Levi Colwill On His Reading Campaign, Love Of Books & Helping The Next Generation

0:00 Hello everyone, welcome back to another episode of TC Repeat. My name is Dylan. And my name's Hayden and. Today we are chatting with Levi Colwell. What's that? The England and Chelsea centre back? The Premier League superstar? The World Club champion? What's he doing on a podcast for education? Crikey, what an intro. Well, Levi came on and talked to us because he's launching a campaign across the country to get loads of kids reading. He's working with Storyzoo company we know very well to fund access to over 1000 e-books for any child up and down the country. So you can find details on how to sign your school up down below and we actually get into a chat with him about why he's doing this because at the end of the day, he doesn't have to. He's a Premier League superstar but he genuinely cares about the next generation. It was really insightful to hear about his journey, especially through injury. He's had quite a bad injury over the last few months and how reading this helped him and why he wants to do his bit for the next generation.

0:45 Say no more, Dylan. Let's get into the chat. Right, Levi, we're back with Take Two people at home. One, I know it's Take Two, but let's just leave it out of that. We were with you in Southampton on World Book Day. You're at Saint Mary's, which I know you had family who went to that school, but you were there to launch your campaign about getting children reading alongside stories. So if you just go to a bit of detail about what it is you're doing, what your aim is and what the campaign actually is itself, what can children get? Yeah, so I'm funding Story Zoo for a year, which means that, you know, schools and, and children can get up to over 1000 ebooks on the Story Zoo site, which is really exciting because, you know, reading has dropped so much recently in the last few years.

1:29 And you know, I'd love to try and make a difference and try and improve the, the stats and, and get kids reading again. Really. How did you find being back in a school environment in the classroom? Oh yeah, it was so weird. Obviously having so, so many memories at school was crazy. And like to have them all hit you at once and then to be then the tables be tiny, the chairs be tiny. It's like. We were chanting. Our knees were like at our shoulders. No, it was so weird, but it was good to be back. It's like a humbling experience to, you know, remember where you started. Yeah, definitely When you were, obviously you went through the Chelsea Academy growing up and you're a professional footballer now. What was school like for you like as an individual? Did you go to mainstream school? Did you go to like a school like everyone else or were you doing stuff separately with the football people?

2:10 No, I went to a normal school, like primary school. I moved around. I must have gone to about 345 schools maybe. I moved around a lot and then secondary school went to one. And then like during that time in your secondary school, you get a day release where you travel up for travel up on Wednesday, missed Thursday of school because you're training and doing school here. And then you come back down Thursday and go to school Friday. And then I've done that for two, 2-3 years. And I think year 10, I came down full time up here where you go to school up here, train all the time. So yeah. So when you do school with the like when you're in year 10 you move, is that just completely in house is?

2:51 That, yeah, yeah. So it's literally a classroom. I think it was 2. There was two classes, my son, about 66 of us, Six. Yeah, six of us in each class. It's just us. It was, it was good. It got us together. So like when we was bad for we were much better. But at the same time, like, it was, it was tough because we were the same boys, 24. So yeah. Yeah, yeah. And we know what that can be like. I'm with him quite a lot, sick and part of. The So what what was I'm really intrigued then because your obviously experience was a little bit different to me, what a lot of people will experience when younger. What was your experience of reading specifically, and does your more past and experience of reading tie into a kind of what what you're doing right now? Yeah, of course I I went through stages. I would let's say for a month or two, I would love reading and then I would forget to forget to forgot the ball, the ball, forget to pick up the book.

3:44 And then I literally wouldn't read for months on. And it's just like on and off the whole time. And like when I do get locked into a book, I'd love it and I wouldn't want to put it down. But then I just struggled to get back into it. So I know the struggles of not of not reading and then coming round to now where I do read and it's like getting into good habits and and it's becoming easier. But yeah, it was it was hard for me to pick up a book when I was young. Yeah, Yeah, you've obviously been off injured as well recently. Have you found that in that time reading has had an impact? Have you, have you picked up books more or is it is it declined like how would you say recently? Reading has definitely picked up books more because as a footballer, like when you're trained everyday and playing you're you're burning so much energy. Now I'm not doing any of that, I'm going to bed and my mind's just overthinking and playing on me and playing on me. So I found a way maybe 3 months in just I started reading before I went bad.

4:35 Like no phones, no TV, Read the book and it kind of helps you shut off so much. The only problem is when I do start reading, I just don't wanna put it down. So we'll be up for for longer. I just read it. One more book, one more, one more. Page. That's what I say. I have another page and then there's no full stop at the end of it. You gotta keep reading. It is going to the next, but yeah, it was. So it's helped me a lot, I would say, while I've been injured. What kind of books were you getting yourself into then? Because I remember you mentioned previously about Atomic Habits, you were reading that at Club World Cup. Just a little plug, you got Club World Champion right here and I hate and you might not know so much about the Club World Champion in front of us. So obviously little books like Atomic Habits, very, very popular self help book. Are they the kind of books you're into currently? Yeah, I like, I like books that can motivate me and, or change my thinking and mindset to improve myself because then like, I don't know, just like unlock something new for me and like gives me that motivation to, to push myself harder.

