Early Literacy Pilot - “Watch Me Read!” “Watch Me Succeed!” Literacy Camp

As a part of the Early Literacy Initiative, Park Hill Collective Impact supported Black Child Development Institute-Denver (BCDI-Denver) and Project Proud Fatherhood in launching the first night of its 3rd Annual “Watch Me Read!” “Watch Me Succeed!” Early Literacy Camp Thurs. July 12, 2018. The literacy camp is designed for African American children ages 3 to 8 years old, led and ran by African American males, with a focus originated out of a call from DAAP (Denver African American Philanthropist) Group in 2016.

This year’s theme is “Building Wakanda!” From concept to set-up newly hired BCDI Program Development Director Jalen Taylor took the vision of thought leaders and did an outstanding job!

Tonight was Mbaku’s “How to build your kingdom” where children were assembled into their tribes and did a mapping activity connecting the Kingdoms of Africa with Great Kings and Queens. King Kenneth D Crowley did a call and response to the young kings! Queen Aijah Elaine did the call and response for the young queens! Jonathan McMillan assembled the tribes and BCDI Family Literacy Specialist Janet Rene Damon created the classroom literacy lessons for each tribe and their homework.

The moms were invited into our Sankofa Women’s Circle, while father’s had a Fatherhood Circle of their own and served as Reading mentors in the classrooms. The program is also designed to create at home libraries through National BCDI’s Read to Succeed Program, so children took home lots of books tonight and will every week!

After the 3 week literacy camp ends they will have earned all of the knowledge needed to be awarded their very own crown!

Next week will build ecosystems with Toi Massey’s JEKL Foundation in her creation of Shuri’s Lab! And our 3rd week will conclude with T’Challa’s Rite of Passage with Tyrone Beverly’s Im’Unique.