Thanks to your support we were able to raise $1,630! Your generosity will allow us to purchase a book for our scholars participating to our summer program.  

We now have a stretch goal of $2000. This will permit more kids to benefit from the summer program and have access to books to continue to read and learn during their vacation. 

Background

The Berkeley United In Literacy Development (BUILD) Program is a student-led program that believes in educational equity. We are one of the largest reading programs in the East Bay 215 Cal student mentors providing one-to-one literacy support to 850 students who are reading below grade level. Launched in 2005, the program was then dedicated to mitigating literacy loss during the summer, especially students whose families could not afford to pay for literacy support. Now, each semester, the program sends reading tutors to schools in Berkeley and Oakland who work with students in kindergarten to fifth grade. Present in 20 after school locations in Oakland and Berkeley, school literacy coaches and community partners provide trainings for our reading mentors to equip them with adequate tools to serve our students’ literacy needs. Each mentor works individually with 3 students in 30-45 minute sessions at least twice a week. They work with the same students for at least one semester, and sometimes for years, building strong relationships with one another.

Our Project

During the summer, BUILD continues to promote educational equity thanks to our tutors who are present in Berkeley summer camps, playground programs and participate to the Bears summer program so that children can keep reading, learning and progressing even when they are out of school.Summer break is a critical time of the year for students who are at risk of “summer slide,” which is the loss of knowledge and skills they acquired during their school year. This is especially a risk for low-income students. Our tutors are serving all the children participating to the different program and particularly assisting those who are already behind in reading and need the extra help our tutors can provide. 

How You Can Help

Thanks to generous donations, we will be able to buy necessary books that will spark children's interests, engage them in reading, and permit them to keep learning during the summer. Your donation will allow youth to stay on track and keep those skills we all know are so fundamentally important for their academic and professional futures. 

Please consider making a gift today and sharing our project with friends and family you think might support our cause! Gifts of any size will make a tremendous impact in our students’ lives and our goal of getting them their books. For every $25 we raise, 5 of our students will get a book! If we raise $1,000, we’ll be able to buy 200 books for our students to read for the summer.

                                      Thank you from the BUILD staff!