5:28 And I feel like it's, it's very, very relatable. That's why I like them. When you're in that zone of I can imagine like a a camp, a training camp and you've gone away because it was in America. Yeah, it can be quite not isolating, like you said, because you've got your friends around, you've got your boys around your team. But did you find reading kind of helps just take you away for a second? 100%, especially like in that environment when you're in America, you can't shoot off to go see friends or family. Like you're with the same boys 24/7. And obviously it's real good with your friends. Like I loved it. But at the same times, like it becomes more like, it comes in too much. Yeah. Like I like being in my own space, like chilling on my own. I really enjoy that. So going away and just reading a book really like took me away from all the of everything that's going on. Obviously got football in the crazy heat with your teammates 24/7.

6:16 You got press everywhere. Like just to go away from it and be in my own room on my own, read my book. It's like it's peaceful, which you know you can't pay for a. 100% it's, it's nice to know, it's so personal to you generally. And, and going back to everything you're doing with, with Story Zoo, I think there'll be, I think we, we already know because obviously the, the, your campaign is out there now and, and there's been lots of press coverage on it as well. A lot of people will say, oh, it's yeah. But ebooks, we don't want ebooks. It's better to get physical books in, in, in hands. Do you think ebooks or right of, you know, reading on an iPad like I've got right in front of me right now, do you think that undermines the act of reading, which ultimately is the purpose? No, I wouldn't say so. When you have access to over 1000 books on Storyzoo, it's so much easier to pick and choose different books compared to having to buy the hard copy and then you got to buy another one.

7:06 You're buying them all day long. And then you're always so accessible to be on an iPad and just to change book, just to go on there and read a book. So easy and it's less stress. And most people, most kids if they're lucky enough, will be on an iPad 24/7 anyway. Like I've got my little cousins, they are just on iPads all the time and. What would you rather them be doing honestly on the iPad? Brainwash. Scrolling through algorithms or reading a story. 100% like they love their iPads and it's just so easy for them now to just go on it and read the book and like educate themselves in a way, you know what I mean? That's what we want from the for the new generation and it doesn't even. Need to be one or the other. I think so many people hear this sort of stuff, right? Because I already know the kind of people that listen and maybe comment on things and, and they'll very much hear this and they'll say, oh, so they're saying you don't need books anymore at all because the iPad does it.

7:52 And really like even speaking with, with Sophie who found his stories that I know that her mission, all that she always is constantly saying, even in comments online, I see it already where she's saying it's not about one or the other. It's about engaging children with reading. If children are not engaging with reading at all, then, is it? Can we really say it's a bad thing that they're now suddenly given, like you said, thousands of books. That's it, fingertips. The bottom line is we're trying to make or help them read. Like we're not going to sit and argue and say, no, you got to sign up to Storyzoo because we want you reading and no, we don't care. Like literally just get kids reading again and that's what we care about. And if they are reading a hard copy, well done to them. At least they're improving themselves that we're not going to sit and say you're wrong. Put that down, pick up your iPad. That's. So simple. Yeah.

8:32 Quick one, whilst we're here down in the description below, if you want access to that library of hundreds of ebooks for your school for completely free, all you have to do is click the link in the description. It takes about 10 seconds to sign up now. Put your details in and you and the children in your school will have access immediately. Let's get reading. You are clearly passionate. This is why I love talking to you about this, because we're educated, it's our job, it's what we do. But it's so nice to see someone who's in a different world completely, who a lot of the children we teach literally look up to as a hero playing professional football, who speaks so clearly and honestly about the enjoyment of reading and why it's important. I was just wondering if you could go into a bit more detail about what's made you do this because at the end of the day, you didn't have to, you know, you could have just carried on being a professional footballer, read the books yourself, influenced your small circle, your cousins, maybe got them interested. What's made you think, you know, actually I'm going to put myself out there and really try and push this and it's launch a whole campaign.

9:28 Because you know, I'm lucky enough to have the platform, the resources to do it. So what better thing to do with them then try and make a difference and, and help kids learn and become better people. And that's what we want. You know what I mean? Like I've got obviously family and friends. I actually spoke to my mate about this. I told him from the podcast, I don't want to just out him out, but I said like, is it right if I mention you in this and say, like my mate said, like you keep it and he's fine with it. He said that like he struggles to read from school. And like he said, he wishes he had this this platform to be able to learn because now, like in simple things, he struggles to read. And it's just like it's hard for him to go day-to-day. Of course he can, but it's a bit harder and he's a bit more embarrassed to read or think anything like that.

10:13 So if I can try and make a difference and and give the new generation another chance or not another chance, it will be read about a better chance and an easier chance. Yeah, Yeah, I'm going to take it. If you look at the data, though, genuinely, I know you said about oh, not another chance, but honestly, the data is frightening. If you look at the amount people, and this is people in general, obviously the for children, it's, it's in the news and we see that it's dropping off a Cliff. And it's something we really we want to encourage because at the end of the day, how much a child reads is generally linked into the outcomes in life and how easy their life is for them. But if you just look at adults as well, I saw a poll recently and it said 40% of adults haven't read a book in the last year. And the habits you build as a child are the habits you have for your life. So you looking at actually, I want to influence the next generation.

