October 18, 2021

Action Read is pleased to bring ‘One Book, One Community’ (OBOC) to the city of Guelph for the second year! OBOC supports reading, celebrates books and writing, promotes Canadian writers, and builds a sense of community through the shared experience of reading. OBOC encourages people to read the same book, discuss it, attend an event (s) and meet the author. The OBOC program is a perfect fit for Action Read, an organization with a long and proud history of promoting literacy and essential skills in our community.

This year, the Action Read OBOC committee has selected a wonderful book called Homes: A Refugee Story, co-written by Abu Bakr Al Rabeeah and his literacy tutor Winnie Yeung. We strongly believe our selection will resonate with the Action Read and wider community.

Homes is a short, easy to read book which explores one young man’s experience leaving Syria during the war, and coming to settle in Canada. It is an incredible story, full of rich and touching details about different cultures and families.

Action Read has planned several online activities (on Zoom) to explore this special book. We would like to invite volunteers, learners and members of the Guelph community to participate in ONE or ALL of the following activities. These can be great for tutor-learner pairs to do together; for families; book clubs; or you can participate on your own. Activities are as follows:

1. Read & Discuss! Action Read has numerous copies of Homes available to borrow, or they are available for purchase at the Bookshelf (bookshelf.ca). Action Read’s own Adult Literacy Book Club has recently started reading and discussing the book together. Author Winnie Yeung has also put together a Teaching Guide, of which we have several copies.

2. Come to our ‘Meet the Author’ Event on Tuesday October 19, 7 pm. Hear firsthand why Winnie Yeung wrote the book and what she learned in doing so. Call us to get the link!

3. Participate in our ‘Using Story to Build Literacy’ workshop on Wednesday November 3, 7 pm. Gain tips, strategies and ideas on how to use journaling and autobiography to build language and literacy skills, and to find one’s voice. Action Read’s ‘Coming from the Heart’ creative writing teacher and Indigenous community leader Jan Sherman will facilitate this workshop.

4. Participate in a Panel Discussion On ‘Supporting New Canadians in our Community’. Date is tentatively set for Thursday November 18.
To join an activity or get more information, contact us at [email protected] or 519-836-2759, and we will send you the Zoom link. We will also provide information and support on how to use Zoom if required.

Also, look for updates on Action Read’s blog https://actionread.blogspot.com/ and social media.

For more information about the project, please contact Mira Clarke, Action Read Executive Director at 519-836-2759.