Reading for 20 minutes can change a life
“Ever since I started, we’ve always been focused on the campaign of reading,” said Badette Cunanan, Manila Bulletin Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) head. “We believe that everyone should read — especially the young.”
Based on research, she says that attention span is short among the young, and it is a challenge to get them into thorough reading. “What we’ve observed is that when there is someone in the house who reads, the child will follow suit. Children are like a sponge. They absorb and mimic what they see.”
Reading being its main advocacy, Manila Bulletin has continuously come up with ways to espouse a love for words. Besides having dedicated pages for kids, they also encourage reader participation with message writing activities and family-friendly fun. One such contest had families creating Christmas trees with newspapers and have them document themselves while doing so. The paper also has a junior journalist program where a group of 50 campers go on a 10-day intensive workshop to learn how to put a newspaper to bed. “There are many beautiful stories,” she said. “The point of all these activities is to get kids interested in reading.”
Its most recent campaign is Read for 20. Based on studies, reading to a child for 20 minutes a day creates an impact in his or her personal development. It makes them better prepared for the latter stages of their lives. The campaign wants to encourage this by creating pocket reading activities and forging partnerships with institutions who have similar aims.
Read for 20 is powered by a book drive; anyone can drop by any branch of the Manila Bulletin to hand in books as long as they are suitable for children. “We’re not talking about textbooks. They have enough of those at school,” Cunanan clarified. “We want them to read for leisure.”
While there are certain activities that incentivizes the donation — special movie block screenings in exchange for a couple of books — the real reward is knowing that by passing these titles on, you are enriching our own country’s future. Read for 20 minutes and change lives.
The book drive is ongoing. Just drop by any Manila Bulletin branch. For future announcements about Read for 20 and Manila Bulletin’s other activities, visit mb.com.ph.