Healing Through Literacy

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” — Charles W. Eliot

The use of literature as a healing method dates back to ancient Greece, where libraries were seen as sacred places with curative powers. In the early nineteenth century, physicians such as Benjamin Rush and Minson Galt II began using literature as an intervention technique in treating and rehabilitating individuals with mental health issues. During the first and second world wars, bibliotherapy was often used to help returning soldiers deal with physical and emotional trauma.

Here at Reach Out, we use literature and reading to help youth connect, heal and build their future. When you read about a person’s lifespan, the knowledge sticks with you as if you experienced it yourself. You understand how they respond to challenges and watch as their life plays out over a matter of weeks. In turn, the author equips us with sacred wisdom in a matter of weeks.

We know that times are rough right now. Youth all over are feeling the toll from even more isolation and strain than ever. Utah’s mental health issues are escalating, and we feel like it is time to do something about that.

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Reach Out’s Healing Through Literacy Program

We are thrilled to announce our Healing Through Literacy program.

  • We have four divisions of age groups, with three “phases” within each group based on grade levels:
    • Grades 1-3
    • Grades 4-6
    • Grades 7-9
    • Grades 10-12
  • Each phase of the division will have three books that the students will study (1 book per month).
  • We will have weekly literacy groups and expect to go through a book each month (about four weeks per book).
  • We will select books for each phase that will help the youth learn valuable life lessons and develop life skills.
  • Discussions held each week will focus on character traits from the book.
  • The youth will be able to consider the applications for their own life and look for opportunities to make improvements in their character.
  • When you read about a person’s lifespan, the knowledge sticks with you as if you experienced it yourself.
  • The cost of the program is covered as long as you participate and enjoy doing so. We want all youth to be able to afford building strong virtue and character!
  • Each literacy group is kept to a small size number, between eight and 10 children.
  • Literacy coaches are working with our developmental psychologist to ensure great discussions and growth for participants.
  • You will receive different books every month for each age division (30 character-building books per age group so we never repeat).
  • You will be invited to go to the next phase (or three-month period) at the end of each phase.

How It Works

  • We will provide each participant with a treasured leatherbound journal for writing down their observations and thoughts.
  • Each student will receive their own copy of each book and choose a scheduled course time to meet weekly, either in person or through an online space, with a coach and peers.
  • Throughout the week, participants will be able to communicate with each other through a Google chat and keep notes in their journal about the character traits and life skills they read about that week.
  • During the weekly meetings, participants will discuss how these traits and skills affected the characters’ lives and how they might apply these lessons and skills and challenges they are facing in their own lives.

 

Division One

Grades 1-3

Books read by this group include:

  • Charlotte’s Web by E.E. White
    Values and Character Traits: Compassion, Friendship and Loyalty
  • Lassie by Eric Knight
    Values and Character Traits: Kindness, Determination, Caring, Loyalty, Freedom and Tolerance
  • The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
    Values and Character Traits: Acceptance, Tolerance and Kindness
  • Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
    Values and Character Traits: Perseverance, Diligence, Respect, Obedience, Kindness, Virtue, Generosity and Honesty
  • The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
    Values and Character Traits: Friendship and Identity
  • The Miracle Worker by William Gibson
    Values and Character Traits: Patience, Tolerance and Compassion
  • The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

    Values and Character Traits: Honesty, Integrity, Forgiveness, Courage and Sacrifice

  • Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
    Values and Character Traits: Optimism, Seize the Day, Kindness, Friendship and You Are Enough
  • A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
    Values and Character Traits: Kindness, Manners and Values
  • Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
    Values and Character Traits: Resilience, Hope, Family and Loss
  • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
    Values and Character Traits: Imagination, Integrity, Learning From Parents, and Learning From Your Mistakes

Division Two

Grades 4-6

Books read by this group include:

