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| Literacy for Incarcerated Teens Our Vision and Mission Literacy for Incarcerated Teens is a non-profit organization committed to a world in which no child experiences illiteracy or aliteracy. We work with teachers of New York City's incarcerated and detained youth as well as host agencies to improve students' ability and desire to read. Working collaboratively, we aim to motivate all students to adopt a literate lifestyle. We do this through the establishment of excellent school libraries, high quality library programming, and special literacy events. LIT is proud to be fiscally sponsored by PREP, a New York based non-profit corporation whose mission is to provide books to prison libraries across New York State. How You Can Help --To donate new or gently used books that we know are popular with the young people we serve, please visit the wishlist(s) below: Bridges Crossroads Project Blum Project Haven --Should you want to donate your own used books in good condition that would be of interest to youg adults, please email [email protected]. --Sign up for Passages Academy Libraries eNews to learn more about the difference we're making by sending an e-mail request to [email protected]. --Make a gift of your time, money, or other resources with an in-kind or monetary tax-exempt donation. (See below) What the Kids are Saying Why We Need a Library (Jasmine) I believe that all lockdowns should have libraries. People in lockdowns should read and keep their minds on trying not to be in environments like this. People in lockdowns should take advantage of these new libraries because reading is one of the best things available to our minds instead of gang relations, drug dealing and abuse, prostitution and gun violence. Children in facilities like these should be able to read books that provide information on other people who have been in our situation, such as the Autobiography of Malxolm X, which we now have in the library. In our new library, we can also read about our rights--what we can and cannot do as allowed by law. I think this library is going to take our residents to a new level because we'll have plenty to read about and learn. We'll learn about our cultures and histories. Also, since we can't escape from this place, we can escape through books like "Harry Potter", Goosebumps and books by Gary Soto and Nikki Giovanni. I would like to tell all of the residents here to take advantage of the library. The Benefits of Reading (Jonathan) One of the benefits of reading is that reading can relieve stress. Reading helps put one's mind in any environment he or she pleases. When a person reads a book, they picture the book any way that they want. Not even brick walls with barbed wire can stop anyone's mind from escaping. I would like to mention another benefit. Reading helps expand our vocabulary and helps us in the future to speak to one another more sophisticatedly. During slavery, it was illegal to teach slaves how to read. Slaveowners were afraid that slaves would become more knowledgeasble and advanced and overthrow them. Slaves were not allowed to read because of the benefits. That's why it's good that we learn how to read and practice every day. Funding Literacy for Incarcerated Teens is funded entirely by generous individuals like yourself and foundations. If you would like to support this project with a tax-exempt monetary or in-kind donation, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]. Addressing the Gaps, Addressing the Needs: FAQ Sheet Correlations between Education and Juvenile Justice in New York: The Gaps and the Needs . In New York State, 75% of prison inmates are high school drop-outs.(1) . In New York City, 40% of young people enrolled in Passages test below a 4th grade reading level on initial assessments.(2) This is 7% higher than the national average for juvenile offenders and juvenile delinquents.(3) . 49% of young people at Passages Academy are eligible for special education services. (4) . According to the Coalition for Juvenile Justice, national recidivism rate for juvenile offenders is between 60-84%. For juveniles involved with quality reading instructional programs, the recidivism rates can be reduced by 20% or more.(5) Libraries Support Larger Literacy Initiatives in New York City . In May, 2004, Deputy Mayor Derek Wolcott announced a new initiative aimed at creating libraries in public housing saying, �It�s part of a campaign to make sure that literacy programs are available in all parts of the city to improve education�.(6) . Literacy is the cornerstone of the Mayor�s education initiative, �Children First�.(7) The majority of children at Passages return to NYC public schools within one year, and need to improve their educational levels to reduce the risk of dropping out of high school. Libraries inside Programs Serving Court Involved Youth: The Cornerstone of an Ambitious Literacy Project . As of September 2003, three libraries opened in Bronx facilities serving these youth at Bridges, Horizons and Summit. . An additional library is in the final stages of creation at the Bronx Alternative to Detention (ATD) Program. Private funding for Manhattan and Brooklyn/Queens ATD will be determined in June 2004. . These libraries contain more than 10,000 print and audio titles, 17 different youth oriented magazines and listening stations for audio books. . These libraries have been funded through a wide variety of sources including: Books for Kids Foundation, Brownstone Book Fund, Project Cicero, New York Public Library (NYPL) Children for Children, Prisoners Reading Encouragement Project (PREP), Materials for the Arts, Furnish-a-Future, corporate sponsorship and individual donations. . Collaborative effort between the Department of Education and the Department of Juvenile Justice* . Libraries are open to young people during school day and after school/weekends and holidays as part of their recreation schedule. . Libraries reinforce academic program during school, helping to raise skill levels through additional reading materials and time and help residents develop positive reading habits . Currently, City agencies have provided EXTEMELY limited support-one one case, one staff member has been given overtime to input books into the system, have purchased secure bookshelves and received donations from religious institutions and outdated books from the public library including such titles as: The Von Trapp Family Singers and the Biography of Margaret Thatcher. Education and Recidivism: The Critical Link . Richard Allington, renowned expert on adolescents who struggle with reading says that teenagers who are below grade level in reading need to double their time spent reading to significantly improve their reading skills. These teens do not learn in a vacuum and need to engage in text they find interesting and gratifying. . Researchers at the University of Maryland found that teaching reading skills to juveniles worked significantly to better reduce recidivism than boot camp programs.(8) . Despite the overwhelming evidence that links literacy and recidivism, New York State has no mandate to provide library services or literacy programming to at-risk youth in the custody of the courts. ____________ (1)Correctional Association of New York, �Prisoner Profile,� www.correctionalassociation.org 5 September 2003 (2) Passages Academy, 2000 (3)National Dropout Prevention Center/Network, �Quick Facts-Economic Impact,� www.droupoutprevention.org 20 April 2001 (4)Passages Academy, 2001-2002 school year (5)National Center on Education, Disability and Juvenile Justice, Juvenile Correctional Education Programs: The Case for Quality Education in Juvenile Correctional Facilities (College Park, MD: National Center on Education, Disability and Juvenile Justice, 200.) (6) New York Post, �Literacy Push to Target Poor� 3 May 2004 (7)NYC Department of Education, 2004 (8)Coalition for Juvenile Justice, �Abandoned in the Back Row: New Lessons in Education and Delinquency Prevention�, 2001 Annual Report |
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