Abstract

In Gates County, North Carolina, high school and middle school Peers Empowering Peers (PEP) volunteers promote literacy by producing book dramatizations for and with students at local elementary schools, and through mentoring and tutoring activities. PEP is a youth leadership program based on community service and peer helping, serving under the auspices of the Learn and Serve Program. This effective practice describes the program, and was submitted by Reba Green-Holley with the North Carolina Extension Service, Gates County Center, in October 2002.

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Issue

For youth to increase their literacy skills they need to begin reading more at an earlier age.

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Action

Peers Empowering Peers (PEP) is a youth leadership program based on community service and peer helping. PEP volunteers work with youth at Buckland Elementary, Gatesville Elementary, and T.S. Cooper Elementary Schools in Gates County, North Carolina, through literacy, mentoring and tutoring activities. There are eight PEP volunteers from Gates County High School and nine PEP volunteers from Central Middle School. Effective practices include the following:

• High school and middle school youth are trained to produce book dramatizations in order to bring a book to life for younger students.
• Stories to be dramatized are selected by the PEP youth on the merit of their appeal to students in grades K-5.
• Some stories that have been dramatized include Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Grouchy Ladybug, and Too Much Talk.
• The PEP youth serve as a production crew to help the youth in the after-school programs to bring the story to life for themselves, through narration, puppets and props.
• The PEP volunteers then help the after-school youth perform the story for their parents and faculty at a PTA meeting.
• Each site is given a copy of the dramatized book to keep.
• Elementary school students are encouraged to read books and create illustrations depicting what they have read.
• Incentives are used to encourage the elementary school students to read. For example, in the fall of 2002, PEP youth promoted a reading contest in the after-school programs. To compete for an ice cream party, each after-school program must have 100 percent participation for a six-week period. The after-school program with the most books read for the six-week period wins an ice cream party.
• The PEP youth also mentor/tutor youth in grades K-8 on a one-to-one basis and assist them with any subject/homework difficulties they may be having.
• The PEP program also consists of workshops that teach leadership, citizenship and teamwork.
• In addition to the 17 PEP youth, there is one adult leader, three after-school teachers, a (paid) 4H Program Associate and a librarian to assist with the program.

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Context

Peers Empowering Peers (PEP) is part of the North Carolina Youth Development Program in Gates County, North Carolina, a division of the Cooperative Extension Service of North Carolina State and North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State Universities. The Gates County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service provides unbiased, research-based information to people with interests and questions related to agriculture, family consumer science, youth development and community resource development.

Gates County is located in the northeastern section of North Carolina and has a population of approximately 10,000 (1990). 2002 is the third year of this service-learning program at County High School and Central Middle School.

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Outcome

• The after-school programs in the community, and the school-age youth they serve, have been enthusiastic about the PEP program.
• The PEP volunteers have gained skills in mentoring and tutoring, communicating, teamwork, problem solving/conflict resolution, leadership, and the importance of assisting others.
• PEP volunteers also have the chance to see themselves as role models and realize how their involvement with the younger students makes an impact on them.
• Elementary school students who work one-on-one with PEP youth through mentoring activities, have been able to increase their self-esteem, confidence, and sense of self-worth.
• The literacy portion of the program has helped to bring books to life for the elementary school youth and has encouraged them to read more books. Reading becomes "real" for the younger students as they get to see the characters come to life.

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Evidence

Between October 2001 and September 2002, the PEP program has reached 106 youth in grades K-8 through literacy and mentoring/tutoring activities, performances and summer camp. Evidence that the program is working is obtained from observation and evaluation tools (that indicate skills and knowledge gained) completed by the PEP team, feedback from youth participants, feedback from adults assisting with implementation and feedback from parents. The after-school teachers have reported that as a result of the tutoring by PEP youth the participants have a better understanding of their school subjects and perform better in school.

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Source Documents

Related Practices

• Providing young people with authentic writing activities: ten tips
• Sharing literacy skills with grade school children
• Training parents and volunteers in storytelling

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Related sites

National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

Learn and Serve

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