A letter to every part of our community.
Join 50+ members in our mission to help incarcerated youth across the U.S.
Why Get Involved?
SERVE
For those behind bars, being exposed to literary works can assist greatly in the rehabilitation process.
GAIN
For donations and participation in events, volunteer hours will handed out accordingly.
LEARN
There is much to learn and gain from helping an often overlooked part of our community, and seeing your actions make a tangible impact.
About Us
We are a group of high school students based in Orange County who aim to give incarcerated youth a direct link to our community through sending letters, hosting book drives, and local activism. Improved literacy has been shown to have a direct correlation with reduced recidivism rates, and we hope to use our privileges to advocate for the long-neglected incarcerated community. Turning Pages represents a new chapter for youth behind bars who have much to benefit from greater exposure to the world of literature. Through the years, we've amassed over 200 books in donations, written 60+ handwritten letters, and connected with incarcerated youth in California and beyond.
OUR Team
Lindsey Jiang
President & Founder
Lindsey, a senior at Beckman High School, founded Turning Pages in March of 2022 after her research into the effects of censorship in schools. After combining her interest in literature with her study of censorship, as well as legislation involving the incarcerated Lindsey debated in congressional debate competitions, Turning Pages was created. She hopes to shed light on the harm of book censorship in prison and create an atmosphere in which her peers feel empowered by having a tangible impact on their shared community. In her spare time, you'll likely find her in her room, cozily reading a book.
Zoe Cordett
Vice President
Zoe is a senior at Beckman High School where she is the Vice President of Turning Pages. To Zoe, Turning Pages represents a way to make a tangible difference by blending her love of literature with a desire to impact the people and institutions around her. In her free time, Zoe enjoys sketching, painting, and spending time with friends and family.
Gabrielle Wang
Secretary
Gabrielle is a senior at Beckman High School and the secretary of Turning Pages. As an avid reader, Gabrielle sees Turning Pages as an incredible opportunity to share her passion for literature with the incarcerated and other underrepresented members of her community. Besides reading, Gabrielle also enjoys cooking, hiking, and spending time with her friends and family.
Jeff Wang
Treasurer
Jeff is the Treasurer of Turning Pages and a high school senior in his free time. Through literature, Jeff has been able to explore new perspectives and gain a broader view of the world around him. He hopes to spread the same joy of reading to the incarcerated through serving on this club. When he isn't performing club duties, you might find him eating spicy chips or chatting with friends online.
Erica Adunagow
Co-Events Coordinator
Erica is a senior at Beckman High School and Events Coordinator of Turning Pages. Turning Pages provides a unique opportunity to further the conversation and take strides toward increasing literacy among incarcerated youths; a highly overlooked community. Erica is a passionate supporter of education and the ability of books to connect people of every walk of life. Erica also enjoys listening to music, watching movies, and hanging out with her friends and family.
Melody Liu
Co-Events Coordinator
Melody is a senior at Beckman High School and Events Coordinator of Turning Pages. Turning Pages is Melody’s way of spreading literacy and the appreciation of literature throughout the community, while promoting productivity and forming person-to-person connections through shared love for literature. Melody has several hobbies, like sleeping, eating, and washing her hands.
Vishwa Shah
Marketing Director
Vishwa is a senior at Beckman High School where she acts as the social media manager and marketer of Dear Recidivism. For Vishwa, Dear Recidivism is a way to give people a second chance and help them find opportunities in their new journey to ease the transition back into the regular world. Vishwa is very passionate about drawing, painting, Bharatanatyam, as well as spending time with her family.
Naomi Layupan
Underclassmen Representative
Naomi is a Sophomore at Beckman High School and the underclassman representative of Turning Pages. She joined the club because she values the impact of community service and believes that access to books can make a meaningful difference in the lives of incarcerated youth. Some of Naomi’s other hobbies include golf, baking, and learning different languages.
Events
If you have any unwanted or unused books, please consider participating in our annual book drive from Monday, December 9th (tomorrow) until Friday, December 13th! Below are the details: - Please drop off books in good condition (new/gently used) into the boxes placed next to the library doors. The box has a "Turning Pages" label in front and should be easy to find. - We've attached types of high-demand books below, but practically any book you have will fall under that list. Every book counts! - When dropping off books, please attach a paper/sticky note with your name, grade, and date donated to the cover. If you choose to drop off individual books at separate times, each book needs to have a Post-it note attached. If you drop off multiple books at a time, please place them in a bag so we may attribute them all to you.
Turning Pages will have its first meeting of the school year this Friday, 10/25 during lunch in Room 128! We will be serving pizza, introducing our club, and playing a fun activity with prizes--so make sure to come and bring as many people with you as possible.
Oliver James is a 35-year-old motivational speaker who has shared his literacy journey--from being an ex-convict to creating his own book club--with over 100k followers on Instagram and 300k followers on TikTok. We will have a general Q&A session after the interview for about 10 minutes, so come prepared with 1-2 questions that you might want to ask the speaker! Please also attend if you're interested in hearing about board applications for next year and our planned summer projects.
We will be discussing access to literature and the importance of education behind bars, recapping our first semester events, and introducing our second semester plans. Cookies will be served.
Our annual Books Behind Bars drive will commence this Monday, 12/11! Anybody is welcome to donate new or used books to the boxes located by the library entrance all throughout this week. Please read through this slideshow for more information, and join our mailing list at bit.ly/tpsignup2023 to receive an email with more detailed information! Those who donate will be celebrated at our next club meeting. We hope you are all able to participate and spread the joy of literature to the incarcerated.
Join us tomorrow in Mr. Richards’ room (128) during lunch to write anonymous letters and spread holiday spirit to the incarcerated. There will be apple pie!
Our first meeting will be this Friday, 10/27 during lunch in Mr. Richard's classroom (Room 128). Stop by for free donuts and feel free to bring your friends!
In this event, we will be writing letters to incarcerated youth in collaboration with the Prison Smile Project! Food, drinks, music, and cute stationary material will be provided. Additionally, one volunteer hour will be awarded for participation. Join to have a great time while helping your community! Donators to the first-semester Turning Pages Book Drive will be celebrated at this meeting with goodies as well!
Our first informational meeting will briefly go over our purpose as a club, and encourage the importance of local activism and what we do. We will also be introducing our first fundraiser - a book drive, so come to see how your donations can be translated to volunteer hours!
Questions?
- Irvine, California, United States
