readable
London
WE TEACH. Since January 2014, ReadAble has been running weekly reading and
language arts classes for children ages 2 to 15 in a neighbourhood in the Chin
Swee area. We started out teaching in children’s homes, but have grown to occupy
classrooms in the Residents’ Committee Centre. We teach a phonics-based
curriculum to our earliest readers and deliver a programme which complements the
primary school syllabus for those who have mastered the basics of reading. We
use drama, movement and play to draw out a love for reading, build
self-confidence, and encourage creativity. WE BUILD. ReadAble has built a
community library of over a thousand books for our kids to freely access books
at every reading level throughout the week. We also organise educational
excursions to plays and museums, as well as connect kids’ families with
community resources, such as school supply donations and workshops by
professional educators. Through our BookDrop project, we set up conducive study
spaces and mini-libraries in kids’ homes. WE MENTOR. Apart from our classes
every Saturday, some volunteers run one-on-one classes with children in their
homes across the week forming deep relationships with families. We also started
a class teaching the predominantly migrant mothers of our students, functional
English to navigate life in Singapore. EVERY CHILD LOVED. We believe that
children thrive in love. We are committed to forming lasting relationships with
them as teachers and mentors. Each child’s progress is closely monitored and
classes are tailored to meet their learning styles. We recognise that our
children weather challenges such as parental incarceration or family violence,
and we strive to support them. EVERY FAMILY PARTNERED. Family support is crucial
to a child’s success. We work alongside families to reinforce children's
learning at home. We seek to understand our children’s home life and we engage
parents with routine updates on their children’s progress. EVERY VOLUNTEER
EMPOWERED. ReadAble is entirely volunteer-led and run, and we are serious about
equipping our people. We run regular training sessions on topics from phonics to
classroom management and how toxic stress affects child development. We
constantly refine our methods based on research and best practices. EVERYONE A
COMMUNITY. We seek to build an inclusive community that encourages children's
diverse aspirations and engages everyone with empathy. We have a flat volunteer
structure led by our Co-founders and Core Team who form friendships with
children and their families. Together, we work to eradicate social inequality.
