UofSC Students Work with SCDJJ Youth to Improve Literacy Skills

Sitting outside in an Adirondack chair, under the morning Sun, with a good book. This blissful scene isn't from a romantic movie. It's the setting for a more than decade-long partnership between the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and the University of South Carolina.

UofSC graduate students and SCDJJ youth at Camp Aspen - one of the agency's wilderness camps that provide services to juveniles on parole or probation - traded in fluorescent lights and air conditioning for sunlight and a cool breeze. 

For the past 11 years, SCDJJ and UofSC have partnered to improve juveniles' reading comprehension skills and foster enjoyment of a good book, while also equipping UofSC students to become insightful teachers. The exercises are designed to find the best approach for each juvenile to understand and retain what he/she read. 

SCDJJ youth and UofSC students will meet Tuesday, May 28th, from 10:30 - Noon at Camp Aspen for the 5th and final session of the two-week literacy program.

This program is a teaching moment for both sides of the table. As the juveniles learn reading comprehension, the graduate students are learning a lesson on how to positively impact every student in a classroom, regardless of background, interests or skill set.