Today, the World Literacy Foundation announced that Valerie Barrero will be a Youth Ambassador for 2024. She will serve as a local advocate, aiming to increase education and community awareness about the importance of reading and writing, with the goal of lifting literacy rates in Houston, Texas, USA.
Valerie will join a global group of 15- 25-year-olds from 40 countries who are striving to improve literacy outcomes for disadvantaged children who struggle to read.
Valerie, aged 16 – an incoming junior in high school, is very passionate about reading and believes that “books are a connection to greater opportunities.” Since childhood, she has viewed literature as a pathway to new insights, self-growth, and social change. In recent years, Valerie has focused on addressing humanitarian and social challenges, aspiring to take a more significant role in striving for change.
Valerie is committed to being a WLF ambassador to help spread the beauty and relevance of literature within her community. She is particularly concerned about the various impoverished zones in Houston, which have minimal access to books or educational resources. Valerie is eager to facilitate the distribution of these assets and advocate for literacy, seeing it as her greatest pleasure to contribute to such a meaningful cause.
The World Literacy Foundation is a leading international literacy nonprofit seeking to eradicate illiteracy by 2024. Currently, 770 million people can’t read a single word, and 2 billion people struggle to read a sentence. In low-income homes, 72% of children struggle to read. Illiteracy can have a lifelong social and economic impact on a young person.
As a Youth Ambassador, Valerie will have the chance to develop leadership skills and highlight literacy issues to the community.
Further information
https://worldliteracyfoundation.org/
Lorena Torres (She/Her) lorena.torres@worldliteracyfoundation.org