What happens when young people are given the opportunity to turn their ideas into stories?

For 65 students from Richard R. Wright Elementary School, Louis H. Farrell Elementary School, and Roberto Clemente Middle School, the answer was on display this week at the School District of Philadelphia’s headquarters.

Students gathered alongside educators, City leaders, and Lumi founder and CEO Colin Kaepernick to celebrate their participation in an innovative literacy initiative that challenged them not only to read stories, but to create their own.

The event highlighted an important truth: when students are given opportunities to learn, create, and share their ideas, great things can happen.

Literacy Opens Doors

Literacy is one of the strongest predictors of long-term academic success. Students who become strong readers and writers are more likely to graduate from high school, pursue postsecondary education and training, and access family-sustaining careers.

Former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick founded Lumi to help students improve their literacy skills through storytelling.

Kaepernick was joined by Dr. Tony Watlington, Deputy Mayor Vanessa Garrett Harley and Chief Education Officer Debora Carrera to meet with student participants in Lumi’s Philadelphia partnership.

Through the project, students engaged in reading, writing, storytelling, and project-based learning activities that encouraged them to become creators of their own stories. In the process, they strengthened foundational literacy skills while building confidence in their ideas and perspectives.

The storytelling project was part of Mayor Parker’s Extended Day, Extended Year (EDEY) initiative, which provides free before-school, after-school, summer, and enrichment programming that supports working families while keeping students engaged in safe, high-quality learning environments.

This year, EDEY expanded its academic programming to include innovative literacy, mathematics, and critical-thinking experiences. As part of that effort, the School District partnered with Lumi, to bring literacy-focused learning experiences to students at Wright, Farrell, and Clemente.