NEW
Library Project
People & Stories / Gente y Cuentos helps make short stories come alive for new readers. The program is designed to remove obstacles to the rewards of reading, especially for adults and young adults who have not experienced the power of literature. First, the story is read aloud so that all members of the group, regardless of reading levels, experience literature which they may not have been able to access independently. The oral reading creates a shared experience for the group members and the relaxed atmosphere for the dialogue that follows. After the reading, trained coordinators launch questions that move participants to close examination of the texts in the light of their life experiences. Since the dialogues move between analysis of the literary stories and a sharing of participants' life stories, new and basic readers make contact with literary works and begin to view literature as a tool for the perception of wider choices in life. By discovering intersections between their own perspectives and the texts, participants develop a desire to read further. In short, an opportunity to experience the richness of stories is created, and people begin to enjoy reading. Because the stories are complex in the way that life is complex, a sense of mastery and accomplishment develop as the discussions encourage a deep probing of the poetics of the texts and their relevance to life. Positions and opinions open up for re-examination and reflection. Our bibliography includes a wide range of authors from diverse cultures so participation in the series encourages a widening of horizons and a deepening of understanding.
Program Outcomes
The following outcomes have been noted by teachers, psychologists, social workers, and support staff at the centers and social service organizations where People & Stories / Gente y Cuentos programs have been offered:
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Problem-solving skills: as women in transitional housing shelters encounter the conflicts and resolutions represented in short stories, they begin to perceive new personal choices in life and discover new directions in solving problems;
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Recovery outcomes: as people in drug rehabilitation programs gain insights into the drama of the story, they are better able to work at their recovery;
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Intellectual self-confidence: as participants gain access to literature and develop the ability to interpret a complex text, they acquire a new self-confidence which helps them to become better students in a high school equivalency program;
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Tolerance of others: as participants in a multicultural or intergenerational group learn to listen to different interpretations of a story, they become more tolerant of other ethnic groups and of other generations;
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Parenting skills: as parents take part in a stories-focused discussion group, they are better able to understand what their children are doing in school and to encourage them to pursue further education;
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Educational ambition: as basic readers who are parents of young children experience the pleasure of literature, they are apt to read to their young children with greater frequency.
Note: Click here for additional outcomes related to the short story form.
Program Format, Method and Target Audiences
Most participants are reading at or below fifth grade level, have not completed high school, are economically disadvantaged, are often in difficult circumstances, and are sometimes identified as "at-risk." Participants are recruited within community centers and social service organizations that serve minority, ethnic, elderly, or disadvantaged populations. People & Stories / Gente y Cuentos enters non-traditional "classrooms" and sparks a love of reading and learning in those who, in most cases, have not succeeded in school. Those who previously thought that a public, formal, educational discussion would be intimidating are surprised by the relaxed, supportive, non-threatening atmosphere created by our method for conducting the dialogues. Therefore, the reading and discussion of complex texts becomes a pleasurable experience.
The People & Stories / Gente y Cuentos method is designed to call forth latent knowledge from within the listener in ways that make visible to participants how they have been educated by life. Our structured, seminar-style discussion method, typical of a college classroom, enables basic and new readers to experience the satisfaction that comes from a rigorous, non-didactic probing of a complex text. The free flowing discussion is naturally shaped by the participants' voices and highly structured by the coordinator's carefully prepared questions. Framed from within five categories for discussion, representing a conceptual grid that ranges from the poetics of the text to contemporary issues, the questions ensure attention to both text-focused and experience-focused inquiry. The examination of life questions unfolds in the context of a critical examination of the literary text, creating a sense of discovery, confidence, and growing analytical ability. Individual positions are affirmed and heard by the group, while new ways of looking at things are introduced. In the process, perspectives focus and shift for re-examination in an atmosphere where cooperation encourages participation. A typical bibliography for a People & Stories / Gente y Cuentos series is carefully chosen, sequenced for reading difficulty and interest level, and is multicultural.
The format of the program is essentially the same at all sites. Approximately twenty adults or young adults, who are clients of an urban social service organization or community center, gather around a table for ninety-minute sessions for eight consecutive weeks to hear and discuss short stories. The program is presented in English or in Spanish and always consists of the coordinator's oral reading of the story followed by a dialogue. The oral reading cuts across the various reading levels in the group, creates an atmosphere of shared experience, and invites those whose skills levels would prevent an independent reading of the text to become immersed in its intoned poetic and dramatic rhythms. The dialogue that follows the oral presentation is structured according to the well-developed People & Stories / Gente y Cuentos method for conducting rigorous discussions in community groups. Participants who lack formal education discover the ways their life experience has prepared them to understand the stories.
Gente y Cuentos Program -
Hispanic Women's Resource Center