Project Updates

This annual project was developed during my sophomore year at USC. Since then, we have held the International Reading Festival three times. Each year it has grown in size and scope. This year was our largest event with over 200 students and their families coming to the USC campus for the three-hour event. Over 40 volunteers worked on the day of the event. Each student left with a stamped passport from traveling to the different 'regions' of the world where they participated in storytelling and follow-up activities to go with folk tales native to each region. A special quilting booth was a popular station for participants to express their creativity while learning about quilting, a tradition shared by many world cultures. Additionally, there were language lessons taught and food representative of each region. Each student left with a brand new hardback DK My First Atlas and another book of their choosing for their personal libraries. The community members got to share in a day of learning, family fun, and adventure. Word has spread about the International Reading Festival and the underserved families in the area have come to look forward to the event as a day to celebrate cultural diversity and literacy.