WANT TO SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY AND HELP CHILDREN IMPROVE THEIR LITERACY SKILLS?
T
he Literacy Hubs in Portsmouth, is looking for volunteers to assist with 1:1 reading and support on a range of exciting published projects at its after school sessions.
to open two more hubs by 2023, which will mean we are providing 1 to 1 support to more than 300 children a week.” The Literacy Hubs is supported by The University of Portsmouth and Portsmouth City Council. The education charity was set up by Becca Dean MBE in 2020. The first hub, The Pompey Pirates, launched in September in the heart of the Charles Dickens ward, where 44 per cent of children live in poverty.
Nearly a quarter of the children in Portsmouth live in poverty. Children from low-income backgrounds are twice as likely to fall below expected levels of reading and writing by age 11 than their peers from wealthier homes.
The hub, which looks like a pirate ship, is a learning programme for children aged nine to 13, who have been referred by their school as they will benefit most from the support. They attend sessions once a week, after school, for a year. The ‘Young Pirates’ are able to publish their writing in the form of storybooks, studio recordings, which were broadcast on Express FM, and films. Charlotte Harding, trustee of the charity, said: “We’re looking for volunteers to help us reach more children in the city, especially as we aim 20
If you enjoy mentoring and supporting people, and want to see the young people of Portsmouth thrive, then visit www.theliteracyhubs.co.uk for more details on its work and information on how to get involved.
