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This page is a news release published by Wrexham County Borough Council.
Content Author: pressoffice@wrexham.gov.uk

25 August 2010

New project improves young people's literacy

A groundbreaking project which encourages young people to improve their attitude towards reading has been hailed as a success.

The Text Now project is being run by Wrexham Youth Justice Service in conjunction with St Christopher’s School. Volunteers from the service spend time with pupils at St Christopher’s, helping them to read.

The Volunteers help pupils with a structured programme of daily 20-minute reading sessions each weekday over a 12 week period. 10 young people took part in the project, with results showing that their reading age improved by at least 1 year.

There were also significant outcomes demonstrating that young people on the project enjoyed reading more, were reading more frequently and had branched out in terms of what they read.

The regular and focused one-to-one support aims to encourage a young person's interest in and enjoyment of reading to reduce the risk of long-term social exclusion.

The programme is funded by Unitas, who first piloted the project in 2008 to huge success in schools throughout England and Wales. Text Now is aimed at young people aged 13-19 who lack confidence in reading and low reading attainment.

Kathy Weigh, Head of Service for Youth Justice Service said:

“Text Now is an innovative project that helps raise confidence and self-esteem by encouraging young people to explore different reading materials and by helping them read alone.

“Improving literacy skills and engagement in reading are important factors in keeping young people in education and employment, which in turn can stop them from offending."

Young people were also given incentive and rewards throughout the 12 week programme, including WH Smith Vouchers.

In 2008, a national Text Now pilot ran in 36 sites including schools and colleges in England and Wales involving 400 young people. The pilot found average reading ages improved by 18 months in just 12 weeks while significantly boosting the confidence of individuals.

Wrexham Youth Justice Service is now looking at how this project, and the brilliant results it achieved, can be replicated and imbedded within the service and help more young people rediscover the joy of reading.

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