Security against disinformation has been one of the leading themes of the concluding Polish Presidency in the Council of the European Union. Under its honorary patronage, the international conference Literacy for Democracy & Security was organized by the Foundation for Universal Reading. The event focused on the impact of reading on building mental and informational security, innovation, citizen resilience, critical thinking, self-organization, and social strength — including aspects related to territorial defense.
The conference provided an opportunity to foster international dialogue among representatives not only from European countries but also beyond, which is particularly important in a world where the threats of disinformation are widespread and severe. It served as a platform for exchanging ideas and experiences regarding efforts to promote reading and how literacy contributes to societal development, the economy, and various other sectors.
“The Polish Presidency of the EU emphasized the importance of European relations not only in politics and the economy but also in security, including communication security. We gather here because we want future generations to be active participants, not passive subjects of communication,” said Maria Deskur, President of the Foundation for Universal Reading. “Reading with understanding is the foundation of democracy. Only an informed citizen, capable of distinguishing facts from manipulation, can participate in democracy in a truly responsible manner,” stated Marek Krawczyk, Undersecretary of State at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister and Viceminister for the Civil Society Development, who opened the conference and expressed his support for the initiative.
Literacy and Democracy: Informational Security
A key foundation for building informational security is understanding the significance of reading — and how its role is changing in the age of AI. Professor Adrian van der Weel of Leiden University, speaking from the perspective of reading sciences, highlighted the growing issue of functional illiteracy. He warned against the replacement of deep reading with increasingly common selective or superficial reading.
Can we function without reading and writing? For modern society, these skills are fundamental. They underpin logical thinking and enable cooperation — which in turn supports the spread of knowledge, inclusion of marginalized groups, reduction of social inequalities, and broader societal development. “Deep reading is essential if we are to keep democratic processes alive. Without it, there can be no civilization, no rule of law, and no equality,” emphasized Prof. van der Weel.
Today, reading increases the chances of living in a world free from violence and conflict — a particularly important point in times of war and rising aggression, especially in the context of widespread use of social media. “Reading is the only method humanity has developed to truly access another person’s mind — someone from a different background, including a different culture,” noted Tomasz Stawiszyński, writer and philosopher. “It is a process of developing mentalization — the ability to perceive others as thinking beings, similar to us, yet separate.” “Today, the greatest challenge is convincing people that reading has real value,” said journalist Jarosław Gugała, highlighting one of the core barriers to promoting reading. “Unfortunately, we won’t have adult readers if children grow up in homes without books.” He also stressed the urgent need for media literacy: “We are surrounded by a flood of information, most of which is unverified. We must be able to assess sources ourselves in order to use them effectively.”
Maia Mazurkiewicz of the PZU Foundation pointed to the rapid development of media — rather than media themselves — as the root of today’s problems: “The internet is highly developed, but still relatively new. There was never a public debate about what it should look like. It is controlled by corporations that created it.” At the same time, she emphasized that our ability to function in the digital world depends on our own choices: “Young people need to take responsibility themselves. If they care about thinking independently and critically, they must act. No one else will do it for them.” She highlighted reading as a key tool for developing critical thinking and building resistance to fake news in the era of mass information. Deep reading is one of the most effective responses to these challenges. Professor van der Weel confirmed this by pointing to the direct correlation between reading and thinking — including the ability to understand how media function and how to navigate the digital environment.
“There are no shortcuts — we have to train ourselves and keep pushing forward,” said Åsa Lind, Swedish children’s book author, underscoring that too many people still feel excluded from the world of books. She identified this as a central challenge — one that requires teaching reading for pleasure by involving children in choosing what they truly want to read.
Literacy and Development: Supporting Students, Workers, and Citizens
Reading from an early age — in fact, from birth — is a cornerstone of a child’s development. This is precisely the stage at which reading should be most actively supported, including by the state, especially considering that it requires relatively low investment at this stage. Early reading is an investment in future citizens — those who will become leaders, make informed decisions, drive innovation, and contribute to economic growth. “To change parental attitudes — and currently only 25% of parents understand how important reading is for their child’s development — the message must come from someone they trust,” said Diana Gerald, CEO of BookTrust, a UK-based organization that encourages children to read for pleasure. “It’s essential to respond to parents’ actual needs, rather than acting on our assumptions. Inviting families into reading requires making the activity feel simple and accessible.” She referred to data showing that 60% of parents do not read to their children at bedtime — for reasons such as lack of time or daily routine challenges.
