by Karen Boeker, AWC Denmark
“Chemistry is change and change is the core of your belief system. Which is good because that’s what we need more of – people who refuse to accept the status quo, who aren’t afraid to take on the unacceptable.” – Bonnie Garmus, Lessons in Chemistry
In FAWCO, you’ll find people who are fearless in tackling unacceptable issues in the ENVIRONMENT, HUMAN RIGHTS, HEALTH, and EDUCATION.
This year’s World Literacy Day (September 8) was celebrated with a joint AWC London & FAWCO Education Team Virtual Event on September 14: “A Conversation with Bonnie Garmus, Author of Lessons in Chemistry.”
Reading this book has evoked so much joy, excitement, thoughts and discussions for many, many readers, and will continue to do so.
Imagine you are unable to participate in a book event like this because your reading skills are not good enough.
As the National Literacy Trust notes, “Lacking vital literacy skills holds a person back at every stage of their life. As a child, they won’t be able to succeed at school, as a young adult, they will be locked out of the job market. And as a parent, they won’t be able to support their child’s learning. This intergenerational cycle makes social mobility and a fairer society more difficult. People with low literacy skills may be unable to read a book or newspaper, understand road signs or price labels, make sense of a bus or train timetable, fill out a form, read instructions on medicines, or use the internet. Low levels of literacy undermine [a country’s] competitiveness, costing […] taxpayer[s] billion[s] every year.”
Becoming literate is a constant, ongoing, fundamental goal for every school subject and every imaginable part of society. Teaching someone to read (and write) and encouraging someone to improve their literacy skills means opening the whole world to them: From understanding and participating in everyday life to broader topics like how to dive into critical thinking, expressing balanced opinions, and understanding ways of getting manipulated and how to minimize the effect.
Photo: Canva
