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LCI Impact

Increased leadership skills, advocacy and awareness, and representation

260+

Hours of Literacy Instruction and Community Engagement

160+

LCI Students

610+

Written Pieces

Write

  • Number of books published: 10 (These books are available on Amazon.com and/or Lulu.com)
    • Bull City YouthBuild:
      • Focus: Gateway to Success (2022)
      • See Unbroken Pieces Through the Shadows (2019)
      • Strong and Unbroken (2018)
      • Blueprints (2017)
    • Juntos NC:
      • The Voices of Our People: Nuestras Verdades (2019)
      • The Roots of Our People: From One World to Another — Juntos (2018)
    • CORRAL Riding Academy:
      • Growing at CORRAL: Our Stories of Empowerment and Transformation (2022)
      • Healing Starts with a Story (2021)
      • A Leg Up (2020)
    • Refugee Hope Partners:
      • Brave Histories & Hopeful Futures: Voices of a Refugee Community (2022)
  • Number of genres: More than 11 different genres including vignettes, poetry, memoirs, essays, letters and essay letters, collaborative pieces, reflections, blackout poems, autoethnography and interviews
  • Strengthened writing skills (Lee et al., 2021)
  • Increased confidence in writing (Lee et al., 2021)
  • Number of student-written products: 610+ and counting!

Engage

  • Number of students: 110+
  • Greater student engagement (Lee et al., 2021)
  • Active social and emotional learning and self-compassion (Donovan et al., in progress)
  • Greater connection to peers (Lee et al, 2021)
  • Improved relationships with program staff and teachers (Donovan et al., in progress)

Lead

  • Better understanding of peers (Lee & Schoonover, 2020) 
  • Strengthened advocacy skills (Lee et al,, 2021)
  • Greater understanding of community issues and challenges (Mann & Lee, 2022)
  • Increased critical awareness (Mann & Lee, 2022)
  • Greater confidence, self-esteem and self-determination (Donovan et al., in progress)
  • Strengthened speaking skills
  • Programmatic components:
    • Podcast (example) with #PassTheMicYouth (3 in progress)
    • Participation in Dessert with Democracy
  • Number of unique curricula developed by LCI: 8
    • Bull City YouthBuild: 5
    • Juntos NC: 2
    • CORRAL Riding Academy: 3
    • Refugee Hope Partners: 2
    • Overarching Theme Guide: 1

Audience Testimonials

  • “This reading made me feel proud to be a Latino and to hear that there are students expressing their feelings and thoughts for society to hear.
  • “Keep writing. Keep working. Keep dreaming. I loved your writing and hope one day everyone will be able to read it. Juntos somos fuertes.”
  • “Literacy is a vital necessity for people to function as citizens in the world, locally and beyond.”
  • “Literacy is crucial to understanding, across the board, many different cultures and societal norms. This understanding brings clarity and coherence within a community.”
  • “I am impressed with their commitment to the project the bravery it took to share their stories. They were all so well-spoken and their stories were thought-provoking.”