Reading Is Fundamental, UK (RIF) promotes a love of reading
among children and young people (age 0-19) living in disadvantaged
communities, giving them the chance to choose free new books
to keep for themselves at fun events that involve families
and the wider community. RIF is an initiative of the National
Literacy Trust. In 2005-06 RIF ran 330 local projects across
the UK, involving over 23,000 children.
RIF trains and supports teachers, librarians, community
workers and other volunteers to run local literacy projects
in schools, libraries, football clubs, nurseries, women's
refuges, foster homes and community centres… anywhere,
in fact, where there are children. In 2005-06, just under
60% of RIF projects were based within school settings, and
just over 40% were based in community settings.
In each project, children choose three free books a year
to take home and keep at special events that celebrate the
pleasures of reading, such as listening to a storyteller
or author, doing book-related arts and crafts, dressing
up as a favourite book character or visiting the local library.
Children are helped to find a book they are genuinely interested
in to take away with them at the end of the event.
Parents are encouraged to get involved in a number of ways:
local coordinators often ask them to contribute to book
selection meetings and they are invited to their child's
book events, either as volunteers (serving refreshments
and helping with activities) or as audience members, joining
in with storytelling or other planned activities and watching
children choose their new book.
It has proved to be a good way to encourage otherwise reluctant
parents to come into school or to take an interest in their
child's education. RIF events are fun and non-threatening,
and parents get the chance to join in with the book-related
activities and to see how much enjoyment their child gets
from the event. There is often time to sit and read the
new books together at end of session.
In addition to the positive impact RIF has on children's
reading skills and their attitudes to reading and learning,
in 2005-06:
- 64% of project coordinators said that their RIF project
enabled them to recruit parents as volunteers
- 81% of coordinators reported that their RIF project
led to an improvement in parents' involvement in their
child's education
"The RIF books are a great
idea - it encourages children to read more, and my husband
and I now make more time to involve ourselves reading stories
with our children." (Parent, Inverness)
"Since coming to our RIF events,
some parents have asked whether we could set up a reading
support workshop - an informal group which now runs fortnightly
and gives them a chance to develop the ways in which they
help their children with their reading."(Primary
school teacher, Southampton)
"Each RIF event at my local
library was completely different and kept the children entertained
and interested. It brought us to the library, which we didn't
use before, and we did new things together and enjoyed it
- enjoyed it so much that we'll definitely be coming back!"
(Parent, Sheffield)
"Parental involvement at our
school has always been quite limited, but attendance at
RIF book distributions is always good." (Primary
school teacher, Hounslow)
RIF is funded from a variety of sources: in 2005-06 just
over 50% of its income came from companies, around 15% from
trusts and foundations, 14% from local authorities, and
the remainder was raised from a combination of earned income,
individual donations and local fundraising by project coordinators.
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