Kick into Reading
Professional storytellers, led by Dr. Patrick Ryan are working with the National Literacy Trust and football clubs to provide positive role models for reading and to stimulate speaking and listening. The project supports literacy work among families and professionals such as teachers, librarians and other community workers.A storyteller trains community coaches, and in some cases academy students and first-team players, how to perform and tell stories for children. Once trained, the club staff and players hold sessions in libraries where they perform the tales, whilst showing children how a love of books, reading and telling stories is an important and fun part of their lives.
What's happening now
A further grant from Arts Council England has been secured which will facilitate the programme at 18 clubs from January 2007.
The history
Kick into Reading, is based upon a successful idea which trialled with ex-Chelsea star Peter Rhoades-Brown (now a community officer for Oxford Utd FC), and Oxfordshire Libraries.
Funding
An initial grant from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation has been followed by significant funding from Arts Council England.
Programme responsibilities
Clubs provide staff from their community teams, academies or centres of excellence and sometimes their first team to be trained and to deliver the storytelling.
Libraries host the events.
Schools provide the audience.
RTG facilitates and coordinates the partnerships and the storytellers.
Clubs who have so far taken part in KiR:
Barnet FC
Brentford FC )
Charlton Athletic FC <
Fulham FC
Liverpool FC <kir2.html>
Manchester United FC
Mansfield Town FC
Nottingham Forest FC
Queens Park Rangers FC
Reading FC
Stoke City FC
Evaluation
65% of children want to read more as a result of KiR.
55% of children who were library members joined because of KiR.
See link for more http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/Football/RTGProjects/kir.html
Link of the week: http://www.unusualcards.com/