LRA Crisis Tracker
Check out the amazing new LRA Crisis Tracker website, funded by Invisible Children and Resolve.
What is E-luminate?
E-luminate is a 501c3 nonprofit service-learning program that engages U.S. schools at all grade levels in creating nonfiction electronic educational materials (in the form of PowerPoints, PDFs, Word documents, videos, audio, etc.) for some of the world's most vulnerable children.
The participation fees donated by those U.S. schools are then used to provide electricity and establish digital multimedia centers (a computer, a projector, and a stereo system, and security to keep them safe) so those educational materials can be used.
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Photos, Video & PowerPoint
Check out our online photo albums, our video, and PowerPoint presentations - all for you to use in the classroom!
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Sample "Books"
Wondering what we mean by electronic books or materials? Check out these great examples created by past participants!
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We'll send out 3-4 updates a year and we promise not to share your email address with anyone! Registered schools already included.
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"E" is for E-luminate
The name "E-luminate" comes from the word "illuminate": to brighten with light; to clarify and make understandable; to enlighten intellectually.
The "E" stands for many ideas that we hope to promote through our work:
E is for Empathy
E is for Education
E is for English
E is for Electricity
E is for Earth
The "E" stands for many ideas that we hope to promote through our work:
E is for Empathy
the empathy for vulnerable children around the world that we hope to cultivate in U.S. students
E is for Education
the education we work to advance here and abroad by motivating U.S. students to learn and write in order to help teach their peers who may not otherwise have an opportunity to learn.
E is for English
our primary educational focus is on helping our students abroad learn and enhance their English literacy in countries where it is necessary for success. All of the materials we create in different subject areas (English, math, science, social studies, health, art, music, recreation) should be geared, first and foremost, towards expanding English vocabulary and language proficiency in those content areas.
E is for Electricity
the electricity that we take for granted, but, for many people, a rare and valuable resource that we will be making available to the communities we serve
E is for Earth
the earth that we hope to protect by conducting our work in an ecologically sustainable way, burning fewer fossil fuels by sending digital rather than print materials and using renewable energy to power our multimedia centers whenever possible
Books of Hope is now E-luminate!
Books are food for the soul and shelter for the spirit. A single book can contain a universe of hope and possibility. Reading - and the learning and imagination it nurtures - allows us to explore our potential and become fully alive.
The children we serve in Ghana have seen more than their share of suffering. Theirs has been a world of day-to-day survival: the quest for the next meal, the longing for a soft bed, the desperate need for life-saving medicines. In the face of these harsh realities, a simple book seems almost trivial. But here at E-luminate, we believe that books are much more.
As these children emerge from war and slavery, we hope, through a book made of friendship and love, we can help them construct a vision for a better life. We hope we can help them move from surviving to thriving, and we believe that literacy is a critical part of that transition.
But... the world is changing, and the whole concept of a "book" is changing with it. Books are going digital, still filled with words and ideas but now enriched with multimedia and interactivity.
In the previous incarnation of E-luminate, "Books of Hope", U.S. schools were creating printed, bound books that we would then transport in 40 foot shipping containers to our rural schools in the African bush. Along with the enormous consumption of paper, ink, and fossil fuels, we were spending valuable time and money on battling bureacracy and corruption throughout the export/import process, which usually meant that our books would take upwards of a year to reach their destinations. And once there, the lack of secure storage and display space at our sister schools meant that the books were underutilized, despite everyone's best intentions.
While our books were deeply appreciated and useful, we discovered that we could accomplish much more with our resources by going digital (sending PowerPoints, videos, audio, PDFs, Word documents, etc.) and establishing multimedia centers for their use.
Thus, E-luminate was born.
Not only is our new model more affordable, efficient, and enivironmentally sound, it also provides a rich source of audio/visual learning material to schools that have typically had to rely solely on oral instruction. Since English education is so critical for future success in these countries, the fact that the students will now get to hear native English speakers is a huge step forward. And, unlike printed books, the set of digital materials we collect each school year can now be distributed to every center we've ever built, creating the opportunity for an almost unlimited supply of educational resources year after year.
Join hundreds of schools around the country as they research, write, illustrate and design educational material for children around the world. Together, we can help reawaken dreams in children who may have had few opportunities to dream.
Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Abha Thakkar
Director, E-luminate
You can contact Abha at 608-466-4534 or info@e-luminate.org
