Submitted by Madeline F.
Metro Denver
Englewood
This past month, I was invited to participate in the CCIRA’s (Colorado Chapter of the International Reading Association) annual reading conference. More than 1,500 principals and teachers from all over Colorado came and went throughout this conference to learn how they can impact children’s lives through new reading and writing techniques. Their vision is that all people will be empowered to critically engage in our changing world by developing and utilizing literacy skills throughout life. As an advocate for reading and writing, I was very grateful that I got to share my Gold Award project to help CCIRA spread their message. At this conference, I got to create a display to show my Gold Award, as well as attend different sessions with authors who gave me new ideas to add to my project.
My Gold Award is a hands-on program to help children read more, learn from what they read, and inspire them to use the lessons they learn in their everyday lives. I used interactive games and activities to help children comprehend the book and also increase their love for reading. By showing how characters in books can be role models and by making their own books, I want children to gain confidence and excitement from reading and writing. With the knowledge they learn from this program, they can make an impact in their own communities. During this conference, I got to talk to several teachers, who had the same goal as I did, about this program. I talked with them about implementing my program in their classrooms because I saw an increase in popularity for reading sessions at the Boys and Girls Club. Sharing my display was really inspiring to me because it showed me that there are others with the same passion with whom I could share ideas. It also showed that I can take action in my community and spread a program that will impact a very common problem in our community.
To learn more about my project go to www.thelittlechildrenwhocould.weebly.com.
This event has helped me embrace being a G.I.R.L. Being a go-getter allowed me to talk to teachers about my project and my ideas. As an innovator, I was able to create a Gold Award project that inspired children to read more and use what they read to make a difference. Also, being a risk-taker caused me to come out of my shell and be confident about my project and my passions. Because I am a leader, I took the initiative to create innovative ideas and I shared them with the world so that the issue that I was passionate about can be reduced.
This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too.