10:58 You're thinking a long time, right? A. 100%, definitely. Like you said, I think like it's like building blocks of when the kids do start reading from a younger age, they naturally will keep up their whole life and it'll make a big difference. Of course, we could have done something for adults, but adults are a bit more stubborn in a way. They're set in their ways. Children are, you know, it's a fresh start. You know, if we can get them building early, when they do become adults, they'll be so much easier for them just to read. And I get the impression as well, which is another reason why I'm so excited to be. I feel like we're on this journey with you as well Working with Story 2 is that it is a long time thing. Like you said, it's a long time for the children, but also where do you see yourself as a as an almost like an ambassador for this 23510 years down the line? Where do I see myself with it?

11:43 Hopefully keep on pushing it, hopefully one day make it worldwide and and making a a really, really, really big change and, and becoming a statue for for all schools to encourage their their children to read. Yeah. I think hearing hearing you talk about it and seeing what's literally happening with it, because it's not just you're not just saying stuff like it is actually happening. If the campaign's out there and it's already having an impact, it makes me think, how can anyone be negative? Like, surely this is a good thing. But you just, you know, there will be some people that will find holes to pick in anything. And it does. Yeah, it is. It is life, people. Just. Love moaning but it doesn't. It doesn't mean it doesn't impact us, you know, I mean, like any of us, you know, even just this podcast itself, if anyone says something negative, it's we still see it. We still think.

12:28 Chips away at you slowly. Exactly right. And it, and it makes me think there've been loads of footballers in recent years particularly who have stepped into social issues and campaigns. And I've been met with a surge of people saying basically like, who do you think you are? Stay in your lane, You're a footballer. You can't get involved in any kind of political action. What? What do you say to that? Idiots, Yeah. I love that. Yeah, they're idiots. Like, how can you tell me what I can and can't do? Especially when I'm trying to influence the new generation, actually trying to make a difference. I could do nothing my time or or save my money or anything like that and not try and change things for the better. But I'm going on my way. I'm ready to receive any backlash people want to give me because I don't care as long as I actually am making a difference and I'm passionate about this like I actually want it to work.

13:18 They could say whatever they want, you know what I mean? And don't make a. Difference. And the irony is if you if you did nothing, you probably wouldn't hear anything. Do you know what I mean? Like you're only hearing. It easier for you, yeah. It'd be easier for you to do literally nothing and then and then no one would say anything anyway because you're not, you're not on their radar, but now you're on their radar. There's always people that are like, Oh well, it's even not good enough or you've missed out this thing or my opinion is just this other thing. But you must get that in your YEAH job. Anyway, it's a football. All the time. When people are hating, it means you're doing something right. You know what I mean? We're used to it, of course. Like naturally, like we said, it's going to chip you down bit by bit. But when I'm passionate about something, I know I'm actually doing something for a positive change. Want to do this So there's nothing that's going to stop me from doing this. What, what I'd never understand with those people as well is who do they think politics is for then? Are they just saving it for a small group of people who make that their job?

14:07 Because I'm not being funny. I've seen people who make politics their job. I'm not really sure. I want only them to be talking about the issues for the future of the next generation. You don't stop talking about it. I know, right? The whole podcast is like, it's still in being political and me just trying to like, whoa, whoa, come rein it into this. Let's talk about some other stuff as well, basically. Trying to set VR video. The politics. Yeah, Well, it's The thing is people say, you know, they say in the in the classroom all the time, be interested to see your take. To be fair, people say, you know, oh, that's political now. And it's like, what isn't political then? If you're going to define helping kids read and opening up an access of an eBay library, that's an unbelievable gesture completely for free. If you're going to look into that and see it as a political move or some kind of negative, those people are predisposed. You can't get through to them, right? It's it's not even worth trying.

14:53 Just leave them. Let them be. They think that. Let them be. Of course. Anyone. Anyone in the world's able to, you know, try and do something good for for a change or do what I'm doing? Of course I know that I've got the resources and the platform, but there's so many others that also do. And I'm just the one that just thought, you know what, let me give it a try so I can do what I want at the end of the day and especially when it's something good like this. Yeah, and people do, you know what, most people realistically are only going to get snippets through the media of what you're doing. They're going to, they're going to form their opinions based on that. Whereas even just, you know, the fact that we're doing this podcast, obviously we spoke beforehand and had a little chat. I, I really just got the vibe straight away that you genuinely care and, and this is not the only thing you're doing as well. Like, you know, the stuff you're doing at Storyzoo isn't the only thing you're trying to do to give back. I don't know if you want to dive into your Academy a little bit more because I know you've got that that project as well. Obviously, yeah, like you said, I've got my Academy, which is also another really exciting project, which I've got my uncles that run and my uncles are just like me, like they are actually, like you said, caring people. With my Academy, football is not the first, it's not the main thing.

