The Readings Foundation assists Victorian organisations that support the development of literacy, community integration and the arts. Grants Officer Leanne Hall visited the Church of All Nations Family Learning Program recently – one of the seven projects being supported by the Foundation in 2016.

One of the fantastic things about the Readings Foundation is that we have been able to support local, grass-roots organisations – some so local that they’re within walking distance of our Carlton store! This is the second year that the Foundation has supported the Church of All Nations and their Family Learning Program, and it’s been interesting to see their activities grow. The Program has been going so well that it has expanded and moved to a new home at the refurbished Kathleen Syme Library and Community Centre on Faraday Street (a great community centre with a social enterprise café and multiple rooms and venues for hire).

I popped in to see the Family Learning Program in action on a Tuesday afternoon recently at the library, when their popular Homework Club was in full swing. The Church of All Nations utilises a large area at the library, with a computer room, desks, a kitchenette, reading spaces and a computer gaming area (an important motivator for finishing homework quickly). Just over 100 local kids and teenagers are involved in the Homework Club. Many of the young people live in the nearby Carlton Housing Estates, eleven primary and high schools are represented, and at least four languages are spoken.

On the day I visited I saw every type of project and homework exercise being worked on – some of the primary-aged kids were making posters, older kids were getting stuck into maths problems and essays, and there was an intensive one-on-one Fantastic Mr Fox reading session going on. The program’s dedicated tutors are former and current teachers, students from Queen’s College, professionals, businesspeople and retirees. Overseeing the program is the energetic, super-organised and multilingual Yirgalem Frezghi.

The Readings Foundation grant this year has been used to extend the ambit of the program to include parents more actively, and to provide a holiday program so that skills and learning are maintained all year round. Laptops have been purchased to help parents with their general and computer literacy, so that they can better understand school forms and reports, communicate with teachers, and open up the possibility of further study. The parents program has focussed this year on situational literacy, with regular cooking classes being particularly popular – while I was visiting, I noticed a large group of mums preparing and providing fruit platters, and brushing up on their computer skills at the same time.

It’s inspiring to see such energy and activity going on in our local community, with long-term friendships, mentorships and cross-cultural connections being formed. We look forward to seeing how Church of All Nation’s community work develops and grows over time.

Readings donates 10% of its overall profit to The Readings Foundation each year, and crucial funds are also raised from donations by Readings customers. Find out more here.