Started by Camesha Cox, the Reading Partnership programs are expanding across Canada
March 6, 2023
To overcome isolation as a child, Camesha Cox read books.
After completing homework assignments and weekend chores, she spent the rest of the time reading and absorbing knowledge.
“Because I am significantly younger than my siblings, I felt as if I was a lonely child in some ways and books kept my company,” the educator pointed out.
Her love of reading soon extended to writing and performing.
Cox wrote poetry and performed as a spoken word artist, appearing as a teenager on Dwayne Morgan’s ‘When Sisters Speak’ started in 2000 to celebrate the experiences of Black women.
Passionate about opening doors for young people to have access to reading material, she launched The Reading Partnership 12 years ago.
The enrichment program empowers and supports families and organizations with programs and tools to teach and inspire children to enhance their reading and writing skills.
In Grade Eight, Cox moved to the Kingston-Galloway/Orton Park neighbourhood in the city’s east end and immediately sensed there were literacy issues in the community where one-third of families have single parents, mainly women.
“I am really passionate about seeing young people get the opportunity and access to books and also to write and have their writing celebrated,” The Reading Partnership Executive Director said.
While enrolled at West Hill and Sir Wilfrid Laurier where she completed high school, Cox was a member of the YMCA of Greater Toronto Black Achievers program.
“Although I was not supported fully and celebrated in school for my writing, intellect and curiosity, I was definitely celebrated in my community through programs like the Black Achievers and opportunities that Dwayne Morgan created,” she said. “Now I have the opportunity to do that for other kids.”
After completing her undergraduate degree in 2007 at the University of Windsor, Cox did internships in Ethiopia for seven months as a Trade Development Officer through Global Affairs Canada and in New York for six months with the Hip-Hop Theatre Festival.
Back home, she enrolled in the University of Windsor Bachelor of Education program.
“When I finished Teachers College in 2009, there were no jobs in Ontario,” said Cox. “I decided to go elsewhere and seek employment.”
Starting as a Supply Teacher in London, England in early autumn, she landed at the Bridge Academy in Hackney after a month and was offered a short-term contract to be the Literacy Specialist.
One of the most underserved communities in England, lack of opportunities abound in the inner city.
“At the time, I didn’t think I had the experience and skills to function in that role, but I accepted the position to roll out a literacy intervention program for high school students reading at a primary school level,” Cox recalled. “There were kids in Grades Seven and Eight reading at a Grade Two level and, in some cases, unable to read. That was where my work in literacy really began.”
Even before taking up the assignment in England, she knew literacy was a major issue in some of the city’s designated priority neighbourhoods.
During her undergraduate years, Cox was a Tropicana Community Services Program Manager for the Summer Jobs for Youth initiative.
“I refused to go anywhere else and work in a community other than my own,” the former Legislative Assembly of Ontario Community/Stakeholder Engagement Manager said. “I spent four good years working with young people in Scarborough and I knew literacy was a concern because some of the youths struggled during the interview to get into the program.”
Upon finishing her Master of Education program in 2011 at the University of Toronto Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Cox again encountered difficulties finding work.
“When I came back from the UK, I told my mentor I would love to start a literacy program in my community to empower parents so they have the skills and tools to support their kids and also advocate for their children in school,” said Cox. “After I couldn’t find work, my mentor suggested I get the program I told him about started. That person also told me I could get a United Way Community Action Grant to get it on its feet.”
Two months after submitting the application in November 2011, The Reading Partnership received $12,000 to launch the ‘Reading Partnership for Parents’ (RRP) to assist caregivers with helping children, between the ages of four and six, read.
“Like families everywhere, parents in the Kingston-Galloway/Orton Park community have high hopes for their children,” Cox said. “Yet, many of them face multiple barriers.”
The program is offered through four streams – live, online, digital on-demand and a safe space for Black families to come together and learn.
Families in the 10-week program receive ‘LIT KITS’ that comprise weather sound, sight and word cards, charts, games and activities.
Since the inception 11 years ago, nearly 500 families have passed through the program.
Pauletta Frater, the mother of five young daughters ages two to nine, was introduced to the initiative in 2020.
“I reside on the same street with Camesha and she would always see me walking with my kids to the park,” she recalled. “She told me about the program and I was like, ‘Yeah, I know about it’. I was just trying to brush her off. When I checked out the program, it was much more that I would ever imagined. It’s is very interactive and it teaches you how to teach and learn.”
Frater said four of the children have benefited immensely from the program.
“The first three are now very fluent in reading and the fourth one took the program twice and looks forward to it,” said the mom. “In fact, she is trying to teach the youngest one how to read. This program has been instrumental to my kids’ development.”
The Reading Partnership also offers 360 degrees Stories and Kids ReadTO programs for pre-teens.
The 360 degrees initiative is a month-long virtual program for aspiring young authors to write, illustrate, edit and publish a story in an anthology and attend their official book launch. Professional writers and illustrators lead weekly 75-minute workshops that give students the tools and one-on-one support to tell stories.
A total of 122 children are now published authors.
The ReadTO program is a six-week virtual that connects children from myriad underserved communities through a shared love of books. Professional facilitators lead weekly 60-minute book club sessions that allows kids to safely socialize online and strengthen their literacy skills through guided reading, discussions and games.
Nearly 800 children have joined the program since its inception in 2020.
The reading tools were developed in-house.
“That was absolutely necessary as it was hard for us to find decodable books, letter sound cards and resources that are reflective of the communities we serve,” Cox noted. “We had to create it.”
The Reading Partnership success is noticed.
Since 2021, the Pinball Clemons Foundation has been matching donations up to $50,000. Last year, the commitment doubled to $100,000.
Through a 2021 TD Ready Challenge Grant of $750,000 over three years, the organization is addressing learning loss by scaling RRP to various communities across Canada.
Despite the expansion, Cox said the Kingston-Galloway/Orton Park community will still be a priority.
“We are no longer just serving families in this neighbourhood, but I am 100 per cent committed to this community,” she said. “We are still running programs to lift the people here.”