16:00 The main thing is becoming helping the boys become men, make the right choices and and understand life as much as we can push it. So like being on time, having your manners, simple things like that, that go a really a really far away, a really big way. So like, that is what we're trying to do here. The boys there have been amazing. I think somewhere I've got a my little I've got LSE Academy shirt and they've all signed it and I think they gave it to me for Christmas. Was it for Christmas or? What you must be almost like, you know, when they're doing that every day and it's got your name on it. They're trying to impress you as well though. Of course, like even we've gone out on a meal with the boys and they're a bit like shy. Like my uncle, I speak to them every day about it. Yeah, like every single day. And they tell me what the boys are like. Like if any of them have got problems, they report back to me.

16:43 Of course, I trust my uncle's to sort it, but I'd like to know, you know what I mean? It's good to know. And it's good they know that you know, as well. So when I went went for dinner with them, there's just shy. Like obviously I was a bit shy because like I haven't really been around them and like I don't really understand the personality enough, but there was just but to. You that you're this icon. Exactly. Like even I know Hayden loves football. Hayden, before he was coming here, he was like, oh. My got a few questions for him anyway. Test it. Well, we we were going to leave. I wanted to test you. So I think we should do that right now about do you want to ask him to? Explain the offside rule please. Come on, why are you laughing? Because I know that you've got no clue. Hopefully our listeners will know that I'm. Come on, you're all right. Fine. Offside is when and if you start laughing. I'm stopping. Offside is when you pass the ball to someone on your team, but the person on your team is further forward than the furthest player back on the opposite team, right? Obviously other than the goalkeeper and that applies all the way through until you get to the box area. It's so close.

17:42 Why is that funny? Is it not called the box choice? It's. Wrong. So you think it's offside until the one place you can score a goal really easily and then it's just fair game? Yeah, is it not you've? Got half it correct. I mean, more than half go on correct to the halfway line it's. The halfway line. Halfway line. You can't be offside in your own half because, you know, I need a goal. Yeah, yeah. But you can't do it up to the box. Yeah, you. Just have a fair stand up. I was tricking you guys the whole time though. I was making sure I was making. Sure you do. Really. Because. Obviously, you know you that. That is a classical. Teacher. Yeah, that's. It I was I was making sure you guys and it's important to show humility children. Let's just for a second strip back of what just happened. You're pretending to be testing a professional footballer. I was just seeing if you. Actually, you realise how many people be listening to this who are like, obsessed with football, maybe, you know, follow you and your team, who I think were cringing at the idea that I'm saying with you right now, basically like, I don't know how football works.

18:32 Yeah. So that happened. Back to the back to. That was a nice segue. I love that. Back to the Academy though, you mentioned about the thing I love because I am obsessed with football. I love football and that kind of Academy to me as a young person I think would have been perfect, set me off on that road. I think what you're doing is amazing, but I want to go back to the bit you said about how football wasn't even the main thing. It feels like, you know, football's your job, you're living the dream career. But even in this world we live in now, the top outcome you were saying was about being a rounded person, being a good person because we've seen how online people can be influenced, especially young men at the minute can be influenced to go down maybe the wrong Rd. I'm interested to hear what you say about football itself obviously being important and what what people want, but where does that stand on your outlook? Because you said before it's just a job to you. Are these other things to you more important? Yeah, 100%.

19:24 Like for example, my LSE Academy, it is the cherry them being able to play football, but if they are off the pitch, if they're not doing something correct, they won't get to play football. As simple as that. For me being a being a good person and actually caring for others and and putting others in front of you I think goes goes a mile. Like for example, me, I've got my family of friends, I put them in front of me all the time because I care about them that much. I want maybe not everyone to think like me because you know, some people may think for themselves first is not a bad thing, but also just actually thinking about others and not always thinking about yourself 24/7. I feel like you'll be a better person for him and the world will evolve if everyone's like that, I think.

20:05 There's a balance right at the end of the day, like like you said, you can put yourself first. It's the people that only put themselves first that maybe you go, oh, hang on a minute, there's a there's another perspective on life. And do you feel like that that's already had an impact with your Academy? Do you feel like you're already seeing that come? Through 100% I think like I said, my uncles, they are amazing with them. Like they are strict but have also been through everything them kids have been through or or thinking about. So they know both sides of it and they're just normal people. Like they are as normal as you can get. That's them. Well, I'm not being funny as well. Like, you know, we've met you and beforehand you do just have this image in your head of professional footballer, almost like it's a bit of a separate bubble offside sometime.

20:46 Do you know what I mean? Like right now this situation, who's offside halfway line he doesn't he. Don't know ball, does he? He doesn't know Ball. How is this? The ball is short for football, just in case he might not know. Yeah, sorry, mate, carry on. No, I've. I've literally honestly completely throw them off my train of thought right now. Something I've saw about people being normal. This is the most normal chat you're ever going to get. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But yeah, before we met you, we were thinking, Oh yeah, it's probably. We'll see what he's like. And this is a compliment, by the way, Levi, you couldn't be more of a normal person and. And you genuinely come across that way and within 5 minutes we're talking to someone. I think you really get to understand their motivations and it's so refreshing for people at Hayden and I where education is our think, it's our job, it's genuinely what we love doing. And sometimes when people outside of it have opinions on education, it makes sense because everyone's been through the education system.

