Start before you’re ready

By Eline GADEGBEKU

Would you like to know the secret to reducing your resistance to change?

Before I begin, let me introduce myself. My name is Eline Gadegbeku, and I was an ordinary girl until the number one came along. Just one Saturday morning. One phone call. One visit to a school by the coast. One book I held in my hand.

One-minute drive to the place where I started my club. One precarious classroom. Just one change made my life not-so-ordinary.

Since October 12, 2024, I’ve been the founder of a book club called Titanic Beach Readers. We meet at a small government school in my neighbourhood with charming views of the ocean. My goal is to improve the reading and writing skills of children aged 6 to 12.

We do this through reading, sentence formation, spelling tests and fun vocabulary-boosting games. Most Saturday mornings—from 9 to 11 or sometimes 12—you’ll find my family and me in a classroom where the desks fall apart occasionally, and the tin roof makes a horrible noise when it rains.

Reality

I know that to some people, starting a book club in your neighbourhood, especially with your family’s support, may not seem like a big or brave thing. Honestly, even writing it down makes it sound easier than it felt.

But every time I think that way, I remember how this was the first step that pulled me out of my safe, untouched, comfort zone. I used to be like many teenagers and even adults who don’t want to commit to anything long-term, time-consuming and unpaid. And yet, that’s exactly what Titanic Beach Readers is! So what happened? How did I change?

A leap of faith

Every time someone asks me why I started Titanic Beach Readers, I give them a different answer. Because, honestly, I don’t know. There were many small things that made sense: like my love for the English language, but there’s also something I can’t explain. A spark, a push, a little leap. Who knows? What matters is that the idea came, and against all odds – and to the fury of Madam Comfort Zone – I rolled with it. And I’ve never regretted a single Saturday of
waking up early, eating a light breakfast and making a list of spelling words for the 32 children I get to see just a few minutes away.

It’s your turn

Now that you’ve heard my story—a regular 13-year-old girl breaking free from the friction of change to start a reading club for children in her neighbourhood—what will you do about yours? We all have something we are interested in: painting, dancing, coding, content creation or even writing. And you don’t have to be a professional. Do you think I have a PhD in education? Nope! You just need drive and motivation. The biggest things often start from small “this probably isn’t relevant” kind of ideas.

So, to answer the question I asked at the beginning: the secret is to start. Don’t overthink it. Just go.

1, 2, 3… GO!

This article is dedicated to my wonderful Class 6 teacher, Mr. Mensah, who challenged me to be a better writer.

>>>the writer is a 13-year-old student, writer and literacy advocate. She is a member of her school’s newsletter club and the founder of Titanic Beach Readers, a community reading programme she created to help children in her neighbourhood fall in love with books. Eline is passionate about storytelling, empathy and helping kids discover their voices through reading. Through her writing, she shares her thoughts and experiences from a young person’s point of view—speaking to both kids and grown-ups with honesty, curiosity and hope. She can be reached via [email protected]

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