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(That's "Anyone for Reading" in txt spk!)
This project is a partnership between Lancashire County Council
social services and the library service, and its aim is to
encourage young people in care homes to enjoy reading for
fun. Each of the six care homes involved in the project has
been given a collection of 80 books with 'teenager appeal',
both fiction and non-fiction, that will stay in home for the
young people's use. Awareness-raising training for both librarians
and residential social workers has been part of the project,
which is being extended to all 20 care homes in the county.
A young people's librarian makes regular visits to the care
homes. He brings along different books from the local libraries,
including those which might help with the young people's coursework,
and for the first few times he also brought along a selection
of magazines in order to capture the young people's interest
- which proved very popular and gave the librarian insight
into their hobbies without having to ask a lot of questions.
The group discusses the books that were brought at the previous
session - for example, how relevant they were to their coursework,
or whether they would recommend a book to anyone else.
The young people have also had the opportunity to take part
in other activities such as workshops, as described in the
next paragraph. The sessions are very informal - there is
no obligation to attend - and the librarian tries to make
them seem as unlike a classroom environment as possible.
He also gives the young people one-to-one help with their
reading, at their request, although this is not part of the
project. Some of the young people have literacy difficulties,
and the librarian includes Barrington Stoke books in the collection
that he offers to them, so that they have books to choose
from that are appropriate to both their age and reading level.
The young people have been introduced to poetry at the group
sessions, and this seems particularly to motivate them. They
are encouraged to write creatively, and enjoy expressing themselves
in this way. Workshops have also been held with poet Terry
Caffrey, at which the young people received certificates of
attendance, along with signed copies of the poet's latest
work. Poet Lemn Sissay also made a visit, and staff arranged
a follow-up day in a studio for the young people to record
the poetry they wrote with him.
Initially, young people were suspicious of the sessions,
but as they saw that the atmosphere was informal and that
there was no pressure, attendance increased. The librarian
has also found that some of the young people have shown a
willingness to talk openly with him, since they seem not to
perceive him as an authority figure. They are encouraged to
join their local library, and in one case are being consulted
by the library on how a new teenage section should look and
what the stock should be.
The project has not yet been officially evaluated, but feedback
from the care home managers and the young people themselves
suggests that it is working well. All of the homes taking
part have reported an increase in reading activity since the
start of the project, library membership has gone up, and
some homes have started a reading hour each day, for staff
and young people alike. Assessment forms from staff training
sessions have demonstrated that staff have gained more confidence
in helping young people choose books.
High-level support for the project was secured at the very
outset, with the County Library Manager and the manager for
the Quality Protects programme attending the initial, exploratory
meeting. The project is now supported by mainstream funding
from social services, which fund the librarian for two days
a week through Quality Protects. The Education of Looked-after
Children Team provided funding (through the Standards and
Children's Funds) for the books, Terry Caffrey's visits and
fees for a freelance literacy coordinator who helped to get
the project off the ground.
The library service has contributed in kind, through consultancy,
venues, some book donations and the arrangement of discounts
from book suppliers. The Youth and Community service is a
new partner and helped to secure funding for Lemn Sissay's
visit.
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