21:38 I think everyone should have an opinion on education. I truly do. But when it comes from a place of helping as much, helping as many people as possible, it's it's a breath of fresh air for me, I think just to be talking to you. I understand you can't deny it really. So like just thinking of, you know, with establish you're a normal guy, but at the end of the day, who knows offside, who knows offside really well. At the end of the day, football is your career and it can be quite, you know, typically quite a short career in comparison to a lot of careers. And a lot of people won't get the chance to turn professional. So what do you have any advice for those, for those young kids, You know, that maybe I'm sure you've taught them as well. I've taught loads of children where it's like they really genuinely don't think they need to engage with education at all because they're like, I'm going to be a footballer, it's fine. I'm I'm gonna be a footballer.

22:21 I don't need to. Yeah, but even if you're a footballer, you still need to still need to be well educated and understand simple things that you get from being at school that take you far away. Even myself, when I was at school, I was some days I would be. Some days I'll be locked in and listening and other days I wouldn't be. And then it's when you get older now and you're thinking, I wish I knew that all my little cousins. Yeah, yeah, they they will come here and they'll be asking me questions and they'll be embarrassing me, ask me even like math questions. Yeah. And I'm acting like I know. So I'm just being quiet. What was it then? And they give me the answer. I'm like Nah, what have I done wrong here in? Your nature. Yeah, well done. 12 It would almost be like a world class footballer telling you on your podcast embarrassing you because. You don't know the game tell you something like that. I know the rules.

23:04 Yeah. Not bad. Yeah, let's have a VAR check on that, aren't we? I think maybe. But no, you need to, you definitely do need to be locked in for it because you know, anything can happen in life. Even me, like I'm fortunate enough to be a foot blur. But if that didn't work, what I'd have done next You need to have or be educated enough to have a backup plan. Everyone does, even me now, even with my injury. I was going to say, you've had that layoff. Like when that happens, you think the worst in your head and you're thinking what what's going to happen if I don't come back the same player or so you always need to have a backup plan and, and there's no better way than, you know, thinking and being in school and and learning. How, how have you coped, by the way? Because obviously you've been off for quite a while with your injury.

23:44 Just diving into that, like genuinely like, you know, reveal as much as you want, but how, how has that been for you? Oh. It's been the hardest time in my life. Like you lose. You don't lose being on not sorry. You don't only lose being on the pitch. You lose being with your teammates. You lose yourself. Like you go in. So when you first have surgery or crutches, you go in. You're in at the training ground for longer than all the other boys. You leave later, you come home, you set your sofa, you can't move. You go to go for a toilet at her. Your knee hurts. Like everything in your life changes. And like for me it was which is the hardest. I think I'm like 7 months now. I think it's the hardest seven months I've had in my life. And then while that stuff's happening, real life stuff still happening. And like, it's, yeah, it's been a lot. You're still a human being.

24:30 That's it. Like people think that that stops. When this stops now, it still goes on. So yeah, it's been difficult, but I know that I'm now mentally and physically stronger than I was before. Yeah, you're wearing to go. You feel good, 100%. I saw pictures recently as well of you back in training from the chess training and it just, and honestly, I know I don't know you that well. I've only known you a couple times. I've met you a couple times. But honestly, those pictures see in your face. You seem so happy just to be back with the boys. Just like just having jokes with them, catching jokes and just being a little kid again. That's what you're like when you're together, being a little kid, just winding each other up. That's what I'm like anyway. I'm just a wind up. I love to wind. So on wind someone up, if I get a nibble, are they? I'm happy. This guy here, it's easy, it's my full time job. They know this is there.

25:12 Is there like one thing just on on reflection might be a tricky question. It's just a compound now, but is there one thing you'd say from your time off that you learned in terms of like did it shape you differently or one thing you think I learned this because of this time off and it's maybe impacted how I think about the future or anything like that? Or do you just not take anything for granted? Like anything can happen in life, Yeah, You just got to live every day, take a day by day and just make the most of it, like with the people you love. Because anything can happen, you know, And life changes quick. 100% it's good advice for everyone. I think one thing we've noticed recently, and again, I know we're kind of on a pedestal here, we're talking about the year of reading.

25:53 We're talking about your work with stories. You're releasing these ebooks to the children. And I think rightfully most people in education and what you're doing is putting reading on this pedestal because reading unlocks pretty much everything you need to be able to read properly to unlock the history that you want to learn about or the geography, all links. And there was a reel we saw recently which kind of threw up the importance of health and fitness, fitness as well. And now I personally think having worked in a primary school for 10 years, I don't think we do enough in terms of the health and the fitness of the next generation and making sure that that time is sacrosanct and almost treated as if it is like English and maths. You know, you need to be able to read, you need to add up, you need to be able to be fit and healthy and run and exercise. And this person, it was, it was, I can't remember exactly who it was, but they mentioned about how to them actually health and fitness is on a pedestal again and it's even more important.

