In a celebration of International Literacy Day at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, September 9, about 200 people gathered to hear about cutting-edge literacy projects in schools and communities during a program that featured Alma Powell of America's Promise Alliance, an organization that works to ensure children receive the fundamental resources they need to lead successful, healthy, and productive lives.
Sponsored by the International Reading Association (IRA) and hosted by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, the program featured speakers who described ongoing, successful programs that range from training teachers in Sudan to working with young people in a culinary project to an exchange program between students in the United States and Africa.
Other featured speakers included John Y.Cole, founding director of the Center for the Book, IRA's new Executive Director William B. Harvey, IRA's President Kathryn H. Au, Rotary International's Representative to the Organization of American States Richard S. Carson, Programme Specialist for Education Faryai Khan of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization in New York.
There were displays from many organizations and literacy activist groups at the celebration, which will be featured in the October issue of Reading Today, IRA's membership newspaper.