  • My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
    Values and Character Traits: Courage, Independence, Companionship, Solitude, Survival, Coming of Age and Balance
  • Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
    Values and Character Traits: Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance
  • Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard
    Values and Character Traits: Honor, Loyalty, Courage, Perseverance and Undying Friendship
  • Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
    Values and Character Traits: Hard Work
  • Stuart Little by E.B. White
    Values and Character Traits: Overcoming Challenges, Handling Emotions, Friendship, Determination, Trust, Respect and Acceptance
  • Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
    Values and Character Traits: Responsibility, Honesty, Love, Affection, Strong Belief, Enthusiasm, Bravery, Good Heartedness, Loyalty and Peace
  • Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls
    Values and Character Traits: Family, Perseverance, Faith, Wishes Coming True and Knowing What You Really Want
  • The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
    Values and Character Traits: Perseverance, Imagination, Friendship, Courage, Resilience and Generosity
  • The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
    Values and Character Traits: Love Is Stronger Than Hate
  • Little Britches by Ralph Moody
    Values and Character Traits: Honesty, Hard Work and Integrity
  • The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by Bryan Mealer and William Kamkwamba
    Values and Character Traits: Ingenuity, Resourcefulness, Learning, Perseverance, Community and Discernment

Division Three

Grades 7-9

Books read by this group include:

  • A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
    Values and Character Traits: Goodwill, Compassion, Sympathy, Empathy and Kindness
  • The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
    Values and Character Traits: Friendship and Selflessness
  • Freckles
    Values and Character Traits: Bravery, Loyalty and Hard Work
  • White Fang by Jack London
    Values and Character Traits: Belonging, Perseverance and Friendship
  • The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
    Values and Character Traits: Selflessness and Service
  • Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter
    Values and Character Traits: Optimism, Faith and Determination
  • Laddie by Gene Stratton-Porter
    Values and Character Traits: Value of Learning, Teamwork and Family Values
  • Wonder by R.J. Palacio
    Values and Character Traits: Tolerance, Acceptance, Understanding and Respect
  • The Giver by Lois Lowry
    Values and Character Traits: Diversity, Courage, Responsibility, Perseverance and Autonomy
  • A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle
    Values and Character Traits: Love, Family and Autonomy
  • Star Girl by Jerry Spinelli
    Values and Character Traits: Individuality, Empathy, Tolerance and Confidence
  • Man of the Family by Ralph Moody
    Values and Character Traits: Selflessness, Family and Love

Division Four

Grades 10-12

Books read by this group include:

  • Animal Farm by George Orwell
    Values and Character Traits: Equality, Autonomy, Community and Tolerance
  • Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
    Values and Character Traits: Kindness, Perseverance and Goodness
  • Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
    Values and Character Traits: Tragic Optimism, Suffering, Existential Vacuums and Finding Meaning
  • The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
    Values and Character Traits: Perseverance, Faith, Service and Optimism
  • The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
    Values and Character Traits: Loyalty, Responsibility and Equality
  • The Anatomy of Peace by Emery Reves
    Values and Character Traits: Hopes, Dreams, Doubts and Fears
  • The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
    Values and Character Traits: Faith, Love, Autonomy and Making Good Choices
  • The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
    Values and Character Traits: Self-Control, Perspective and Faith
  • Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
    Values and Character Traits: Passion, Discipline and Determination
  • Persuasion by Jane Austen
    Values and Character Traits: Class Rigidity and Social Mobility
  • Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.
    Values and Character Traits: Self-Worth, Dignity, Commitment to Justice and Principles, Trust in God and Passionate Dispositions
  • How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
    Values and Character Traits: How To Be a Good Listener, Respect and Relationships

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Favorite Quotes

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”
— Charles W. Eliot

“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.”
— Kofi Annan

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”
— Frederick Douglass

“Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light.”
— Vera Nazarian

“We read to know we are not alone.”
— C.S. Lewis

“When you learn to read you will be born again ... and you will never be quite so alone again”
— Rumer Godden

“He that loves reading has everything within his reach.”
— William Godwin

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”
— Neal Gaiman

“There is no friend as loyal as a book."
— Ernest Hemmingway

“It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.”
— Oscar Wilde

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
— Dr. Seuss

“Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.”
— Mason Cooley

“Reading is an act of civilization; it’s one of the greatest acts of civilization because it takes the free raw material of the mind and build castles of possibilities.”
— Ben Okri

“That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.”
— Jhumpa Lahiri

“The whole world opened to me when I learned to read.”
— Mary McLeod Bethune

“I read a book one day, and my whole life was changed.”
— Orhan Pamuk

“If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.”
— J. K. Rowling

“Books were my pass to personal freedom.”
— Oprah Winfrey

Reach Out Today

Contact us today to learn more about Reach Out and discover how you can be involved!