Emirates Literature Foundation launches reading challenge
DUBAI: The Emirates Literature Foundation has announced the launch of a reading challenge open to everyone in the UAE, in celebration of the Month of Reading. There are two categories, individual and family, and entries can be in either Arabic or English.
To enter, people simply have to read as many books as they can in one month and share the list of books with a one-line review for each. The family category draws on the theme for this year’s Month of Reading, #Myfamilyreads, which focuses on enhancing the parents’ role in instilling a love of reading in children and raising a generation passionate about reading and knowledge. All books recorded in the Family category should be read to or with the same child, but the adults can change.
Isobel Abulhoul, CEO and Trustee of the Emirates Literature Foundation, said, “The Month of Reading is a wonderful and important initiative. Whilst there is a focus on creating a new generation of readers, we mustn’t forget that adults can play a huge role in shaping children’s atitudes towards books.
“If you read for pleasure yourself and read books regularly with your children, you are very likely to ensure that your offspring become avid readers. We are launching our Reading Challenge to remind people to make time for books in their daily lives. I hope not only parents, but grandparents, aunts and uncles also get involved in the family challenge, because books and the joy they bring should be enjoyed by everyone.”
The Foundation is also challenging its own team to step up its reading for the month. The number and the full list of books read by the team will be announced in early April. March was declared Month of Reading in UAE in 2017 as a way to foster a culture of reading with the aim of creating a knowledge economy. This is the fith year of the programme, which is managed by the Ministry of Culture and Youth.
Separately, MAKTABA at the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has announced that it will be organising more than 150 workshops and events during March, to mark the country’s Month of Reading, held this year under the theme ‘My Family Reads’.
The Month of Reading 2021 initiative has been designed to enhance the role of parents in instilling a love of reading in their children, highlighting its importance in achieving family cohesion and its vital role in early childhood development, as well as enabling children to explore and search for inspiration within books.
MAKTABA will be hosting a large number of authors, trainers, and specialists in various fields, including author Dr. Wafa Al Shamsi, Education Consultant Fatima Al-ali, Professor Abraham Alonso Ayala, Emirati writer and researcher Dr. Muhammad bin Jarash Al Suwaidi, Emirati composer Eman Al Hashemi, consultant and trainer Dr. Adel Abdullah, Salama Hamad Al Tamimi, the Secretary of the Deaf Association, and Major Abdullah Al Hadrami from Saif Bin Zayed Academy for Police and Security Sciences.