Celebrating the National Year of Reading
Ursula Stephens posted Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Can you remember when you learnt to read? When the penny dropped that those scribbly bits of hieroglyphics actually meant something?
There is nothing more joyful and satisfying than watching that “ah-ha!” moment with learners of any age, knowing that they've unlock a door into a world of imagination and learning.
Being able to read is one of the most important tools we have in our social armoury. Reading stems loneliness, it creates a sense of belonging, it emboldens people to take action; reading provides motivation, solace, history and adventure.
The National Year of Reading is about Australians discovering and rediscovering the joy of reading. There are already many fantastic organisations and inspirational programs about reading in Australia. The role of the National Year of Reading is to connect them all together and to help make them more visible. So, across the country - in every community - there will be events during the year to promote the importance and pleasure of reading.
We all know the importance of reading with children; sharing a book as a bedtime ritual helps reading become something we do to feel good about ourselves. It also encourages children to see the world through the eyes of others. There are so many wonderful Australian stories for children of all ages that can all act as a launching pad for reading independence. In this era of ICT based learning, being a confident and independent reader is an important skill, especially for young adults, now researching and developing their essays and
projects through multi-media.
So, it is quite extraordinary, that 20 years after the International Year of Literacy, we still have many adults without the literacy skills to meet the most basic demands of everyday life and work. I can only imagine how I would make sense of the world if I couldn’t read newspapers, follow a recipe, make sense of timetables or understand the instructions on a medicine bottle.
Australian libraries and library associations are behind a campaign to turn 2012 into the National Year of Reading, linking together all the great things that are already happening around books, reading and literacy, and giving them an extra boost, with inspirational programs and events taking place across the country.
Libraries will be partnering with government, the media, writers, schools, publishers, booksellers, employers, child care providers, health professionals and a whole host of other organisations that share our passion for reading.
Today the Prime Minister will reveal her love of reading on Valentine’s Day, launching the National Year of Reading at the National Library in Canberra.
I hope you're able to make this the year that you rediscover the joy of reading!
To find out more about the National Year of Reading go to www.love2read.org.au
Tags: Education,
Literacy,
Numeracy