The Movement for Good grant will fund book gifting projects for disadvantaged schools.
After a long period without government funding, schools struggle to motivate their students to read when their small book collections are dated and tatty, and not representative of the diverse student population. Children need to feel connected to and reflected in, the books they are reading.
To address this need, we will be gifting Free To Be Me libraries to five primary schools. The libraries encompass a wide range of books with characters, themes and creators who reflect the diversity of contemporary Ireland and encourage children to read. Furthermore, each student will be given a book to keep. The impact of book ownership on reading for pleasure is astounding - children enjoy reading more, read more books, read more frequently and for longer periods of time. Other members in their homes may also get to enjoy the book. Over 490 children in five schools will benefit from the Free To Be Me libraries for years to come and each child will receive a book to enjoy at home with their family.
