YBLF’s mission is to promote the reading of literature as a meaningful, life-long activity and transformative experience for youth. Through a roster of community focused programming that draws on pop culture, our goal is to expose youth to literature that is relevant to their lives–literature that speaks to their realities, their experiences, and to their potential as future leaders.
While we value the pivotal role played by classroom-based literacy development programs and initiatives, we are convinced that parallel efforts that target youth outside school settings are essential as well. In addressing a problem that increasingly leaves far too many of our youth behind, YBLF will make reading fun and exciting for our target population. To do so, YBLF will tap into the powerful, pervasive impact of the Internet, video games, and hip-hop music on students in grades 8-12, as well as the influence that many hip-hop artists and other cultural icons have on youth’s lives and outlook. Our efforts are grounded in the recognition that in today’s electronic media-saturated environment, texts assume new forms. YBLF believes that vibrant, vital elements of youth culture can serve as useful, even indispensable, bridges to skill-building activities that immerse teens in reading books for pleasure while fostering their critical thinking and expanding their personal horizons.
We envision YBLF as an originator and presenter of compelling programs—usually in collaboration or partnership with other organizations as well as with grassroots groups, schools, and libraries—in which reading becomes a transformative experience that inspires and empowers teens. At the same time, YBLF functions as a resource center and catalyst, providing access to ideas, information and expertise for local communities, regional agencies, and national nonprofits as they conduct their own youth literacy initiatives.
