International Literacy Day 2016
WE THINK THE WORLD RUNS ON READING. “ME, TOO!”
by Richard Clewes
SOUFRIÈRE St. Lucia — September 9, 2016
This week in St. Lucia, as in Canada, kids are back in school. I went to Castries to retrieve 8 tons of books donated by students from Ontario only to find that our shipment was stuck in Customs. The delay gave me and my travel companion, videographer Jason Lupish, time to produce a short video. It’s a “trailer” to promote the first-ever national running relay in St. Lucia. “Find 52: The Road to Reading” will take place during the last week of school in July 2017. It will start in Soufriere then make a counter-clockwise circuit of the entire country: 167 K/104 miles.
In a relay you normally pass a baton. Instead, our actors ran through town and country carrying “Me, Too” by Annika Dunklee (author) and Lori Joy Smith (illustrator). How better to demonstrate that stories can connect us – within a small community or to anyone in the world who likes a good story. Reading is sharing.
Sonya White and Leonise François will be very busy for the next 10 months managing the complex details for this event. But today was simple. And fun for the students.
Here’s a two minute glimpse into the most exciting place in the world: their future.
ABOUT THE FILMING
For reasons of privacy students who participated in the video cannot be identified. Permission from parents and guardians was obtained in writing prior to production. An off-duty Royal St. Lucia Police constable directed traffic; students were accompanied by a teacher. Thanks to: District Education Officer Mrs. Valencia Charlery; Principal Ms. Cecelia Clovis; and, the students of Soufrière Primary – who made the Find 52 story come to life. These readers can run.