The Virtual Village Show

Since the first day of school shutdowns, Clever Communities in Action created and facilitated a live Virtual Community Read-In via our Facebook and YouTube pages with over 75 guest readers consisting of educators, authors, youth advocates, parents, children, local news reporters and more. Children and parents tuned in to our live broadcasts to watch and listen to readings of African American Children’s books and interact with the readers. From mid-March to July 2020, CCA delivered over 150 hours of culturally relevant literature to children, teens, and adults which grew into an online community called the Virtual Village.

A survey of participants of Virtual Village 1.0 yielded the follow results:

• The Virtual Village program received a 9.7 out of 10 approval rating
• 95% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed they would like programming to continue in the fall
• Over 80% of respondents observed their reading, purchase, or acquisition of culturally affirming literature increased as a result of Virtual Village

With four seasons of programming under our belt, The Virtual Village Show has grown into a virtual learning space for families with teachers providing interactive foundational literacy lessons and conducting live African American children’s book readings on our website, social media and YouTube. We include pre-recorded segments of positive affirmations, quotes from African American authors and the historic contributions African Americans plus book recommendations all performed by youth.

The fifth season is coming soon with a plethora of new and exciting educational tools and surprises!