With the school year coming to a close, youngsters in the Cabbagetown neighbourhood will still have a chance to practice their reading skills as the We Read program comes to the Parliament Street Library.
We Read is a free joint program between the Cabbagetown Youth Centre (CYC) and Free the Children. Local kids from grades one through four can sign up for the program and receive support and mentorship in reading.It was a popular program at the CYC in the past, but ongoing wide-scale renovations at the centre led to it being shut down after last summer.Corinne Impey, of Free the Children, said the program ensures youngsters in the community keep up with their reading skills when not in school."It's really good to be able to give them this kind of experience at least once a week, because reading's an important skill," she said. "Sometimes, parents in the area are busy and this is a good way to keep kids reading."We Read is not simply a story time-type activity. Free the Children volunteers work as mentors, encouraging the kids to do the reading themselves. After reading, the children and volunteers can play board games, sports or simply talk.June Charles, of the CYC, said We Read has long been one of the organization's most popular programs with 20 mentors helping 20 children. The demand has created a wait list and a constant need for new volunteers. The demand has opened the doors for volunteers from the CYC to pitch in."We have a lot of children in this community who love to read and parents who sometimes don't have the time because they're working," she said. "The children who join the program want to continue with it, so we have a hard time keeping up with the demand."We Read will run through the third week of August at the Parliament Street Library. For information on the program, contact June Charles, at the CYC, at june.charles@cabbagetownyouth.ca