A handbook to help EduSpots volunteers run EduLit clubs. Contact Lawrence at Ldankwah@eduspots.org

1. A HANDBOOK
FOR JUNIOR
CLUBS
EDULIT

2. Organisation
EDULIT
INTRODUCTION
The EduSpots Literacy Programme exists to
support you with training and resources to
enable you to effectively run a literacy club
in your local community.
At EduSpots, our literacy clubs are called
EduLit Clubs, and Junior High School
students make up the EduLit Junior Club.
Community-based EduLit club
– normally has a membership of
students from various schools
within the same community.
School-based EduLit Junior
club – normally has a
membership of students from the
same school.
Community-based
EduLit clubs are
considered to be ideal
for the best
experience. This is
because it widens the
perspective of our
learners, fosters a
sense of open-
mindedness and
thereby enriches club
activities.
Key Educational Aims
Improve Literacy Skills: ensuring that members of EduLit clubs have
proficient ability to read, write, use arithmetic, comprehend, build
knowledge and communicate.
Inspire Creativity: creating a fertile environment where members can
explore, discover and unleash their potential.
Develop Leadership & Critical thinking: shaping the mindset of
members to identify problems with a strong desire to influence others to
take action by designing sustainable solutions for social change.
There are 3 main educational aims that clubs must have in view and work
toward:

3. Inspiring leadership in our various EduLit clubs
is necessary to foster collective ownership,
responsibility, and coordination between
volunteers and students.
Leadership Among
Students
Choosing a Local
Identity
Names make us feel unique. Finding the appropriate name
for your club is key to boosting belonging, motivation,
and a stronger connection toward your club’s vision.
We encourage you to identify a local name that can be
inspired by your community’s identity. E.g., Ekoso EduLit
Junior Club.
SLOGAN (UNIVERSAL & LOCAL):
Call: EduLit!
Response: Reading to lead change!
Together with club members and
volunteers, you can come up with
other alternative slogans which
could be used to communicate
what EduLit seeks to achieve.
LEADERSHIP MODEL Leadership Among
Volunteers
Volunteers within the Spot
should have key roles to
play and this must be well
communicated.
E.g., Project lead &
assistant; EduLit lead &
assistant.
Create opportunities for
students to hone their
leadership skills.
He / She leads activities during club sessions with support of volunteers.
He/she works closely with volunteer leads on the welfare of colleague
members - e.g., finding out from within the community because a
member is absent or has not been punctual for some time.
Working with colleagues to mobilize or organize meeting places for
club sessions.
Observes and communicates issues to volunteer leads.
He / She helps with data collection.
He/ She reads the club agenda and any other announcements.
He/ She can lead colleagues in a session in the absence of a volunteer
lead.
He / She is responsible for keeping records of library and club
resources.
He/ She tracks members who have borrowed library books making sure
the books are returned.
He/ She arranges the library making sure that books are rightly placed
in their right category on the shelves.
He / She mobilizes colleagues to tidy up the learning space regularly.
He / She runs errands that align with child protection policies. For
example, buying a bag of sachet water/stationery in the community.
Club President:
Club Secretary:
Club Curator:
Club Organiser:
Suggested Responsibilities
May Include:

4. Here is a sample election procedure,
however, you can opt for an
alternative selection process that gets
your students involved!
Club members nominate at least
one person for available
positions or interested person
volunteers.
Nominated members are vetted
in an open forum or before a
select panel.
Counting and declaration of
results
This is where you clearly
communicate their role and
guide them on how to execute
their responsibilities.
Nomination
Vetting
Voting
Leadership training
seminar/orientation for student
leaders:
D
Identify observed literacy gaps
you seek to address.
Identify your target group; primary
/ JHS ?
The Problem
What process would
you employ to get
student leaders?
Practical considerations
for setting up clubs
A
B
C
Build your team – consult
community stakeholders, engage
volunteers (e.g. teachers, SHS
students/ graduates, tertiary
students / graduates, etc.
Talk to a community stakeholder to
accept the responsibility as Patron.
Ensure you have understood and
are acting on our child protection
policy (see below)
Community Consultations
Establishing a flourishing
literacy club hinges strongly
on building positive
relationships with community
stakeholders: it is crucial to
identify and map out who
these stakeholders are and
how their influence will affect
the success of the club. These
stakeholders may include
educational authorities
(headteachers, SMC), parents,
assembly members, town and
unit committee, chiefs,
traditional authorities, etc.
Discuss the membership criteria
with your team.
Specify the membership number.
Draft a club scheme of work that
includes timelines to help measure
impact.
From the scheme of work, set
levels of club activities based on
the capacity of the volunteering
team.
Discuss child protection policies
and ensure all volunteers are well-
informed.
Collaborate with the EduSpot
Literacy Coordinator and the
network of volunteers for
resources.
Design an Internal Structure
Find a safe and conducive
space as a venue and set
club meeting days – keep
it simple!
Invite your club members
by seeking
parental/guardian
consent.
Prepare a club database
system to keep updated
records of members.
Launch the club in a small
event with patrons &
parents.
Get ready for a take off:
See next page for final step...

