Welcome to Character Speaks
Character Speaks, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization in Gainesville, Florida, for the purpose of improving social literacy among the most at-risk of students to facilitate upward mobility. The organizational focus is the implementation of a program which will serve selected students and provide them with instruction and reinforcement of speech and reading patterns which will remove or minimize the obstacles they often face simply as a result of their informal communication styles.
Classes will be held after school at Section 8 apartment complexes (initially Phoenix Apartments) where these students reside. We will serve twelve kids (2nd and 3rd graders) at each apartment complex. There will be 2 one-hour classes with each class having a 6:1 student to teacher ratio. In close coordination with practicing educational professionals and selected community role models, the organization intends to establish a first year class of twelve students with the overall goal of serving fifty students once the necessary funds allow.
Our primary objective is to improve the English-speaking ability of these students. We want them to speak with greater clarity. Students will be routinely giving video-recorded presentations on the importance of exhibiting various character traits. This serves multiple purposes. Kids love to see themselves on television. Parents love to see their kids on television, thus their involvement in the program is consistent. Finally, it gives us a tangible way to gauge the progress of these students. The results of this program will be evaluated using the contracted skills of a local speech authority. This person will evaluate the initial, interim and final presentations of each student and provide a written summary for each student.
With the help of educational and community leaders (ranging from judges to private sector businessmen to high ranking administrators in public companies), a pilot program was completed at the Northeast Community Center. The program was received very favorably by the directors, parents and students. The enthusiasm from the students was transparent throughout the program.
An essential component to this program is that we will remain engaged with these students until they graduate from high school. Effective speaking is a critical skill to creating opportunities and opening the doors of success. Interviews and conversations with selected educational and community leaders have indicated a strong positive response to this concept.
Thank you for your interest in Character Speaks, Inc. and its goals. We look forward to creating a quality program that will have great impact on the local community, and which we anticipate will expand over time as its success becomes better known.