The Think Project is a literature-based initiative led by St Rita's College, in partnership with Riverbend Books. The project endeavours to promote a literacy-rich culture within the St Rita's College community through a calendar of community engagement events that encourage a love of literature and creative thinking.
Increasingly, critical and creative thinking are integral attributes needed to navigate our information-saturated world. Through the practices of imagining and inquiring, literacy lies at the centre of developing these capabilities. Research suggests reading and writing increase creativity and cognitive growth over time (Merga & Ferguson, 2021; OECD, 2000; Sullivan & Brown, 2013; Wang, 2012). Thus, it is integral to engage students with these activities and to foster positive attitudes toward reading and writing. Critical and creative thinking also contribute to higher levels of wellbeing by enabling students to participate in a state of “flow” and accomplishment – both of which are inherent in reading and writing (Vincent-Lancrin, 2019).
The Think Project provides opportunities for our community to engage with writers, illustrators, public speakers, creatives and other literature enthusiasts through book events and Q & As, workshops, conferences, clubs and other networking events. Our Expert Series has featured talks from Stan Grant, Lisa Fuller, Jessica Townsend and Danielle Binks, as well as virtual workshops and author talks from Astrid Scholte, Nova Weetman, Rhiannon Wilde and many others. Through events such as these, The Think Project provides space for courageous information consumers and creators to flourish.