With a soft and relaxed environment, along with thrilling stories and novels, the Next Chapter Book Club, located around the country along with the East Lyme Public Library, offers opportunity, inclusion, and social connection, for individuals with developmental disabilities. In the club, members are able to interact and connect in different scenarios–with the reading material, with each other, and with the welcoming community and people around them.
Head of Children and Young Adult services Rebecca Scotka is one of the trained facilitators at the Next Chapter Book Club held in the East Lyme Public Library. She agreed with the importance and noticeable benefits of the club.
“It‘s very rewarding to see the students come out of their shell as the program goes on, and not be shy about their reading,” Ms. Scotka said.
The club meets weekly or monthly, where members from teen to young adult ages are welcomed to join, usually accompanied by a teacher or mentor. In these weekly meetings, members go around in a circle, reading and
having book discussions. Anyone is welcome to join.
“We believe everyone has the ability to connect to a story and a right to share theirs,” the club description explains. The founder of the club, Dr. Thomas Fish, created short stories and books himself for the club. Each simple but entertaining story is connected with life skills and experiences that everyone can relate – like dating, bad hair, or
even roommates.