Non-governmental organizations must learn to build sustainable revenue-generating models — a point emphasized by Kyle Zimmer, President and CEO of First Book, a renowned U.S.-based organization that expands access to quality education. Through a national network of adults working on behalf of 27 million children from underserved communities each year, First Book has already distributed over 250 million books. Its model includes three key pillars: market research, implementation of educational strategies, and a nonprofit marketplace. Strong partnerships — with publishers as well as with a community of 600,000 educators, specialists, and activists — enable the organization to reach local communities with limited or no access to reading.
Promoting reading requires systemic solutions. Alongside meaningful government engagement, the involvement of the business sector — in cooperation with civil society — is crucial. This alliance can help support grassroots activism. Advocacy efforts informed by data and research can be translated into compelling narratives that encourage policymakers to invest in reading. “Building strong collaboration networks is a critical part of how we must respond to today’s challenges. […] We need to speak the language of literature — and that’s how we can persuade policymakers,” said Robert Piaskowski, Director of the National Centre for Culture (NCK). He emphasized the importance of rethinking reading not only from the perspective of readers, but also of non-readers, and spoke of the “era of libraries” as hubs of civic engagement.
The private sector also recognizes the broad benefits of supporting reading — for both employers and employees. It contributes to skill development, but also to a deeper sense of trust and organizational stability. Today’s leaders need broad, interdisciplinary knowledge in order to act — to stay aligned with their values and take meaningful steps. Reading is the foundation for that,” said Maja Meissner, founder of Meissner & Partners Executive Search and Leadership Development. She described reading as a tool for supporting employees' sense of psychological safety in an era defined by uncertainty and rapid change.
Literacy and the Economy: A Perspective on Long-Term Benefits
Reading plays a critical role in developing one of the most essential future skills: the ability to learn quickly. Dr. Tomasz Gajderowicz from the Institute for Educational Research emphasized this point, noting that according to recent studies, the decline in reading comprehension levels in Poland is greater than in many other countries. He also highlighted the measurable economic impact of literacy, stating that even a 1% increase in reading proficiency could lead to a 3% rise in GDP per capita over the long term. “Reading comprehension and literacy are now fundamental. They directly affect cognitive performance, societal development, and the labor market,” Dr. Gajderowicz stressed.
Małgorzata Mroczkowska-Horne emphasized the link between literacy, education, and the kind of society we create. “Today, we need to build a society based on universal competencies — and reading is their foundation. It’s about fostering a culture of learning, including among entrepreneurs. We need to act at the level of local groups, which form larger communities,” she said, highlighting how such grassroots efforts can later inform large-scale national reading initiatives.
The panel also strongly underscored the importance of cross-sector collaboration. Aleksandra Karasińska pointed to the need for advocacy and recognized the crucial role the business sector can play in this regard. She noted that low literacy rates should be treated as a political issue — one requiring systemic solutions. While civil society organizations act from the ground up within their spheres of influence, long-term progress demands structural change.“There is a growing need for public understanding of how algorithms work, how they should be regulated, and how to choose policymakers who understand these issues,” said Karasińska, Director of the RASP Foundation.
The discussion also addressed how low levels of literacy affect many other areas of life — from personal finance to public health. These challenges are not confined to education or business and cannot be addressed by those sectors alone. “It is the state’s responsibility to raise the competencies of people outside the formal education system. This is not solely the task of the Ministry of Education or employers.” Promoting literacy is a shared responsibility, and the economic consequences of rising or declining reading levels are felt across society. The economic perspective reinforces the idea that investing in citizens' skills should be discussed alongside the most pressing global challenges.
“The government must recognize that it does not have all the answers within its own structure and must consider long-term perspectives,” said Jonathan Douglas, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust, one of the UK’s leading literacy organizations. He stressed the importance of sustained, grassroots engagement by local organizations as a source of civic agency and constructive thinking about broader systemic change. Effective cooperation requires balancing the goals and benefits for each stakeholder: for governments, it is about advancing democracy and human capital; for NGOs, it means fulfilling their mission; and for the private sector, it is an opportunity to act on values and support broader social responsibility.
The Literacy for Democracy conference, held annually for the past three years, is an initiative of the Foundation for Universal Reading. It serves as a platform for the exchange of ideas and experiences among international experts from a wide range of fields. The conference aims to highlight the urgent need to rethink literacy — recognizing it as one of the most critical drivers of social and economic development in today’s world.
