The BK Story Voyager is part of St. Nicks Alliance’s greater effort to help every child in North Brooklyn to grow into literate community members. The organization strives for each child to be a passionate reader and inspired writer, a keen listener, and articulate speaker.
The BK Story Voyager, a new sort of mobile library, started its journey in February 2016 to improve literacy by inspiring North Brooklyn’s children to love books. The BK Story Voyager is a flagship of St. Nicks Alliance literacy focused after-school centers.
The mobile library is scheduled to make bi-weekly visits throughout the year to eight St. Nicks Alliance’s after-school and community centers, with a concentration in the NABE 3.0 area. At these centers, children already benefit from reading and writing instruction, family literacy workshops,and academic and non-academic supports.
The BK Story Voyager offers an inspirational book selection and experience with links to schools, after-school libraries, and a broader learning and reading community. Children can also learn about books and reading through the BK Story Voyager’s website. Young people who are members of the BK Story Voyager can tell their friends all about the books they have read through the interactive website, where they can see more books, write book reviews, engage in thematic literacy games and other fun activities!
A specially designed curriculum featuring a wide range of fun book-related activities is also offered. Librarian Shelly Paus is planning literacy-based read alouds, creative play, music, art, games and multimedia activities. An incentive program (including book giveaways) encourages youth to borrow (and return) books. All activities draw on a range of strategies to support fundamental reading comprehension skills, with the goal of ensuring that participants achieve grade level, advance to subsequent grades, and ultimately make a successful transition to middle school.
Beyond these regularly scheduled visits, the BK Story Voyager is expected to tour to public, family-friendly events in Greenpoint, Williamsburg, and Bushwick throughout the year. Families can also get involved by making donations to BK Story Voyager book drives on designated dates to be announced.
St. Nicks Alliance hosts four after-school centers and five community centers in NYC Department of Education School District 14.
