This post was sent from Meredith H. who is a coordinator for National Literacy Action Week (NLAW) at the Student Coalition for Action in Literacy Education (SCALE), a First Book Campus Parter.

Why is NLAW so important to SCALE?

National Literacy Action Week (NLAW) is a nationwide SCALE initiative where campus literacy programs across the country join together to raise awareness about literacy and create change on their campuses and in their communities.

This year, NLAW is January 29-February 3, 2007, scheduled to commemorate the anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement’s first lunch counter sit-in on February 1, 1960, in Greensboro, North Carolina. Following this sit-in, college students around North Carolina formed the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), one of the most effective and creative components of the civil rights movement!

The dedication and strength that these students displayed is an inspiration for us at SCALE. We want to encourage other college students to also stand up for what they believe in order to make a difference in society. NLAW is a vehicle for engaging college students in literacy action. Throughout history, college students throughout the nation have been leading movements, holding protests, and impacting society in numerous ways and participating in NLAW is one such way.

Participating in advocacy, activism and awareness-raising is transformative for students. Engaging in these types of community work is an empowering experience. Students develop higher-level leadership and critical thinking skills, and develop a fuller sense of their place in the world. College students who become involved in advocacy, activism and awareness-raising forever strengthen their sense of citizenship and personal power.