Build capacity. Invest in new leadership. Host a Minnesota Literacy Leader or Summer Reads!

Meet Hiba. A former Open Door Learning Center-Arlington Hills (St Paul) student, she moved to Minnesota from Iraq a few years ago and has a degree in Mechanical Engineering. In her Literacy Leader service last year at Open Door, she worked on strategies to increase learner enrollment and retention, diversify the volunteer base and develop pathways for learner leadership. Now she has returned for a second year in a leadership role as a VISTA Leader with Literacy Minnesota, where she facilitates the professional growth of 16 fellow AmeriCorps members.

Do you have a dream project on the “back burner” and you just need someone with the time to dedicate to getting it off the ground? The Literacy Leadership Program works with AmeriCorps to place energetic individuals with organizations, schools, districts and consortia looking to launch or expand literacy programming, such as navigation, distance learning, digital literacy, workforce readiness, student outreach and retention, family literacy and more.

In 2020-21, our Literacy Leadership priorities are projects with a focus on culturally responsive literacy education, digital equity or other literacy capacity-building projects.

Looking for help over the summer?

Organizations can also host AmeriCorps members with our Summer Reads program for 8 weeks over the summer to help adult learners who are parents persist in their own education while their kids are out of school. Summer Reads members work directly with elementary children as literacy mentors in a variety of program environments, bringing literacy to life through tutoring, cooking, gardening, games, theater, and more. Members support children’s literacy through distance/remote learning, in person (following COVID health and safety measures) or a mix.

Are the Minnesota Literacy Leadership and/or Summer Reads programs right for my organization?

Literacy Leaders build infrastructure for programs that help low-income Minnesotan preschool children, adults or young adults not currently served by the K-12 school system and families with reading, writing, oral language and digital communication skills. Literacy Leaders serve full-time for one full year, while projects may last up to 3-5 years. Summer Reads members serve full-time for 8 weeks over the summer as literacy mentors for children entering grades K-5.

With Minnesota Literacy Leadership and Summer Reads, you can increase organizational capacity at minimal cost and increase your impact, all while investing in the next generation of literacy leaders.

Questions?

Visit our website and contact Meghan Paul-Cook at [email protected], 651-251-9069 with any questions, to talk over project ideas or sign up for an Info Session.