Performing Arts Directors Become Literacy Champions

On The Table Read, the “Best Entertainment Celebrity Magazine in the UK“, Fiona Da Silva Adams, founder of Revolution Performing Arts (RPA), and Laura Barnes, artistic director of RPA Rapport CIC, have become accredited Literacy Champions.

Revolution Performing Arts (RPA) – one of the South West’s leading performing arts companies for children and young people – now has two accredited Literacy Champions to further the work of the National Literacy Trust in the Wiltshire town.

The National Literacy Trust

The National Literacy Trust is an independent charity working with schools and communities to give disadvantaged children the literacy skills to succeed in life and is dedicated to helping raise literacy levels across the UK.  

The Swindon Stories hub is part of a ten year project to promote literacy in Swindon by involving volunteers – Literacy Champions – to promote reading for pleasure within the community. 

Fiona Da Silva Adams, founder of RPA and Laura Barnes, artistic director of the related organisation RPA Rapport CIC, have both been trained to become Literacy Champions themselves – to help equip children and young people with their literacy skills. 

Laura explained: “Becoming Literacy Champions allows us to support the literacy of 400 young people that we are currently working with and actively encourage in them a love of reading. We are already seeing a direct impact, as we are able to promote good literacy by giving all our young people a book of their choice absolutely free!”

Revolution Performing Arts

Moving forward, Swindon Stories will set challenges and tasks relating to literacy that RPA can engage their young people in. The next challenge will be to ask the young people what their favourite book is and who their favourite character is in that book.

“Fiona and I are absolutely delighted to be able to use our roles as Literacy Champions to add to what we can already offer the young people that we are working with at RPA and RPA Rapport,” said Laura. “We are fortunate to so often see the creative and vast imaginations of the children at RPA and know that encouraging their love of stories will only enhance this further.”

In November 2010, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall became the Patron of The National Literacy Trust and has offered her valuable support to ensure children and adults across the UK have the literacy skills they need for a happier, healthier and more prosperous life.

Eight wards in Swindon are in the most deprived 10 per cent nationally. Last year, 41 per cent of the most disadvantaged students in Swindon left primary school unable to read well. Not being able to read, write or communicate well holds children and adults back at every stage of their life from school to their jobs market.

Find more on Revolution Performing Arts

https://revolutionpa.co.uk

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