26:42 It's probably the most important thing. And they'd rather their child be able to run properly and be healthy and fair than read a book. Now I just want to, as a professional athlete, it's interesting to get your point of view. You obviously value that, you obviously value reading. Where would you stand in terms of the importance and what we should be focusing on? Is it an Eva or is it something we can kind of share out? Yeah, I don't understand why people always put two different things together like that. Makes no sense to me. Of course you want to be get healthy because you know you want to be healthy and hopefully, you know, keep your heart strong and and hopefully live longer. But then you also need to know day-to-day stuff from reading and that's how you go about your life. So I feel like there are two different things. They shouldn't even be put in the same same bracket because, you know, they both help you in life to move forward. So yeah, that question is a bit of a tough one. I wouldn't, I would never, I would never be able to pick one or the other because.

27:33 I think that's an answer, isn't it? You know that that is, and that's a real answer. How can you? And if you have to do, you know, you can sign up for Story Zoo and do it on a treadmill at the same time. I've solved it. That's like the new version of Pedaton. I love it. Get on a bike. We're on to something. Every every 100 cycles you go to a new page. Does your read is simple? So we we we should we shouldn't say this on a podcast. I. Know we need a new idea. Get us locked. In I think that I think that's bang on and from our point of view, it's frustrating when you put really important things together because I think it's fair enough to say genuinely, I think it's fair enough to say that something like reading, basic maths, health and fitness, I actually do genuinely think that those are more important than some other stuff we do in school. Learning about learning about rivers.

28:15 Like I'm not being funny. Who gives a crap? Selected though in it like if you if you're interested in that stuff yeah you can learn it, but if you've got no interest like. Precisely it's. Just wasting time. Does does everyone need to know about? I think about rivers. I'm sorry. It's a little thing being my bonnet because rivers is a huge primary school thing. I think it's a waste of time. But if you enjoy rivers, do you know what will let you go off and learn about them? Being able to read. Yeah. And do you know what will help you go off and be able to hike on them? Being healthy. I reckon on reflection that that reel, that guy, I think he was trying to exaggerate the point. Again, be good to get your opinion on this. I think he was trying to exaggerate the point that at the moment reading and math, English in general are on the pedestal, right? And health and fitness just isn't. It's so far behind.

28:56 So, like, do you think there's still something to be said for, even though we don't need to put them in the same bracket, do you think there's still something to be said for the idea that health and fitness is actually, like, way too far behind? 100%, yeah, 100%. I think that's a no brainer. I feel like obviously we could do a lot more work on it and it is still so important for your life and your and your well-being and keeping you, you know, mentally feeling healthy and mentally good too. So I definitely feel like that needs to be put on a pedestal too, because it's such a big, important part of life. Yeah, I've got professional athletes that across us too. Important, healthy. I mean, we need to listen, boys. It's really important. Put that Easter egg away. I was eating this morning.

29:37 Yeah, I feel like this. It wouldn't be one of our podcast episodes, right, if we didn't at least get into some sort of rant where Dylan can talk politics and get into the government, right? Because it's just what you do. It's what you do normally. We'll be talking about anything in the podcast, and we'll somehow end up on a bit where Dylan's talking. About brings it back. We're not funding things and I'm. Not funding this probably. So let's maybe maybe finish on this. So based on everything you said and you know your mission with Storyzoo, your mission with your Academy, and just getting kids reading everything you're doing basically. Which, by the way, you can sign up to down in the show notes down below. This guy is going to do a podcast sometime. If you could talk to the government right now, what would your message be to them? Hopefully they hopefully they get on board with what we're doing.

30:17 Hopefully they see the impact that Storyzoo is doing and, and they want to push this as far as us and actually try and make a make a difference and trying to help as many children as possible. I think that would be very important if we was on the same page. And you know, I'm not, I'm not battling them here. I'm not on their side. I'm just actually just trying to do my thing to make a difference. And hopefully you know, they can like as I get on board and try and help us as much as possible too. Yeah, surely. Very diplomatic by the way, surely if it's a shared mission. Everyone win, win, win. Right, everyone get involved. What you're doing is great. The government are equally doing lots of good things. We're always here to be critiques. You know, we're always going to critique everything the government do because we're trying to hold them to account. But at the end of the day, they are doing great things as well in certain aspects. So if.

31:00 It's a national year of reading. National Year of Reading exactly right so you can do you know? What I will say just on this now I know we're being diplomatic, but I will just say buckle up, baby. That does that does seem to me to be there has to be another leap past virtue signalling. I think it's fair enough to say saying it's the year of reading and getting people in a room to say reading's good, isn't it kids? And basically saying you must read for enjoyment. All of those things are not revolutionary. You know, as teachers, we understand the importance of reading. We don't need a year of reading to tell us how important it is. There are other things and barriers in the way to children reading more that I feel like we should be addressing more. And that's why I love what you're doing. You're you're addressing it with an actual campaign that is saying here are 1000 free ebooks.

31:45 If your child sat on a laptop or an iPad or whatever it is, they can log in and get a free book that they can read. That's fantastic. We've got social media, huge issue with our next generation sat in front of these algorithms that are designed to get all of their attention reel after reel after reel and before you know it and how it's gone. That needs to be addressed somehow. So all I would say as well to add to the government after Levi's fantastic answer, it's absolutely fair. I'm just pushing it a bit more to say, but we do have to say action it as well. Actually speak louder than words. Exactly. See what I'm saying? Yeah. So that's all you have to say. Yeah. I just said more in free words than I did. Yeah. There you go. I'll just I'll just cut laugh I. Think I was like, yeah, I'll just give a thousand 1000 free books to kids.

