We are so grateful to all our sponsors, donors, and volunteers who help us provide high-quality holistic education to over 530 students every year. You make a very big difference by writing letters to your sponsored students, helping them in class with their assignments, and supporting their learning.
We want to tell you about one of our sponsors who has been very involved with his sponsored students since day one. Stephen Seacrest became a sponsor in 2022 and decided to not only sponsor two students but also to become an active part of the NDGs team by creating “Club Azul”.
Club Azul is the first reading club at Nuestro Futuro Middle and High School. Students can select a book from one of the many books Stephen has donated throughout the year, and read it during recess time. The teachers of Communications and Language have also used these books in classroom time and for reading assignments.
As the study published in 2021 by Martin-Chang et al. (2020) “What’s your pleasure? Exploring the predictors of leisure reading for fiction and nonfiction” demonstrated, students who immerse themselves in fantasy novels or spy thrillers, develop stronger language skills. (learn more)
One of the authors, Martin-Chang, commented on the big impact that reading “for fun” has in comparison to thinking of reading as merely a school assignment, therefore creating a balance between assignment and hobby. “Competence is very, very important. We can’t skip straight to books children love without teaching them how to do it right,” she said. She compares reading to eating a well-balanced diet: “The people who say chocolate is good for you don’t recommend eating it to the exclusion of all other things.”
Thank you Stephen Seacrest for going above and beyond, for loving your sponsored students as much as you do, for being part of our sponsors with an impact and for leaving your mark at Niños de Guatemala. Our schools and education are even better thanks to you.
