Vision for Literacy Pledge

Helping to transform lives through literacy

Edgbaston Foundation have signed The National Literacy Trust’s ‘Vision for Literacy Pledge’ with the aim to equip young people in the area with the literacy skills they need to succeed in life.

The current cohort of young people will be disproportionally affected by the disruption to their education and the economic impact of the pandemic. School closures, lockdown and ongoing disruption to education services is set to have a disastrous impact on the literacy of the 4.6 million children living in poverty in the UK. We know the recession will affect these communities the most and leave them vulnerable to further economic shocks.

We are committed to protecting young people in these communities from future unemployment by giving them the literacy skills they need to stay in educational settings.

50%

50% of wards in Birmingham rank in the top 10% of literacy need in England.

25%

25% of all 15-year-olds have a reading age of twelve or below.

17%

Youth unemployment is predicted to rise to 17% by late 2020.

Birmingham Stories

Birmingham Stories is a National Literacy Trust campaign to raise literacy levels and change the life stories of young people and adults across the city.

As part of our pledge, we have supported Birmingham Stories with delivering the Story Exchange, Young Birmingham Poets and Words for Work programmes to young people in our local area.

The Story Exchange – a narrative 4 model to help young people understand themselves and one another better through the power of empathy.

Young Birmingham Poets – a visit to the stadium to improve pupils’ enjoyment of writing, their motivation to write and their attitudes to poetry.

Words for Work giving young people from disadvantaged communities the literacy and communication skills they need to reach their potential.

Support the Edgbaston Foundation

Or contact Community Coordinator Chandni Paul via chandnipaul@edgbaston.com.