EU Read European network for the promotion of reading

EU Read European network for the promotion of reading Making meaning literacy in action 3rd Baltic Sea 17th Nordic Literacy Conference Turku 14-16 August 2016 Dr. Simone C. Ehmig & Dr. Jörg F. Maas Stiftung Lesen Germany

The situation in Europe... 73Mio. European adults lack of literacy skills. 1 in 5 EU 15-year-olds has poor reading skills. 12,8 % of EU students drop out of school. Source: EU High Level Group of Experts on Literacy Final Report September 2012 2

... inspires the work of EU Read EU Read is... a European action-oriented network on literacy and reading initiated in 2000 registered under Belgian law as a non-profit membership organisation (a.s.b.l.) since Oct. 2015. Chair since May 2014: Stiftung Lesen 3

EU Read aims... to improve the reading and writing skills in Europe for every member of society, regardless of his/her material, cultural, or social conditions. EU Read acts as a European contact partner and player fostering the exchange with organizations in and outside Europe to strengthen national and international programmes, to exchange knowledge and to develop strategies in reading promotion, to raise awareness on reading and literacy in Europe. 4

EU Read aims... to improve the reading and writing skills in Europe for every member of society, regardless of his/her material, cultural, or social conditions. EU Read acts as a European partner and player fostering the exchange with organizations in and outside Europe to strengthen national and international programmes, to exchange knowledge and to develop strategies in reading promotion, to raise awareness on reading and literacy in Europe. 5

A world of engaged readers Everyone is motivated and able to read (and write)... at a level that enables individuals to effectively understand and use written communication in all media. EU Read is convinced that reading is the essential prerequisite for education, personal development and participation in society. EU Read aims at reading and writing to become essential parts of everyone s life. This includes... reading (and writing) skills as well as the joy of reading / reading for pleasure. 6

EU Read in line with High Level Group of Experts on Literacy The EU READ programmes are in line with the recommendations of the EU High Level Group of Experts literacy report 2012: 7

Members of EU Read NGOs active in reading promotion providing and realizing programs and campaigns, intrinsically motivated, thinking beyond their borders, self-organizing: EU Read had an (informal) structure long before it became a legal entity and keen to learn from each other and to make EU Read a growing network. 8

Members of EU Read NGOs active in reading promotion providing and realizing programs and campaigns, intrinsically motivated, thinking beyond their borders, self-organizing: EU Read had an (informal) structure long before it became a legal entity and keen to learn from each other and to make EU Read a growing network. 9

EU Read members EURead a non-profit organisation (a.s.b.l) of currently 12 European reading promotion organisations and 4 designated members Designated members: 10

EU Read members in 10 (+ 2) countries Austria: Buchklub der Jugend Bookclub for Young People Belgium: Iedereen Leest Vlaanderen Reading Foundation Flanders Belgium: Lesezentrum der deutschsprachigen Gemeinde Belgien Multimedia centre of the German community in Belgium Czech Republic: Svět Knihy Ltd. Association of Czech Booksellers and Publishers (ACBP) Germany: Stiftung Lesen German Reading Foundation Italy: Leseforum Südtirol Reading Forum South Tyrol Italy: Nati per leggere Born to read Portugal: Plano Nacional de Leitura National Reading Plan The Netherlands: Stichting Lezen Reading Foundation Norway: Foreningen!les Reading Society Switzerland: Schweizerisches Institut für Kinder- und Jugendmedien Swiss Institute for Children s and Youth Media United Kingdom: Booktrust Designated Members: Lukukeskus Läscentrum (Finland), Läsrörelsen (Sweden), Beanstalk (UK), The Reading Agency (UK) 11

Participating countries Norway Great Britain Belgium The Netherlands Germany Czech Republic Switzerland Austria Portugal Italy 12

About EU Read Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament "As a former bookseller, I have a passion for reading and not a single day goes by that I don t grab a book. In Europe, more than 73 million people are illiterate an alarmingly large number. In order to address this educational and social problem we need to promote literacy in Europe and familiarize all age groups with reading. That s why I appreciate the various national initiatives as well as the European network EURead, which aim at getting people in Europe enthusiastic about reading." 13

Getting people in Europe enthusiastic about reading by... Best practice programmes to be shared and implemented in every European country e. g. Bookstart Awareness campaigns to be raised up to a European level e. g. Europe-wide reading aloud events Building capacity Shaping European programmes in each country Supporting existing organizations Strengthening and initiating programmes Strengthening ties to other networks 14

Getting people in Europe enthusiastic about reading by... Best practice programmes to be shared and implemented in every European country e. g. Bookstart Awareness campaigns to be raised up to a European level e. g. Europe-wide reading aloud events Building capacity Shaping European programmes in each country Supporting existing organizations Strengthening and initiating programmes Strengthening ties to other networks 15

EU Read Activities EURead has demonstrated European-wide action on reading and literacy: through the adoption of the Bookstart programme in many EU Read countries, through the exchange of family literacy programmes, through the European-wide campaign Reading Aloud Reading Together in 2013. In 2013, EU Read members altogether reached more than 11.580.000 children in all kinds of formal, informal and non-formal educational institutions, among them about 75.000 schools. 16

Objectives EURead strives to: strengthen the programme-oriented network through an improved internal and external communication strategy based on a well-supported platform to facilitate the exchange of knowledge to inform and influence policy makers, contribute expertise and knowledge to governments and non-governmental initiatives in reading and literacy, attract and involve new members, strategize on a European campaign Europa reads. 17

Europe reads - campaign idea Idea of a European campaign to make all Europeans read involving members of the European and member-states parliaments, cabinets and governments celebrities and decision makers from all fields relevant to literacy and reading based on existing programs and experiences of EU Read members mainly working as an umbrella of already existing efforts. 18

Reading Together Living Together - Idea for joint action Europe-wide initiative to read out loud to children with migration background from Greece to Central and Western European countries to help integrate refugee families with children up to age 6 in Europe through reading aloud and books in refugee settings providing Reading and Storytelling Boxes to all refugees settings and shelters on their way from Greece to Germany (and Central and Western Europe) in cooperation with organizations and local as well as national authorities operating refugee settings and shelters from Greece to Germany / other host countries 19

Reading Together Living Together Providing Reading and Storytelling Boxes together with local authorities and organizations providing shelter and accomodation for refugees Norway Sweden Finland Estonia Russia NORTH SEA Latvia Denmark Lithuania Ireland Great Britain Netherlands Poland Belarus ATLANTIC OCEAN Belgium Luxembourg Germany Czech Republic Slovakia Moldova Ukraine France Switzerland Austria Slovenia Hungary Romania Portugal Spain Croatia Serbia Bosnia- Herzegovina Montenegro Mace- Italy donia Albania Greece Bulgaria Turkey Syria MEDITERRANEAN SEA Malta 20

Interested? Welcome to the EU Read Annual General Assembly Brussels 12-14 October 2016 Bringing together the different players in the heterogenous field of reading promotion Involving representatives of the European Commission, from national governments and international companies Consolidation of work groups tackling the challenges of reading promotion in Europe Future strategies for finances and fundraising 21

Contact Stiftung Lesen Vanessa Timter, Project Manager Römerwall 40, 55131 Mainz Tel: 0049-6131- 288 90-11 Email: vanessa.timter@stiftunglesen.de www.stiftunglesen.de 22