Writers' Exchange Annual Report 2018-2019

2018—2019

annual report MISSION

VISION

The Writers’ Exchange gets inner-city kids excited about reading, writing and their own potential.

All kids will know they’re awesome, capable and can achieve anything!

SPa SP aCE BUNNY “Hop the Bunny hops through the grass and hops further until he finds the setting sun and hops on into space. And he flies up and up and up. Now he is in space. Hop is sad because he has to go home now. Goodbye, space. Home sweet home. Hello, Earth.”

—Brady, age 7

YEaR HIGHLIGHTS

668 unique kids

490

stories published

3,528

healthy and delicious snack platters devoured

237

active volunteer Literacy Mentors

601

kid-inspired literacy activities

“The kids I’ve worked with this past year both have so much more confidence now than they used to. In the past, they were unwilling to try reading, sometimes feeling embarrassed. Now, they’re willing to try!” —Diane, volunteer Literacy Mentor

aNNU NNUa aL REPORT 2018/2019

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

after School

in SchOol

4 283 TOTAL UNIQUE KIDS

CHAPBOOKS PUBLISHED, 650 COPIES TAKEN HOME

Last year we had 283 kids and youth from Vancouver’s inner-city neighbourhoods run through our doors for snacks, games, reading time and fun literacy activities at 5 different locations!

To make sure that even more kids have barrier-free access to our programs, we opened up a new site at xpey’ Elementary as well as 2 new programs in South Vancouver. The staff and kids made us feel right at home in all of our new sites.

We also started new programs for youth in grades 6, 7 and 8 to make that difficult transition from elementary to highschool a little bit easier. Our staff at our 2 original sites on East Hastings and East Broadway are continuing to bring kids and youth together with their amazing volunteer literacy mentors to build connections and create out-of-this-world stories!

VE D S BELIE R O T N F ME ILT A 98% O HEY BU A KID T T A H T WITH CTION CONNE

“The Writers’ Exchange helps people by making them feel good.”

—Kai, age 7

suMmer

12 252 TOTAL UNIQUE KIDS

CLASSES, 11 BOOKS PUBLISHED, 740 COPIES TAKEN HOME

You read that right, we worked with 12 classes but published 11 books.

That’s because we piloted a new project where a grade 6/7 class worked with a grade 1 class to create a book together called, Little Buddies! The classes sent messages to each other via mailboxes that we kept in the school library. Through the messaging system, the grade 6/7s found out what kind of characters and events their little buddies wanted to read about and, with support from their volunteer literacy mentors, wrote custom stories for the grade 1s.

Everyone got together for the booklaunch party to share and celebrate the stories they had created together.

Each and every in-school project we created was a customized experience for the classes we worked with. Thanks to all of the teachers who partnered with us to come up with projects that were inspired by what the kids in their classes were excited about!

SCHOOLS WE WORKED WITH

Admiral Seymour Elementary Captain James Cook Elementary Grandview/¿uuqinak’uuh Elementary Queen Alexandra Elementary Strathcona Elementary Thunderbird šxw xwa s Elementary Waverly Elementary xpey’ Elementary

6 299

INNERCITY LOCATIONS

TOTAL UNIQUE KIDS

We spent 158 hours working with kids and youth over the summer, a time when literacy skills typically decline.

To ensure continuity of support we made sure to work with kids in the neighbourhoods where we ran programs during the school year.

Our 67 volunteer literacy mentors continued to build on existing relationships and developed new ones with kids they met during the summer.

The kids at our East Hastings home base joined us for breakfasts, snacks and lunches before and after programs. Some days they even let their parents stay to enjoy the tasty meals with them!

“The Writers’ Exchange project was a huge motivating factor for our students to read and write more than they normally do. I was also impressed with how many children in my class felt comfortable and confident reading their story page from the class published book into the microphone. I could see how excited and proud they were to share their work with the rest of the class.”

—Ms. Lee, Teacher

100% OF AN IN MENTORS CR E SAW CONF IDEN ASE IN TH C E E O THEY WOR F THE KID KED W S ITH

aNNU NNUa aL REPORT 2018/2019

2018/2019 GOaLS

Open 2 new after-school locations to reach more inner-city kids.

Conduct reconciliation and gender sensitivity training to build programs and spaces that are welcoming and inclusive for all kids, families and mentors.

We started new programs at xpey’ Elementary and at two BC Housing Complexes in South Vancouver.

We conducted 4 sessions and will continue to learn and provide ongoing training to keep our spaces and programs inclusive!

Support kids as they transition into highschool by working in partnership with the Leadership and Resiliency Program.

Grow Family Literacy Nights and continue to deepen support for kids by supporting their entire family.

The popularity of our Family Literacy Nights continued to grow.

We tried different locations so that more families could get involved.

We threw an ice-cream party for the families at Writers’ Room and a summer bbq in the park. Fifty families took part in our Family Nights this year, many of them attending more than one of the events.

Our grade 6s, 7s and 8s asked us to start programs just for them at our after-school locations, so we did!

We work with them to address their worries about going to highschool and connect them with people and resources, like the Leadership and Resiliency Program, to help them with the transition.

2018/2019 FINaNCIaL REVIEW REVENUES $34,500

EXPENSES

$3,564

$76,032 $114,661 $159,673

$46,362

$78,078

$70,005

$285,985

$69,603 $23,697

33%

59%

7%

1%

24%

16%

5%

Generous Individuals

Foundations & Corporations

Government (Provincial & Municipal)

Other (Earned Revenue)

After-School Programs

After-School Programs

After-School Programs

TOTAL REVENUE

$483,722 PLUS! $164,820.16 of in-kind support, including book printing,

writing supplies and 7,203 volunteer hours!

at 887 East Hastings

at the Writers’ Room

at xpey’ Elementary

14%

15%

10%

16%

Summer Programs

In-School Programs

After-School Programs

Admin

South Van

TOTAL EXPENSES

$478,438

aNNU NNUa aL REPORT 2018/2019

THaNK YOU! Thank you to all of our volunteers, donors and partners for supporting the kids! You ensure that all programs we run continue to be free to the kids and families we work with.

can be mily here, you “It feels like fa ’s fun.” yourself and it 12 —Shawn, age “It ’s a nice place, a go od place. You can learn a lot of stuff .”

—Aaliyah, age 7

COMING UP IN 2019/2020

1

2

OPEN AN AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM AT VAN TECH SECONDARY

Our grade 7/8 transition program has been a big success so far, and because of this we’ve been asked to start our own program in the highschool. This will allow us to continue to work with kids coming from multiple schools and keep those important connections going.

3

4

COMPLETE A NEW, 3 YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN

CREATE A LEGACY GIVING PLAN

Using our brand new Theory of Change model, the intensive research completed

by UBC S3i confirms that what we’re doing is making a positive impact on kids. We’re collecting tons of feedback from the kids, their families, donors and partners, which we’ll be crafting into our new strategic plan!

This plan will ensure that our programs continue to support the kids who need us the most for as long as they need us!

Donors will be able to include us in their wills and feel secure that their legacy as a generous supporter will continue.

ENSURE OUR VOLUNTEER MENTORS HAVE A MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCE AND FEEL A SENSE OF BELONGING

Improving on our mentor feedback and evaluation process will enable us to give our volunteer mentors the best possible experience.

GET INVOLVED

CONNECT

Volunteer to be a Literacy Mentor or donate toward our programming at vancouverWE.com

Follow us on social media:

@writers_ex

thewriters.exchange

Graphic Design: Natalina Percival