Acquiring literacy skills is one of the most effective deterrents to youth delinquency. WTR takes an innovative approach to building literacy by using multiple approaches to reading and writing. Through the use of guest speakers, field trips, multi-media, and written texts, students explore a variety of themes connected to their own lives, such as decision-making, epistemology, stereotyping, and civil rights. When asked what he liked most about the program, one student commented, “learning to analyze things more deeper such as pictures, stories, poems. [I] learned how to speak louder and more fluently.”

A key element of the program is its innovative definition and approach to literacy. Literacy is often defined as an individual skill. WTR broadens the definition by acknowledging that we create knowledge through dialogue, through our relationship with text, and through our actions to make the world a better place. Shared evaluation pedagogy (SHEP), a discourse-centered method that places student hypothesizing at the center of learning, is at the heart of the program. WTR improves outcomes for at-risk youth by providing equitable learning opportunities. In the words of one student, “it helped me with my skills I need in life.”

WTR is an award-winning literacy program of the Alameda County Library in collaboration with Alameda County Office of Education and Alameda County Probation Department. Over the course of a year, it provides approximately 50 male youth offenders who reside at Camp Wilmont Sweeney with literacy instruction in small groups and in one-on-one tutorials. On average, youth in the program increase their reading comprehension by six grade levels and, to-date, more than 600 youth have completed the program. WTR offers equitable opportunities for youth and receives positive feedback from Camp Wilmont Sweeney staff, students and community partners.