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A Nuts-and-Bolts Literacy Program Wrapped in a Love Story
“With openhearted generosity, Kristin shares not only the story of her amazing journey but complete lesson plans and valuable tips on inter-cultural work. She deepens our understanding of the culture and legends of Belize all the while imparting courage and a can-do philosophy that could truly change the world. Read and be inspired!”
—Diane Edgecomb, author of A Fire in My Heart: Kurdish Tales "Kristin Pedemonti doesn't only care for the stories, she cares for the people behind the stories. Her work gives voice to underserved communities instead of telling their tales for them. Kristin is on a rare mission to preserve age-old tales in their context. This book is an account of her adventures and experiences and a truly important, eyeopening resource for the international storytelling community." —Csenge Zalka Ph.D., storyteller and author “Now we can take a multicultural journey with Pedemonti through a book offering us a window into her inspiring work with the people of Belize. Her personal experiences are powerful, brimming with respect and reverence for the people she served there. The step-by-step curriculum outlines, folktales, and cultural nuance explanations make this an invaluable resource for educators, storytellers, and anyone working with an indigenous community.” —Karen Chace, teaching story artist and author of Story by Story Paperback • $17.95 • 978-1-62491-087-6
160 Pages @ 5.5” x 8.5” E-book • $11.99 • 978-1-62491-088-3 |
Kristin Pedemonti is an award winning Cause-Focused Storyteller, TED Talks Talent Search Finalist 2013, TEDx Speaker, and author of two books: Perseverance and Possibility in Kenya and Ghana Is… She is a Storytelling Consultant at the World Bank in Washington, DC. Kristin is the first American ever invited to perform in Iran at the Kanoon International Storytelling Festival and has performed & presented at festivals in Colombia, Kenya, Poland and Romania as well as at venues throughout the United States and across western Europe. She currently lives in Washington DC with the Golden Girls and when not storytelling she is busy sharing FREE HUGS and bubbles with strangers.
In 2005, Kristin Pedemonti left her then full-time job to embark on a career as a full-time Cause Focused Storyteller. Within 30 days of this decision and after a celebratory trip to Belize, she chose to sell her home and most of her possessions to create and facilitate what became Literacy Outreach Belize. Kristin had no formal training in how to start a volunteer project. Armed only with enthusiasm, the willingness to listen, the openness to adapt the projected program to meet the needs of the Principals and Teachers she encountered, she was able to create and facilitate a project over 7 years that was received, respected, and replicated. All told, she donated programs for 33,000+ students, trained 800 teachers and librarians and learned more in the first 365 days creating and adapting the project than she had in an entire lifetime before embarking on the journey. This book is the culmination of the project. It shares her journey to Belize, her love affair with the country, its people and one person in particular. The book also shares the successful and replicable lesson plan which has since been expanded to Ghana, France and within in several states in the United States. In 2015 the lesson plan has also been invited to Nepal and has been used as a healing lesson after the devastating earthquake of April 2015. Within these pages you will hear about the ups and downs and ins and outs of one woman’s experience creating and facilitating a successful volunteer literacy project. It is Kristin’s hope that you will take the lessons learned; apply and adapt them as you wish whether to your own literacy volunteer project or to another program. 
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