Join the Reading Challenge

What is it?

The "North Idaho Reads 1 Million Pages" Reading Challenge is a free, six-month, community-wide literacy event inviting individuals, families, schools, businesses, churches, and all groups across North Idaho to collectively read and track 1 million pages.

Communities throughout the region — including Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Sandpoint, Rathdrum, Hayden, and surrounding towns — will work both collaboratively and competitively to log pages read between March 15 and August 31

Why are we doing this?

1. Raise Awareness About Low Literacy: Low literacy impacts employment, health outcomes, financial stability, and community engagement. Many adults struggle quietly. Our Reading Challenge sparks open, positive conversations about literacy without stigma.

2. Connection Through Reading: With entire communities participating, reading becomes visible, celebrated, and social. Families read together. Businesses engage employees. Schools collaborate with local organizations. Competition fuels excitement; collaboration fuels unity.

3. Reduce Stigma: Our Reading Challenge focuses on celebration — not deficits. It creates an environment where literacy is discussed openly and support is normalized. All pages are welcome.

4. Support Long-Term Literacy Efforts: Fundraising efforts and increased awareness help expand our adult literacy programs, tutoring services, and educational support systems throughout the North Idaho area.

How are we doing this?

Sign up: Click the “Sign Up” button on our website starting March 1.

Share your delivery address so we can deliver your official We Read with The Literacy Project" participation yard sign. These signs are important because low literacy individuals are a hard demographic to reach. Using these signs in your neighborhood will raise awareness of our services to all members of our community. You never know who will walk by!

Start Reading: March 15- August 30th Individuals or groups start to track all reading! All pages count! Think magazines, bible pages, kids books, fiction, nonfiction, pages of poetry. Read, read, read and track your pages.

Keep Track: You track your pages in our online Reading Journal. If you are a daily reader you can enter pages per day or you can leave the daily behind and choose one day a week to enter your weekly pages. Track however works easiest for you.

Review: The Reading Journal will automatically total your cumulative pages, track your personal progress, or team progress (if participating as a team) and add your pages to the community standings.

Who is doing it?

Anyone and everyone in North Idaho Communities: avid readers, beginning readers, struggling readers-All are welcome to participate!

What else is going on?

There will be raffle drawings, friendly competitions, newsletters with updated stats and some fun side hustles, shared reading recommendations, and community events that will celebrate your participation along the way!

INSTRUCTIONS : LET'S DO THIS!

Sign up by completing the form. If you are a group, please make sure to note that on the form.

You will be automatically added to the Reading Journal

Track your pages in the boxes under the day of the month or choose one day a week to update weekly numbers. If you don't have any for a day just leave it blank or put in zero.

Auto Sum has your monthly total column and your combined grand total column adding the months together as we progress.

Your pages are entered on the honor system. You do not have to supply evidence of pages or information on what you are reading. We will know from your sense of accomplishment that you are getting it done! Just be careful to check your numbers to ensure you didn't mean 20 and added 200.

If you make a mistake entering numbers just backspace, delete, hit the back arrow (top left) , or Ctrl Z and re-enter into the cell. The totals are locked, but you can edit each daily cell.

If the Reading Journal seems wonky-feel free to email kgilmore@theliteracyprojectni.org

Rules

HAVE FUN! Talk about reading, books, and talk about low literacy with everyone. The more we talk about reading and literacy the more we can remove the stigma and get people the support they need. Currently nationwide, only 10% of the people who need literacy help are receiving services. The more we talk about it the more we can change these numbers!

FAQ

Do audiobooks count? Sadly, no for this challenge. We deeply value audiobooks and recognize them as an important and meaningful way to enjoy stories and information and as a tool to support literacy. However, for this challenge, we are intentionally focusing on the ability to read and process words on a page. The purpose of this community effort is to highlight and support individuals who are working to build these foundational reading skills. Many adults with low literacy have relied on listening their entire lives because reading has been difficult or out of reach. This challenge is designed to honor that struggle, support their growth, and celebrate the powerful achievement of reading printed text

Can you explain the yard sign? Raising awareness happens at the community level which starts in our neighborhoods. When you place a sign in your yard, you show your neighbors that you are part of the Reading Challenge, you help build excitement and friendly community participation, and quietly inform others that literacy support services are available.

Someone walking or driving by your home may see the sign and realize help is available — maybe for themselves, a family member, a coworker, or a friend. There is no single “type” of person who struggles with reading. Because of stigma and embarrassment, adults with low literacy can be very hard to reach. Many people who need support may never publicly ask for help. A yard sign allows us to reach across all neighborhoods and demographics. It raises awareness in a simple, respectful way. By placing a yard sign, you’re not just participating in a reading challenge — you’re helping to remove stigma, increase awareness, and open doors for someone who may need support.

Why do you need a delivery address again? We got to get you that fancy yard sign we talked about above! These signs are an important part of reaching all community members. We want to make this as easy as possible for you to get them out there. You can use a business address, home address or select to pick up the sign and we will have it ready for you at our office at North Idaho College

What's the deal with low literacy? Statistics show that 1 in 5 American adults read at a 3rd grade level or lower. How does that happen? Lots of reasons! Poverty, family dynamics, moving families, students needed for work, struggling readers left behind, misdiagnosis of learning disabilities https://www.proliteracy.org/news/causes-of-low-adult-literacy-in-the-us/

How should I talk with others about low literacy? With so many adults reading at a lower level, be aware that when others are within ear shot of you talking to someone, there's a 1 in 5 chance you're talking about them! Be respectful. No one wants to struggle with reading. But the fact is, less than 10% of those who could use our literacy tutoring services know we're here and will reach out for help. So the tone and words you use when talking about literacy struggles could very well be the difference in whether they seek our help!