activities also gives young people the
  chance to develop important life skills such as
  creativity, confidence, self-discipline,
  effective communication and the ability to work
  in teams. .the intrinsic right of all children
  to have the opportunity to develop their talents
  to the full
• Find Your Talent prospectus, 2008

4

• Every Find Your Talent pathfinder is required to
  involve libraries as a creative provider,
  through
• opportunities to engage creatively with
  library and archive services
• taking part in theatre and dance performances
• producing a piece of creative writing, taking
  part in a reading group, or listening to authors
  talk about their work
• Find Your Talent prospectus, 2008

5

• Reading is
• The ultimate aspiration raiser
• One of the most creative, accessible and cheapest
  ways of engaging with culture
• A way to develop self expression, self
  confidence, imagination and empathy
• Supports childrens learning, life chances and
  educational achievement - it makes all other
  learning possible
• A way into wider cultural experiences - lots of
  links to other art forms like drama.
• Libraries believe in the power of reading to
  change lives

6

• Libraries have developed some fantastic national
  reading programmes over the last few years.
• Through Find Your Talent, theres an opportunity
  to build on national programmes and existing
  strengths locally to help every child enjoy
  reading and participate in cultural activities.
• Its all about consolidating and celebrating
  what libraries and schools together do
  brilliantly, and innovating to fill the gaps and
  broaden the offer.

7

• Libraries creative offer
• Creative spaces welcoming places for group
  activities, exhibitions, events, performances
• Creative reading and writing groups e.g. manga,
  scriptwriting, performance poetry, music lyrics
• Storytelling and story sharing expertise
• Relationship with authors and illustrators
• Library staff book knowledge
• Local book awards and book prize shadowing
  schemes
• Powerful cultural partnerships e.g. BBC,
  publishers,
• Reading schemes e.g. Summer Reading Challenge
• Creative volunteering and accreditation
  opportunities
• Creative activities for families
• Bookgifting

8

• Book gifting
• DCSF recognises the link between reading for
  pleasure and achievement. Schemes like Boys into
  Books can only work if underpinned by a
  sustainable, dynamic relationship between
  libraries, schools and publishers.
• Consolidate
• Grow your links with families and pre-school
  children through Bookstart
• Adopt a library/ school to plan creative
  activities, skills share, plan ongoing cultural
  projects
• Innovate
• Create an authority-wide Enjoying Reading
  strategy to jumpstart closer school/ library
  cooperation create joint reading groups or
  awards to build on book gifting.

9

• Reading groups
• Reading groups encourage children to read more
  often, more widely.
• Consolidate
• Encourage Chatterbooks leavers to create school
  or library teenage reading groups
• Innovate
• Establish new media-based reading clubs (e.g.
  following the Radio Reading Clubs model in North
  East libraries) to engage young people through
  broadcast media.
• Set up online reading groups for students aged
  11-19 using www.groupthing.org.
• Set up a school film reading club to show and
  discuss films and read the book, using
  www.filmclub.org

10

• Reading schemes and promotions
• Libraries run excellent reading schemes. Summer
  Reading Challenge (SRC) engages thousands of
  young readers every year. Research shows us that
  once children join the Challenge, they return to
  it year on year, and gain huge confidence in
  their reading. They see themselves as readers.
• Consolidate existing library/ school strengths
• Generate pre and post-SRC momentum in schools
  and libraries using new Year 6/7 transition
  resources
• Build reading confidence, self esteem and
  citizenship through mentoring schemes with young
  people supporting younger readers. Create
  accredited volunteering roles to become reading
  champions.
• Run Young Cultural Creators projects to promote
  reading
• Innovate
• Create themed author and illustrator
  relationships and events in schools and
  libraries, e.g. through a joint Communty Reads
  project (where students and community all read
  the same book)

11

• Young peoples participation
• With the publication of Aiming High and new Local
  Area Agreement targets, young peoples
  participation and volunteering are a major
  priority.
• Consolidate
• Use The Reading Agencys new Participate
  programmed to increase young peoples
  participation.
• Innovate
• Create youth forums, involving young people in
  Find Your Talent decision making
• Create transformational branded Headspace spaces
  and activities designed by young people, for
  young people
• Introduce www.groupthing.org to engage teenagers
  whod never join a reading group
• Work with Childrens Reading Partners to offer
  publisher internships and volunteering activities
  for young people in your authority.

12

• I was not interested in reading but the Summer
  Reading Challenge has made it more fun and now I
  read a lot
• Rona (age 7)
• I like going to the library because theres
  lots of stuff going on thats fun and its really
  well planned. I think thats because young people
  like me have been involved in deciding what
  happens.
• Bethan Clarke, HeadSpace young volunteer
• www.enjoyingreading.org.uk