Positive Charge! PDX has launched a citywide Compassion is Lit! project where they plan to raise awareness about different ages, religions, sexual orientation, gender identities, family structures, cultures, nationalities, financial statuses, physical and mental challenges, etc. through literacy and discussion. In a nutshell, they will be encouraging people to raise this awareness by creating education in four ways: Read – Share – Gift – Build. In other words:
- Read new or used books about people who are different from them, and who live and experience life differently than they have.
- Share what they’ve learned from the books with others: the challenges, struggles, accomplishments, and contributions they didn’t know existed among that group of people; and the pearls they will take with them when they interact with, consider, or represent someone of that group in the future. Our project also includes other highlights such as a kick-off Zoom event THIS WEEKEND on November 14th when we will be sharing book ideas with the most amazing local K-5 librarian on earth for people to consider when getting started. In addition, we are hosting a “Lit! Connections” webpage with project announcements, as well as links to recommended books by Children’s Book Bank, Little Free Library, local libraries, and more.
- Gift the books they read to the Children’s Book Bank or a Little Free Library in town to encourage others to expand their knowledge and understanding.
- Build and install a little library of compassion and inclusion in their yard to fill with similar books about our rich and diverse society. There are more wonderful details that would fill the rest of your afternoon, but we’ll leave the rest for you to read on our website, or we are happy to answer questions via return email or phone call.
“We feel that increasing opportunities to learn about and celebrate each other while delegitimizing stereotypes and fears is a good step toward understanding and inclusion,” says Sallie Cohen, co-founder of Positive Charge! PDX. “The more people learning about different groups of people, the more we can be included into the one of all humanity.”
