Cheryl Johnson’s reading program on Bequia is designed to reinforce children’s personal and academic growth through strengthening reading, comprehension, and public speaking skills.
The youth reading club on Bequia, hosted at the Fig Tree restaurant every Saturday, is a chance for local and visiting volunteers to give back by helping children strengthen their reading, comprehension, and public speaking skills. Donations are welcome in the form of books and art supplies, such as construction paper and large crayons. Additionally, we invite everyone to volunteer their time to read with the children. Volunteers from both the local community and visitors are appreciated, provided they have good reading and grammar skills and can effectively support the children. The program is in need of a volunteer to catalog the books according to reading level, using a discrete color-coding system on the spine that only volunteers understand. Selecting books is a delicate task, as each child needs guidance towards books that are challenging yet achievable, without causing feelings of inadequacy. While visiting sailors are the main volunteers of the program, when they head south for hurricane season, the program struggles to provide that one-on-one pairing with the children during these off-season months. Especially as the program expands, the increased participation of local volunteers is essential. ENHANCE READING SKILLS: Children select books within their reading level that offer a degree of difficulty, reading aloud to volunteers who assist with grammar concepts and pronunciation. IMPROVE COMPREHENSION SKILLS: Children illustrate a scene from a story they’ve read, with creative art reinforcing their understanding and memory. They discuss the story and articulate what they’ve learned. DEVELOP PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS: Children present book reports in front of their peers, stepping out of their comfort zones to articulate the story and build confidence. FREQUENCY: Every Saturday at 2:00 pm in the afternoon. LOCATION: The Fig Tree restaurant. DURATION AGE GROUP: The program is open to children starting from two years old, provided they can remain seated and attentive. TECHNIQUES Assistance & Learning: Volunteers help with pronunciation, grammar, and understanding. Discussion: Encourage children to discuss what they’ve read. Reiteration: Children restate concepts to confirm understanding. Book Selection: Guiding children to choose appropriate yet challenging books. Reading Out Loud: Children read to volunteers. CONSISTENCY & PERSONALIZATION Same Volunteer Pairing: Children work with the same volunteer each week when possible. One-On-One Interaction: Each child is paired with one volunteer who tailors support to individual needs and progress. Progress Tracking: Volunteers give feedback and assign tasks for children to complete before the next program session, fostering ongoing learning and engagement. CREATIVE EXPRESSION Artistic Activity: Children draw something related to the book. Integration of Art & Reading: Emphasize how art helps in understanding and retaining story elements. READING SKILLS: Children will be able to read age-appropriate texts fluently and with proper intonation, recognize and understand a wider range of vocabulary, and apply phonics and other decoding strategies to new words. RETENTION & COMPREHENSION SKILLS: Children will accurately summarize the main ideas and key details of a book after reading, make predictions and inferences based on their understanding, and show improved memory retention by recalling and discussing specific details from books read in previous sessions. PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS: Children will confidently present their book report in front of peers, engage in discussions about the texts, and demonstrate improved storytelling and reporting skills. From growing up without her mother under British rule in Saint Vincent, being displaced after the 1970 volcano eruption, starting a preschool, moving to Bequia, and forming the reading club, her life has been a powerful journey of resilience and service. “I believe that word is power.” No one who enters that bathroom at the Fig Tree Restaurant expects to leave in tears. Children’s handwritten letters are decorated around the walls with messages of pure gratitude. One letter reads, “I love reading club because Mrs. Johnson is a loving, caring, and intelligent woman. She loves the kids at reading club because it helps us to learn to read books. Yours truly, Jadese. Love you to Mrs. Johnson.”
Bequia Reading Club
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Opportunities
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Donations & volunteering
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CATALOGING BOOKS
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LOCAL VOLUNTEERS
Watch the Short Documentary
A glimpse into the life of Cheryl Johnson
Turning Pages, Turning Lives: A Sea of Support for Cheryl Johnson’s Reading Program
Read the full story
A Simple Program with Substantial Outcomes
