About

Our Mission/Vision

 

LITGROUPS is part of Westman Youth For Christ, where

 

“We believe in a community of hope where no young person has to go hungry – physically, emotionally, relationally or spiritually.”

 

Within that vision, LITGROUPS exist to facilitate literary competence and excellence in the youth of Brandon through caring relationships and community partnerships.

 

We are LITGROUPS: Linguistic Inspiration Together.

 

We believe that literacy enables youth to communicate and therefore impacts all their relationships. It impacts self confidence, including success in and out of school, and it helps develop thinking skills. And, literacy vastly impacts employability and future job opportunities. Really, is there any aspect of life that is not, directly or indirectly, impacted by literacy?

 

We believe that youth can learn. Often, youth are curious and willing to try new things; they are not stuck. We also believe that youth need a larger community and circle of influence of caring, consistent and productive role models in their lives in order to thrive – for inspiration, modelling, healthy boundaries, challenge and wider awareness.

 

We believe that following Jesus is the best way to live; it is the oil in the engine for fulfilling our potential of all that we are meant to be. At LITGROUPS, faith informs our content choices, our conduct towards youth, and the quality of relationships that we strive for with youth, volunteers and our wider community. And, we believe that God cares and hears our prayers; prayer matters – so we as staff and volunteers pray together for all aspects of LITGROUPS.

Our impact:

 

  • We welcome and focus the energy of youth
  • We love stories and foster a love of stories by reading to and with youth, responding to and writing our own stories
  • We foster consistent relationships with youth
  • We give others (volunteers, guests, community partners) the opportunity to invest in their community and to develop youths’ skills
  • We help prevent crime via improved literacy skills and positive community connections and experiences.
  • We pray for youth and their needs, watching, participating and celebrating in God’s constructive work in their lives.

WHAT happens at LITGROUPS:

  •  We address the whole spectrum of literacy- listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing and representing.
  • We read regularly, with and to students
  • We provide nutritious snack
  • We host guests, workshops and field trips
  • We build relationships with students characterized by care and consistent boundaries
  • We connect students to a larger community
  • We provide volunteers with opportunities to impact the lives of youth

HOW we do what we do (our values & commitments):

 

  • We maintain a safe space
  • We strive for strong communication with:
    • youth & parents
    • fellow staff
    • community & partnering schools
    • volunteers
  • We provide challenges for participating students
  • We are careful about quality of staff and volunteers
  • We endeavour to always be inspiring and motivating – often through exploration
  • We expand students’ experience and sense of community
  • We foster a love of learning
  • We advocate for youth needs and potential
  • We encourage others who also work with and care about kids (parents, teachers, etc)
  • We are meaning and connection focused
  • We place priority on quality curriculum, and take time to plan well