Reading buddies

The chaos of the playground is a world away from the quiet industry of a busy office, but thanks to an innovative literacy program, inner-city workers and the students of Crown Street Public School are discovering how much they have to offer each other.

Standing high and impressive above a busy thoroughfare, Crown Street Public School, in Sydney’s Surry Hills, is the very model of a forbidding Victorian institution. Built in the days of rote learning and the strap, the campus reflects the upstanding austerity of the time. But inside the heavy doors, things could not be more different. Here, the bustle of an industrious, dynamic school is infused with warmth – a quality that is evident throughout the classrooms. Children’s artworks decorate every surface, even hanging from ceilings, and words of encouragement are combined with multilingual signs placed around the entrance. Crown Street Public immediately feels like a nice place to be.

The welcoming atmosphere extends into the staffroom, where a feast awaits. Homemade cakes, platters of sandwiches, pots of tea and cups of coffee cover the table. Principal Valerie Martin and her staff resist temptation as they wait for the guests to arrive. The guests of honour are the volunteer ‘reading buddies’ from Genworth Financial, and Robyn Collins and Dr Danielle Tracey from Learning Links, the charity behind Reading for Life – the program that brought them all together (see ‘Life lessons’, page 203 of the November 06 issue of Notebook: magazine).

Reading for Life is a support program designed to assist primary school children struggling with reading skills. There are other literary recovery programs currently in use in schools, but nothing quite like this. Where the Learning Links system differs is in its commitment to bringing community and business volunteers right into the classroom. As well as raising funds and creating reading materials, Reading for Life provides help and support in the form of a one-on-one, long-term reading buddy for each child.

“It’s about relationships,” explains Val, “The buddies bring a wonderful enthusiasm with them, and approach their role with such a positive attitude it changes the way the children feel about reading and learning. Funding alone just couldn’t achieve the same result. It’s definitely about generosity, but generosity of a very personal kind.”

Mylie Hagan, corporate social responsibility manager for Genworth Financial, drove the company’s involvement with the Reading for Life program. “We were looking for a way for the company to give something back to the community,” explains Mylie. “It needed to be something local, something very concrete and something that gave our staff an opportunity to be directly involved.” With a daughter just starting kindergarten, Mylie was aware of the need for community support within our schools, and the benefits of offering extra help to those children who are struggling. “Learning is about more than just lessons and milestones,” she says. "School has a huge impact on all aspects of a child’s life; if we can help make that effect a positive one, then we’ve done a very good thing.”

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