32:26 You can shut up. Then we could do actions, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh man, it's been, it's honestly been an absolute pleasure. Thank you guys. Can't speak to you again, and I'm sure it won't be the last time either. I think your campaign is going to be, I mean already is in the last week, extremely successful. Hundreds of schools are signing. Up hundreds of schools are signing up, as you know, and yeah, it's going to continue to make an impact and we can keep measuring that as a team and doing more things. Keep growing and making it better. Nice day, SO. Thank you guys. Thanks you think you did a good explanation of offside. I knew it. I knew it was going to come. Did you think it was good? I thought it was all right until I got it wrong. It could have been worse, it could have been worse. He took it quite well. It's just so funny you sat there with a professional footballer. Can I, can I, Can I now I'm, you know, exposing myself, Can I tell you what I did after that, when I went home, I went and watched a YouTube video that explained it in more detail because I didn't quite get it when you explained it. I was like why am I so wrong?

33:17 What's wrong with me? Can I expose you even further? Yeah, go on. And the night before we spoke to Levi, you sent me an 8 minute compilation of Levi Cole. It was best of bits. It was best. Yeah, and it was good and it was good, all right. What a great you, what a great play making centre back, yeah. This guy can play football, you know? He's really, he's really good at football. And you know what, so genuine, so genuine. I love talking, I love talking to him because obviously we're getting to know him a little bit Over the past couple of weeks, we met him a few times and he's just the most normal guy that you can ever wish to meet and so truly, genuinely cares about helping other people because he just doesn't have to do, he doesn't have to do his Academy. He doesn't have to do this campaign to try and get kids reading. He genuinely cares. And do you know how you know he cares? Because unlike people like us, he doesn't do social media clout.

34:02 He doesn't post a net, he doesn't let people know he doesn't like do it for the fanfare. He he just first and foremost is like, oh, I can help some people. And it's coming through the lens of trying to help children get reading. Exactly that. And I know it's genuine because the first time we met him there was a few of us there and he was having a conversation with somebody else. Bear in mind we're talking like I'm minutes into meeting this guy, there's no one else around. Like it was just a private conversation between all of us and he was just genuinely talking about how like in his position, he like he gets fulfilment from giving back and helping other people and any opportunity he gets to help a community or other people, like, why would he not do it? And he was saying it as if like there's no other option. And, and you know, he wasn't there. It was, there was no Instagram like in his face, there was no paparazzi impressed.

34:44 He was just being normal. And I was like, ah, yeah, he's just a nice guy completely. It makes sense. When I was thinking about it in general, because it, you know, we're on social media a lot. We know the kind of mood in general of what's going on. And there will be people straight away saying, oh, it's ebooks, it's online, it's on the screen, it's, it's automatically bad. And I know we touched upon it with him talking, talking about it. And you know, you and I, we've spoken a million times before. How about we'd never endorse or talk about anything we don't truly think is a good thing. So clearly we're already there, right? We, we, we genuinely wouldn't be talking about this. We wouldn't be working with him, wouldn't be doing our bits and, and working with stories. Either way. We do in terms of talking about this as a, as a campaign of, of good, really. What would you say to people who do push back on it a bit though? I just, I just think I think everyone in this sphere of talking about education and books and reading, I think we just need to widen the horizons a little bit. Like I think we can have nuanced conversations genuinely about what's better in certain situations and long term and short term.

35:41 But really, when we're just talking about the children that we're talking about here, which is children who aren't engaging with reading at all and we want to try and encourage them to read, giving them access to thousands of books on the screen that they're already using to me is a no brainer in terms of it's another option. Do I, do I therefore think that it's better than books? No, it's not. It's not even a like a comparison. Like I think books are great and I and I want to get children reading books, but lots of children aren't reading books, but they are looking at screens and they're quite happy to read things and look at things on screen. So let's give them quality content rather than letting them go through the brain, right Algorithms and YouTube all the time. Like why would we not try to use this as a gap to bridge to back to reading?

36:21 Like it doesn't make sense to me. Yeah, if it, if it was at the detriment of a book, then I think, I think it's more, more rooted in something that's worthwhile arguing about. It's like if, if children are avid readers of physical books and then we were coming along and saying no, no, no, no, just read online. Just read, just read an ebook, read on a screen. I would kind of understand if people were saying, all right, well, actually, wait a minute, it's not broken. That's not fake. You know, let's not fix something that's not broken. It's there, It's OK. But yeah, we're not talking about that like it is Unbeliev. I, I still don't think lots of people realise how incredibly low so reading is and like amount of time children are spending reading and I don't think people truly understand the problem we're facing. And if, like Levi says, and I truly believe him and I'm on side as well, if this means that there are some children out there now who will read more, great what we arguing about. Exactly.

