Gray Academy students Lola and Rachel are book lovers. And though the girls don’t always agree on which genre is the most enjoyable to read, they are on the same page about one thing: everyone should have access to the freedom and fulfillment that reading books provides.
“Books can get you through hard times,” said Rachel. “Everybody should be able to grab a book and say, ‘This is mine.’”
From this inclusive philosophy and the girls’ compassionate hearts and minds came an idea to create little free libraries within the walls of social services organizations.
Both Lola and Rachel, 17, already loved the concept of little free libraries—the unique-looking “take a book, leave a book” free exchanges nestled in neighbourhoods around the world. But they recognized there aren’t many little free libraries downtown … and for some Winnipeggers, it’s not easy to access a larger, city-operated library, either.
“If you are someone who may be in a shelter, you might not have an address. You can’t go get a library card. Or you may not be close to a library,” Rachel said.
“Just because your life is different or more difficult in some ways, everybody should be able to just read.”
Through a teacher at school, the girls learned about United Way Winnipeg’s Youth United—a volunteer council of young Winnipeggers that encourages volunteerism and helps high school and post-secondary students and young professionals realize their vision of a better Winnipeg.
The Youth United Grant program supports community projects led by young people that contribute to positive social change by responding to one of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Last year, 16 student groups applied with projects ranging from celebrating Black History Month to creating basic needs packages to Lola and Rachel’s Read Everywhere initiative. Youth United awarded a total of $13,865.
“Just because your life is different or more difficult in some ways, everybody should be able to just read.”
Lola and Rachel are excited to keep sourcing books and stocking their libraries—and maybe even install more in other organizations in the future. They encourage anyone who wants to make a difference to reach out to Youth United.
“It’s just really an opportunity for you to turn an idea or a thought about how you could help somebody else,” Lola said.
“It’s important to recognize that we are all humans,” Rachel echoed. “We all deserve the same things—and we really should work on building each other up instead of pushing each other down.”
