Young Voices Read
Books in the Woods is dedicated to improving literacy for the 700 plus students in the El Tejon School District. With Layla Salinas serving as our passionate YA Program Leader, we’re creating a vibrant, student-centered reading culture. Layla’s deep love of books and natural connection with young people make her a guiding light in our literacy efforts.
By assessing reading habits, providing curated books, and launching student-led initiatives like book clubs and story time, we help foster curiosity, confidence, and community. Through this program, we aim to increase literacy rates, strengthen family involvement, support academic achievement, and ensure every child has access to stories that inspire and empower.
Layla Salinas is a rising senior at Royal High School in Simi Valley, where she is very involved with her school and community. She loves to play golf, travel the world, and eat ice cream with her friends, but among all her hobbies, none have ever come close to her passion for reading. While other kids were off playing handball or basketball on the playground during elementary school, Layla was sitting on the swings with her nose in a book. Whether it was about fairies, detectives, or wizards, Layla was always chasing adventures bigger than herself- and never wanted recess to end. Now in high school, not much has changed. These days, she’s traded playgrounds for golf tournaments and recess for study sessions, but she’s still chasing stories. With support from the Ronald Reagan Citizen Scholar Institute, Layla has channeled her love of books into two community service projects to benefit the place where she first found her love of reading: Hollow Hills Elementary School. While making friends in high school, Layla realized that not many people shared her love of books. When asked if they liked to read, many teens laughed and said that they hadn’t picked up a book since second grade! Shocked by the overwhelming number of non-readers, Layla sprang into action. In 2024, Layla organized a fundraiser for the Hollow Hills school library at a local bookstore -however, the heart of her 2024 project went beyond that. Layla also designed a survey for parents of elementary school students, including questions about reading habits and preferences in order to better understand the relationship students have with recreational reading. She later presented her findings to prominent members of Simi Valley at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. With a drive to keep making a difference, Layla launched another project in 2025. She invited Simi Valley’s mayor, Dee Dee Cavanugh, to guest-read during Read Across America week at Hollow Hills. Her hope was that if young students saw a successful adult speak about her passion for reading, they would be inspired to pick up a book themselves. At the event, Layla also passed out homemade flyers promoting local ways to “find the fun” in reading, along with a quiz to help each student discover their favorite genre. With a love for stories that continues to fuel her passion, Layla is eager to start the next chapter of her work. She is currently designing a new program in partnership with the Books in the Woods Nonprofit, with the goal of increasing literacy on a larger scale. Layla is also excited to pursue higher education at a four year university after she graduates in the spring of 2026.
Inspiring the Next Generation of Readers.
Celebrate With Us – Support Young Voices Read!
Books in the Woods is proud to announce we have received a $5,000 grant from the Virginia and Alfred Harrell Foundation to launch Young Voices Read in the El Tejon School District!
This incredible gift will help increase literacy rates in Kern County, starting with El Tejon students—and we’re just getting started.
Our goal is to raise $5,000 for every Kern County school district to expand this life-changing program.
Please consider donating to help us reach more young readers!
To achieve these goals, we will begin with comprehensive surveys to understand student and family reading habits. Using this data, we will distribute carefully selected books from indie publishers that match students’ interests and reading levels. Families will receive resources on integrating reading into daily life, ensuring literacy is nurtured at home as well as in school.
Our program will collaborate with local organizations and train high-achieving high school students to mentor younger peers. Where gaps exist, we will establish innovative reading initiatives such as family book clubs, teen-led literacy workshops, and storytelling events, ensuring every child has an engaging and supportive reading environment.
By increasing book accessibility, fostering peer mentorship, and strengthening family engagement, Books in the Woods will not only enhance literacy rates but also instill a deep, lifelong passion for reading that will impact students for generations to come.
