Western Sydney Giants lend support to increase access to books

AFL team the Greater Western Sydney Giants has joined forces with literacy charity Books in Homes Australia to encourage children to develop a lifelong love of reading, improve educational outcomes, and increase access to quality children’s literature.

The Giants work with community partners and charities in Western Sydney, the ACT, Southern NSW and broader communities as part of their social responsibility initiatives, while Books in Homes Australia work to provide books to children living in remote, disadvantaged and low socioeconomic communities, to improve literacy engagement and develop reading skills.

The Books in Homes program aims to overcome barriers children and families face in accessing educational opportunities, or where resources are scarce. Program organisers said they seek to “overcome generational poverty by enhancing the chances of success in early education thereby opening up options, choices and potential in later life”.

Since 2001, Books in Homes has distributed over 2.5 million new books to children through education sites and communities around Australia, as part of their vision to create an Australia where every child and family has access to books in the home.

Peter Large, CEO of Books in Homes Australia, said that the Western and South Western suburbs of Sydney are particularly in need of support, hence the partnership with prominent local sportspeople.

“We have worked with members of the Giants Community team for several years now and we greatly value the work they do in reaching, supporting and encouraging youth from the many diverse backgrounds in Western and South Western Sydney. Our partnership aspires to deliver a powerful and exciting future for the families of the supporter base of the Giants and Western Sydney children,” Mr Large said.

The first public acknowledgement of the partnership occured on Saturday 16 February, at the Giants fan day, held in Western Sydney suburb Rooty Hill. Books in Homes held live reading and storytelling sessions.

For more information about supporting Books in Homes Australia, see here.