By Craig Bassingthwaighte
It is certainly one of life's joys to watch a child learn to speak, to come to understand ever so gradually the life enabling power of language. To then come to know the power of words to create worlds and inhabit them with people we know sometimes better than those who stand before us.
What a privilege to be involved in revealing this power and creativity to children. What a responsibility to see it is used well. I was blessed to have had parents, teachers and friends who loved language and its use, who encouraged me to roll the words around in my mouth and then in my mind.
There has never been a more prescient time to encourage children to find their language and tell their stories. As children disengage from reading and language, they disengage from a successful complex life.
As an educator I have been privileged to see first-hand the benefits of literacy and language development. Some of my students have gone on to become writers, most haven't. Storyfest encourages the will to read more than the skill to read. We touch the future in ways we will likely never know.
Nothing is better than the wonder in our children's eyes and the fire in their imaginations as they listen to storytellers who help them understand how the precious gift of language leads us to better lives.
That is a story well worth the time and effort.
