Reading, With Friends: Next Chapter Book Club Winnipeg

They say the best friendships are built on common interests.  So as parents, it’s great when we can find ways for our children to do things they enjoy with others who enjoy the same things.  It’s also important to keep developing and sharing interests into the teen years and beyond.

Once a week, a group of friends meets to read together at the Pembina Trails Public Library.

The Next Chapter Book Club provides an opportunity for people aged 17 and up of all abilities, readers and non-readers, to read, learn and make friends in a relaxed community setting.  In each meeting, participants spend some time chatting and enjoying snacks and drinks.  They take turns reading and pause often to talk about ideas that interest them, and feelings and connections that arise from the story.  It’s not about learning to read; it’s about learning about life and each other.  They are becoming a group of friends.

Next Chapter Book Clubs meet in public spaces and are facilitated by trained volunteers to allow everyone to participate.   As in any club, choices about what to read, and how to organize the meetings are decided by the members.

What do the members like best about the book club? When asked, everyone had a different answer.

“I really like talking about new words – we found some really interesting words in this book.”

“I just love to read.”

“I like the snacks. I like to eat!”

“I liked reading a fantasy book. It’s good that we have choices about what we want to read.”

“I like to see my new friends.”

Interested?

Anyone can be a participant – we welcome people with or without disabilities, and you don’t need to be able to read – the only requirement is that you want to enjoy a good book with friends.

Volunteer facilitators receive online training, which includes a club demonstration, so they will be comfortable and effective guiding a book club for individuals with a variety of reading levels and abilities.  They will also have access to resources and a facilitator forum as well as the ongoing support of a program coordinator.

To join a club, volunteer as a facilitator, or find out more, please email Deborah at ncbcwinnipeg@gmail.com.  You can also find NCBC Winnipeg on Facebook.

This article was also posted on Inclusion Winnipeg.  NCBC Winnipeg is a shared project between Inclusion Winnipeg, Frontier College, and Next Chapter Book Club.