Saturday, August 28, 1999                  

RCMP, APM Group team up to help kids read and spell

A demonstration project has just been initiated to provide intensive reading and writing skill development for a group of 20 children and teens. The objective is to create new opportunities for these youth, all of whom face a variety of challenges, in addition to having to deal with significant reading and writing problems.

The students were identified by several government and community agencies, including the Charlottetown Boys and Girls Club. "We all know kids who need this kind of help to prevent further problems and improve their self-esteem," says Jennifer Cairns-Burke of the Charlottetown Boys and Girls Club.

"Making a notable impact on the lives of these 20 kids should make us all stand up and take notice."

The Mounted Police Foundation, APM group and an anonymous donor are providing $23,000 to cover the cost of Spell Read PAT a program designed to dramatically improve reading and spelling skills of children and adults.

"Government can’t possibly provide every opportunity that the kids in our communities deserve' said Tim Banks, president of APM group. "The kids involved in this project have enough challenges facing them and don't need the added burden of living with a reading problem."

We look forward to these children and teens being provided with a whole new range of options as a result of attending this program," offered Corporal Joe Martin of the RCMP. "This is because the ability to read and write efficiently affects so many aspects of your life, starting with your sense of self-worth. These kids need to be able to see that they have the ability to succeed in life, despite the other challenges that they may face."

In addition, this demonstration project has been designed to generate evidence that will help a variety of groups to better understand whether dramatic improvements in reading and writing skills can positively affect other aspects of a student's life.

To assist in this regard, independent experts in the field of reading problems and learning disabilities will review the students' progress data. This progress data will then be provided to the counselors who work with these students and their families.

Spell Read P.A.T.' program is a unique, highly effective method of eliminating reading and writing problems in children, youth and adults. Spell Read P.A.T. is based in Charlottetown.