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Youth Service Initiatives


The Vizion Performance Team Launches The Vizionaires Literacy Program

February 24, 2004 marked the launch of the 2004 Vizionaires Literacy Program, the second independent community service initiative by The Vizion Performance Team. Spearheaded by Kelly Watson, team coordinator of Vizion, the Vizionaires Literacy Program is a pen-pal project aimed at increasing the literacy rate of elementary school students in the Washington, DC area. The 10-week program pairs members of the Vizion Performance Team with fifth-grade students at Walker Jones Elementary School in Northwest DC.

Watson, a mathematics and education student at Howard University, was inspired to start the program upon finding dismal figures regarding the literacy rate of DC children. Watson’s research revealed that, as of June 2003, 74% of elementary school children in the nation’s capital rated “below basic” in reading, writing, and mathematics on the SAT 9, a standardized test administered in DC Public Schools.

“I started this program so that Vizion could affect a change,” says Watson. “Some of our members tutor, but that only helps a few kids at a time. With this program, we have involved a number of children, and we have given them something to look forward to every week.”

Each week, members of The Vizion Performance Team will exchange letters with students at Walker Jones Elementary School. Weekly themes cover a variety of topics, such as future goals, ways to become a better student, and favorite hobbies. The program will conclude with a celebration where the students will meet their pen pals from the Vizion Performance Team.

Vizion’s first community outreach initiative was the 2003 Vizionaires Workshop Program, implemented by founder Mario Odighizuwa. The program included weekly hip-hop dance workshops for students at the Wheeler Creek Community Center in Southeast DC, the Banneker Community Center in Northwest, and Hyde Leadership Public Charter School in Northeast. The program ended with a banquet honoring the students, and Vizion raised over $2,000 in scholarships and gifts for our high-achieving Vizionaires.



Vizion Performance Team : : : Youth Service Initiatives
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