The Spirit of PaperTigers (SPT) Outreach program seeks to further the overall goals of the PaperTigers Program: bridging cultures and opening minds, promoting greater understanding and empathy among young people from different backgrounds, countries, and ethnicities. More specifically, SPT outreach works to advance education through books and reading, and development through clean and accessible water.
Since 2009, the PaperTigers Program has put books into the hands of young readers through schools and libraries, encouraging literacy, developing understanding and making reading a lifelong habit. Taking this work a step further, SPT outreach is seeking to ensure that, in areas where there is water stress or water scarcity, the children to whom the books are sent will have access to clean water and good sanitation. The possibility of effective education in certain parts of the world is linked to the basic realities of food and water. By focusing on books and water together – nourishing both the mind and body – SPT continues to promote literacy and encourage children to become “hungry readers.” Thus our Outreach motto: “Through Books and Water, Education and Development.”
For more information please head on over to our Spirit of PaperTigers Outreach page and be sure to read the latest feedback (and see photos!) from Westwood Elementary School in Port Coquitlam, BC, Canada!
To reinforce our goal of promoting cross-cultural understanding through books, in February 2010 PaperTigers launched its Spirit of PaperTigers (SPT) Project. As part of this project, we have been donating a set of books which reflect the aims of PaperTigers to schools and libraries in different parts of the world, focusing mostly, though not exclusively, on places where resources are particularly lacking. The seven books that form the SPT set were chosen because, as well as being an enjoyable read and beautifully presented, their content and focus contribute to bridging cultures and opening minds, and promote greater understanding and empathy among young people from different backgrounds, countries, and ethnicities.
When I told Mrs. Chantal Dickson, Grade 3 teacher at Anmore Elementary School in Anmore, BC, Canada, about the SPT project she was very keen to take part. Although Anmore School may not be considered “needy” in financial terms, it is a very unique school in that the student population and surrounding neighbourhood really do not reflect British Columbia’s visibly multi-ethnic society.
Anmore Elementary School….(click on photos to enlarge)
Because of feedback we have been receiving from earlier recipients of the SPT book set, we decided to try something a little different with Mrs. Dickson and provide more than one set of the books – especially as she often breaks her class down into small literature circles of about five or six students. Each circle reads and talks about the books amongst themselves, and then the groups are brought together for class discussions. To help facilitate the use of the books in this setting, we sent Mrs. Dickson six book sets. This amounted to 42 books so I recruited my daughter, who attends Anmore, and four of her friends to help me deliver the books…
Heading up the hill to the Mrs. Dickson’s class…
5 happy helpers and 1 very excited teacher…
We look forward to hearing how Mrs. Dickson uses the books in her class and of course receiving feedback from the students. I al
