Local educational groups are expecting 500 kids to attend the 21:03 Back-to-School Concert on Sept. 3 at the New Hazlett Theater to hear an uplifting message for the new school year. The three-man gospel group 21:03, which tours the country, will help counter negative influences such as bullying and peer pressure, say organizers.
The concert will also attract parents who can serve as role models for their children, says Greg Mims, spokesman for the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council, which is co-sponsoring the concert along with Familylinks, the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, and Bynums Marketing & Communications, Inc.
"Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council is for the most part an adult literacy organization," Mims explains. "But … we do have a family literacy [focus], because we find that when families read together and value education, the kids get it. The parent is the child's first and best teacher.
"The tough thing about adult literacy, in terms of publicizing it," Mims adds, "is that you can't necessarily feel the effects until later."
GPLC will have some of its younger adult students at the event to talk about the need to stay in school now, in order to develop computer and literacy skills.
For tickets and more information, click here.
Author: Marty Levine
Source: Greg Mims, Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council