25 Jun 2014
Today the students at Bridge Road were lucky for two reasons. Not only did the students all receive a number of books through the Books in Homes program, but were also lucky enough to have them presented by Australian TV star Luke Carroll.
Luke is a local to the area where he attended Marcellin College in Randwick. He started off in guest roles on popular shows such as Water Rats, as well as a short role on Home and Away. Since then he has gone on to star in several Australian movies and now works as a presenter on popular children's program Play School. He stated that getting an education and learning to read from a young age was pivotal to his success as an actor and the students were certainly engaged with his stories from his school days.
Books in Homes Australia was founded on the realisation that failure in adult life often stems from childhoods spent in homes without books. Children who cannot read, become adults who cannot communicate and this is unacceptable in a world that operates on the written word.
Books in Homes Australia provides books-of-choice to families and children living in remote and low socio-economic circumstances, ensuring crucial early literacy engagement and the development of reading skills needed for lifelong success. 25% of titles on offer are written by Indigenous Authors and/or Illustrators.
The Programme aims to break the education inequality found in remote and disadvantaged communities where resources are often scarce and generational poverty endemic.