5. E
Set a club orientation day
– slogan / logo / club
rules & contract /
expectations, library
management, borrowing
system, etc.
Remain consistent and
professional while
maintaining a clear line of
communication in all
circumstances.
Set up a social media
handle and share your
successes through
storytelling.
A new beginning!
CHILD PROTECTION
All volunteers should be trained in
child protection, using EduSpots
child protection policy and
guidelines. Contact the Literacy or
Spot Coorindator if you are unsure.
All club activities should be in line
with our child protection policy,
and all members of the club should
have a clear set of guidelines for
acceptable behaviour.
Remain alert to the possibility of
harms caused to students or adults
(which can be by students,
volunteers, other adult users,
parents and wider community
members). Ensure you have
understood the signs of possible
abuse.
Any concerns should be reported
to the Project Leader of your Spot
in the first instance, who will liaise
with the EduSpots child protection
officers in Ghana and the UK as
necessary. It is not the role of a
volunteer to investigate issues
independently.

6. Ensuring that the books are kept in excellent
condition through proper education for
pupils and adults on arrival about the library
rules and how to take care of the books.
Promoting the use of the library by speaking
about the value of reading in different
schools, at various community information
centers, and through religious organizations.
Taking records of usage of books through the
use of the book of the month template.
Draw up a timetable for using the library
during the school day, that is, if there are
other local schools using the facility.
Ensuring the library is opened after school, in
the evenings, and on Saturdays. It is highly
important that library hours remain consistent
so that the children and adults can know
exactly when the library is open, otherwise,
they may lose interest.
Keeping detailed records of those who use
the Library through a sign-in book (name,
age, date, time)
Making the library an engaging and attractive
environment, whether by displaying or
hanging pupil work, organizing for wall art,
or displaying educational posters.
All EduLit club members are encouraged to be actively
involved in the upkeep of the library. This is because
Libraries are mostly places where club meetings are
held. Aside from that, they are open to the public and
we aspire to promote the effective use of the facility to
maximize educational gains for both children and adults
alike.
This collective responsibility includes:
LIBRARY MANAGEMENT

7. Start by bringing members together in the
space and an engaging activity to help
everyone feel comfortable and productive!
Examples: song/icebreaker/sharing
time/Pictionary review using words of the
week/family feud/chatterbox)
Agenda read by a student leader to establish
a clear sense of shared purpose.
Main activity for the day
This should be clearly structured and
directed at a key outcome
Assess the success of the main activity –
check for understanding and progress, for
example through self-practice/ riddles /
brain teasers / puzzles etc.
Make announcements; check attendance;
Give take-home tasks
Opening (7 Mins):
Agenda (3 mins):
Exploration and focus(40 Mins):
Reflection (10 Mins):
Closure (10 Mins):
Sample Meeting structure
SESSIONS: IN DETAIL
What are your meeting
objectives for a session?
In what ways do you allow your
members to reflect and come up
with creative ideas?
How do you achieve your
session objectives?
Clear structures helps to engage our
members in a consistent and focused
manner.
Some key questions to consider are:
Club meetings can be formal or
informal depending on the agenda
and objectives of a particular day.
For example, when you have a
formal agenda, much emphasis is
placed on progress. In an informal
session, there might be more
activities like riddles, pick and act,
truth or dare – in these sessions the
focus is to keep your members
energized and expectant! It is still
important to carefully plan informal
sessions.
1 hour and 10
minutes
Timing is key: make sure
that you budget enough
time to achieve your
objectives, but keep it
sharp, pacy and
engaging!
Create groups for club
members
Create a leaderboard to
foster healthy competition.
Tips:

