The well-known Nigerian proverb says it this way: “it takes a village to raise a child.” In my early days at Berks Teens Matter, local leaders told me story after story about the positive influence extended family members and caring adult neighbors had on their growth and development. Cultural commentator David Brooks, confirms how important a web of connection in a recent Atlantic article entitled, “The nuclear family was a mistake.”In short, if children and communities hope to thrive, we need to be there for one another.
That’s why I am excited to see a shift toward greater human connection, at a root level and crossing traditional boundaries, happening in our city. The efforts are so numerous I am certain to miss more than one, but I’m going to name some anyway: Ready Set Read supporting our children’s reading development; Oakbrook Collective Impact Council’s resident-driven community promotion for health and opportunity; South of Penn collaborative efforts for positive change; Communities in Schools intentional and coordinated efforts to strengthen family-school-community connections for the success of our youth; Barrio Alegria engaging diverse individuals in community transformation through the arts; and the 18th Wonder Improvement Association – ‘strengthening our community from within.’
The common shift in all of these efforts is their focus on the community we imagine and creating the opportunities for all to be a part of turning what we imagine into our collective lived reality. Reading is rising right before our eyes, join us in being a part of the transformation.
By Nadine J. Smet-Weiss, translation by Maribel Martinez