37:09 I think sometimes the ideology can can get in the way a little bit in terms of like, yeah, in the perfect world, this is what we'd all do. It's like, yeah, cool, in a perfect world, that's what we'd all do. But it's not a perfect world. And this huge group of children, you can say it till the cows come home of like putting books in front of their faces. Some of those children will just don't, they're not going to pick them up. They don't want to do it. They're not interested. Whereas they might be interested if we can just get this 1% difference through this means, then why would we not do that? Do you know what I mean? So it's a no brainer to me. And ultimately, I think the campaign is, is going to be extremely successful. I think it's going to do a lot of good. I do think he's going to get pushed back. I think this, this conversation we're having right now, it's never going to end. You know, it's not going to stop. But I think it's important we keep discussing it and remembering and measuring the actual impact it's having on children reading. Yeah, 100%.

37:52 And, and hundreds of schools have already signed up. You know, it's really, really promising when you look at the reaction to people actually seeing what Levi's doing and going, yeah, of course I'll have some of that. It's really, I don't know, it it makes me feel happy that a difference is being made. And if that difference is small, fine, but we're hoping it's going to be huge. And I'm fully behind the campaign. And I think, you know, it goes along nicely with the whole national year of reading and how that's really important as well. I'm really excited just to try and give children as many opportunities to read as possible. And what you mentioned earlier about broadening the horizons a bit, I think it's really important. Like I've spoken at length before about how reading comes in many different shapes and forms. And, you know, audiobooks, listening to stories, OK, people might say it's not physically reading, right?

38:34 If you compare a physical book and an ebook, you physically reading words on a screen and phonics comes into play and actually can you read? And audiobooks are really good way of including people into Storytec when they're not quite ready to actually read yet, but they can get the benefits of a story or information if it's a non fiction text and they can listen to it. You know, we talked about newspaper articles, we say all the time cooking, cooking books and and instructions, maybe instruction manuals for sets that you've got for building. I I can think of a million different ways to expand reading a bit more. And if we're more inclusive about what counts as reading and less snobby. Yes, exactly. I I think that's going to help in the long. Because the more snobby we are, you just cutting your nose off to spite your face. It's like, well, I'm not reading books. Good. Well, don't read anything then. So well, really. Yeah, exactly that. It has such a good way of saying it. I feel like it's way more clear in my head now. If the end goal is to get people, kids, whoever, reading physical books, there are many ways to bridge the gap between children not remotely interested and never doing it and doing that.

39:29 And one of those ways to bridge the gap is audiobooks. Another way is the device they're glued to maybe giving them some accessibility on there of things that might get them into reading. That's another way of bridging the gap and you know, hence an ebook library of 700 plus books like that's just a way like I, I. It's like a it's like a gateway drug, but good. That's yeah, that's. Probably the worst fly marketing. The worst way to end that conversation? Yeah, no, I like that. So I think we should leave it there. This is a podcast for us there we. Go gateway drug to to reading. Love it. Did you make sure you sign up your school now? But I do think very, very quickly that in its own right, it's still worthwhile. Yeah. I don't think everything should be in the optics of in the end goal of doing this thing right. Do you know what?

40:13 Do I personally think reading a physical book is the best version of reading? I personally think yes. But I still actually read exclusively on my Kindle. Right. Right, because it's more efficient for me. I've got all my books in one place. I can just click through. I can pick it up. I can choose what I read at the moment. I can go to bed with it dimmed down and I can go to sleep. I love that routine that I have every night of reading my Kindle. Like if someone was to come along to me and go, but it's not a physical book, get a bookcase and get a physical book every single night, I'd be like, bore off me. Yeah, literally, I'm reading. I'm reading. Would you rather me just be on TikTok scrolling through my algorithm? Because guess what? I also do that and I'm, well, very much less rested when I do that. Yeah, I find it harder to switch off when I do that. When I read some, some nights I'll go to bed and I'll usually it might be like another half an hour that I spend scrolling genuinely on my phone, right.

41:02 I can feel the same amount of tired. If I pick up my Kindle 2 pages in, I'm done. Yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm and that's my body saying, yeah, you are ready for sleep. But the TikTok, YouTube short Instagram Reel algorithm is eating away at your mind and keeping it awake and getting the attention. It's not good for you. Wiring you up. Yeah. Does it matter that I'm technically on a screen now with my Kindle? No, because I'm reading and it's better for me, Yeah. There we go. But like I said, this debate is never going to end and people will always come back with something and you know, we can talk about it. Let's talk about. It, and I do think genuinely people who talk both sides of this do genuinely have the best interests of the children at heart, of course. So I think it's that's when I quite like these discussions. And yeah, it can get animated and you can have strong feelings one way or the other, but I don't think anyone's coming from a place of angst or, you know, bad faith.

41:47 So I think it's a conversation with happen to. Be I think when faced if you if you if I put a child in front of you right now and it's and I say to you, this child was not reading and we gave them books for years and they were not reading. Now they're reading this ebook library. Like, what are you going to say? Like genuinely like who's actually going to say, well, that's terrible. Yeah, you're not though. Are you really? Like, we can still, we can talk about the ideology, that's fine. But at the end of the day, if that child's now reading and they weren't, that is a net win. Completely so. Sign up down below, get access for your school, it's as simple as that. Give it a go. Why not? Yeah, and I hope you enjoyed this episode and don't forget to tune in next week.