8. ADDITIONAL INITIATIVES AND TIPS
The literacy challenge is a fun, creative way to
support the learning process of members across
EduLit clubs.
The challenge is ideally sent across at the
beginning of every month through the
WhatsApp feed and social media platforms.
Reward best attendance
Reward best-written reflection on the Book
of the Month
Celebrate Volunteer of the Month
Work collectively to become a Dream
Spot; winning an annual award!
Annual awards - Literacy Spot of the year,
volunteer of the year, EduLit club of the year
Certificates and recommendation letters
Monthly empowerment session
Prize for winning monthly literacy challenge
Spot Leaderboard
Below is a list of some possible suggestions to
help sustain volunteer actions and to encourage
participation among our members:
Resources
Eduspots Monthly
Literacy Challenge
Motivation and awards
Some resources will be emailed
to project leads
Other resources can be
accessed from the online EduLit
hub
Registered volunteers/project
leads will have access to the
online literacy box
A physical literacy box will be
provided to the most active
clubs
Social media feeds
There will be an orientation on
the resources to decide how
they can be used towards the
attainment of the club's
objectives
EduSpots is keen on supporting
EduLit clubs with resources and
ideas so that members can engage
in an exciting range of activities
toward the realization of the key
educational aims.
However, this commitment is not
meant to make you dependent on
EduSpots for the running of the club
but rather to equip you to sustain
your impact.
What resources are available and
how are they accessed?

9. Responding thoroughly to quarterly information surveys.
Maintain regular and consistent data collection using EduSpots record books
We want to ensure that we are making progress; as a volunteer, you can contribute
feedback for further improvements.
We also seek to encourage the effective collection of data. Monitoring and
evaluation strategies can include:
Build a following through storytelling on
social media
Participate in literacy competitions
Maintain community relevance through
educational showcase events
Build partnerships
Plan ahead to participate in key events such
as EduLit day/Summer festival/International
Literacy Day
We also work towards extending our scope of
influence to gain support for our projects. Some
key ways we can contribute to this include:
Storytelling is a key way to share the impact
of your work with a wider audience.
When did someone in your community face
a challenge, what action did you take in
response to the challenge and what
outcomes followed? How can you
communicate this in an engaging, powerful
way?
Adu, a volunteer in Akumadan, realized that
schools were not going to reopen anytime
soon during the COVID pandemic. This
would have deprived children in his
community of opportunities for growth and
development, especially for those without
access to online learning platforms. Adu
responded to this challenge by installing
amplifiers on the library and inviting teachers
to broadcast lessons to everyone in the
community. Children could continue learning
until schools re-opened.
How could social media be
used to share this story
effectively?
Interview the person in focus to find out about the
challenges faced from their perspective. Some
possible questions: What actions did they take?
Did they become more resilient? How else have
they improved? How is their project/initiative
going now?
Write short but compelling stories – look at lots
of other stories as examples; practise identifying
what it is specifically that makes them engaging.
What techniques can you use in your own stories?
Use clear language and avoid overly complicated
vocabulary
Make your stories visual – add images, even
videos, that show the impact
Indicate that gaining more support from donors
will broaden your impact
Build your story around people to engage the
audience
Contact EduSpots Literacy Coorindator if you
need help with use of our mobile money account
or justgiivng page
MONITORING AND EVALUATION
Wider Support
& partnerships
StorytellinG
Guidelines
Example
Share this story on your Spot’s
social media handle (and your
own!)
Use hashtags such as #literacy
#reading #OurCollectiveFuture
#community #libraries and similar,
and tag @eduspots (or @edu_spots
on Instagram) so we can reshare
your story to help it get a wider
reach
Be consistent with your stories and
keep your Spot page updated
regularly

10. @EduSpots
Email: info@eduspots.org