Girl Scout Creates “Go Read, Go Gold” to Combat Reading Losses Due to School Closures

Go Read Go Gold – Reading for a Golden Future

With schools shutting down, parents working from home, being confused with online school, and becoming frustrating with reading, children can get discouraged, so I created “Go Read Go Gold” for my Girl Scout Gold Award.

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (PRWEB)
June 16, 2022

Girl Scout member of the Green & White Mountains, LeAnne LeSage, has created a project to help combat the reading losses that occurred during the pandemic for her Gold Award. LeSage spent over 80 hours on the project she titled, “Go Read, Go Gold”. Her project consisted of researching resources to educate parents and caregivers about the issue, writing and developing an animated children’s video to explain it from a child’s point of view, and creating a public service announcement about “Go Read, Go Gold”. Additionally, LeSage created a logo, website, YouTube page, marketing brochure, press release, and newsletter sign-up form to keep in touch with those who use her website and videos.

LeSage’s research found that during the pandemic, students in the lower elementary school grades (second and third graders) were 30% behind in reading fluency compared to a typical, non-pandemic school year. She also found reading with a child during a 10-minute-a-day routine, can dramatically improve a child’s reading fluency in a few months.

“Children can feel discouraged by reading losses, so I created a video about a little girl named Anne to explain it from a child’s point of view. With schools shutting down, parents working from home, being confused with online school, and becoming frustrated with reading, children can get unmotivated,” said LeSage. “I then created a public service announcement (PSA) to explain this to the parents and give information on the topic,” she added. The website http://www.goreadgogold.com has links to the articles that inspired her to create the project, information on libraries in Vermont, and videos of reading children’s books.

Girl Scouts are encouraged to create a project for their Gold Award that is a cause that she is passionate about. “Go Read Go Gold is a cause near and dear to my heart because as a child, I was always going to the library and reading books with my parents. This cultivated a love for reading. Fortunately, when the pandemic hit, I was already in middle school, so I was already an avid reader. However, when I learned of the young children that didn’t get this benefit because people’s lives were thrown into chaos because of the pandemic, I decided it would be a great cause to put my efforts into for the Gold Award,” said LeSage. “That is why I put Reading for a Golden Future on the logo. Reading is the foundation that gives everyone a brighter future,” she added.

The Gold Award with Girl Scouts requires the girl to identify an issue, develop and carry out a solution, create a measurable impact, and link to a national issue. “I believe I have created a unique solution with not only creating a website, but a children’s video that explains the issue on a child’s terms, and the PSA for the parents. I will continue to monitor the impact with the feedback I receive from the website”, LeSage went on to say. Go Read, Go Gold is a project that is Internet-based, so it will be available to anyone. The project information has been sent directly to the local libraries in Vermont, but people from various states throughout the country have visited the website. Go Read, Go Gold can be found at http://www.goreadgogold.com.

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