WilderFutures: Young Reader Recap
In honour of National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day, we came together as a community to host our first family-friendly live reading event at the Central Library! Thank you to all families who came out to support us, and to our guest readers Selah Rayne and Gemini Ironshirt, your support in this event meant the world to us and our community! We also want to express our gratitude to Sagium / Kinsted, Owl’s Nest, the Calgary Public Library, and all those who applied for the first instalment of the Young Readers book collection. We are grateful for the number of responses and are touched by each of your stories.
To close off our first event, we’ve rounded up some notable highlights from last Saturday’s read-aloud. Read on to see how our event unfolded, the value of this program, and how you can register for the following book selection and event!
Young Readers Live Event Recap
Families of all ages joined the Calgary Public Library community in the front atrium of the Central Library, sitting with anticipation as they waited for the event to begin! Hannele Gordon, our Equity & Community Director began the event and shared a warm welcome, before Haley, a children’s programmer from the Calgary Public Library, encouraged the attendees to participate in a children’s version of the land acknowledgement with hand signals and signs. Shortly after our guest readers Selah Rayne and Gemini Ironshirt began to read three thoughtfully selected books. Selah Rayne read “The Sweetest Kulu” by Celina Kalluk and “My Heart Fills with Happiness” by Monique Gray Smith. She encouraged the children to listen and engage in the group discussion. After a short wiggle break to refocus our excitement the group rejoined Gemini Ironshirt as she read “A Day With Yayah” by Nicola I. Campbell.
The event was an overall success and it filled our hearts with joy being able to witness everyone engaged in the learning taking place. By participating in the Young Readers event, children and families of all ages took part in being leaders in the community, inspiring each other and themselves to be truth-seekers and lifelong learners!
Through storytelling and collective conversations we are able to build connections by reflecting upon universal human experiences to evoke empathy and understanding within children. In educating and expanding the conversation through books written by Indigenous authors, we are able to change the narrative and have Indigenous peoples' voices lead the way.
Young Readers First Book Delivery Success Story
Several days before our read-aloud, we delivered the June books to all selected applicants and invited them to the Live Reading event held on Saturday, June 18 at the Central Library.
We thank those who took the time to apply to this month’s book collection. We strongly believe these books will help you educate the next generation of future leaders and innovators by promoting diverse narratives and engaging conversations.
Our selected applicants who received our 6 months to 5 years books include:
Our selected applicants who received our 5 to 12 years books include:
All recipients received:
5 diverse and inspirational based books on Indigenous History & Culture from our book collection
5 Young Readers book guides to assist in promoting thought-provoking conversations and activities
An eco-friendly and sustainable tote bag
A personalized note thanking all recipients for their application and working towards creating a brighter future for all
The young readers program hopes to foster a genuine love of reading in young children and to help educators facilitate age-appropriate discussions about important yet underrepresented subjects. Our goal is to continue improving access to diverse educational resources for organizations facing financial barriers. To learn more about Young Readers, click here.
And on that note, we are thrilled to host our next live reading event Saturday, August 27, 2022! Our summers book collection will focus on Love, Identity & Pride. Interested in taking part in our next read-aloud? Or know of an organization who cares for children ages 6 months to 12 years, including childcare centres, classrooms, and non-profit organizations that would benefit from these books? Click here to apply!
Follow along on our not-for-profit organizations Instagram and Facebook for more information about upcoming events and initiatives.