The 4th edition of the Reading Rescuers programme is starting: a community of educators promoting reading among children, it will operate under the slogan: "Joy flows from reading".
With the start of the new school year Another edition of the Reading Rescuers programme is starting – a nationwide initiative bringing together teachers and librarians who work together to promote reading among children and young people. This is a project of the Universal Reading Foundation, one of whose missions is to teach how to encourage reading and to create an expert community.
The joy that comes from reading…
This year's edition of the program will operate under the slogan "Joy flows from reading". The National Library's research (2023 Report) shows that reading is still an activity that is associated primarily with the time of school education, and is often abandoned right after it. The mission of Reading Rescuers is to support children's interest in books and the desire and habit of regular reading.
PISA research published in 2011 shows that if a student likes to read and reads for pleasure, this has a greater impact on his or her educational success than his or her socioeconomic background. It has been proven that reading books has an extraordinary power to equalize opportunities, as long as students enjoy reading.
"What guides the entire initiative, which is the Reading Rescuers, is the idea of implementing the core curriculum based on popularizing reading and creating a friendly environment at school for reading books. This has a huge impact on increasing children's chances for educational success. This year, we are particularly keen to associate reading with pleasure - to encourage the creation of school spaces where books are at your fingertips - accessible and close." - says Krystyna Rózga, teacher and co-coordinator of the program.
I read it with joy
In this year's edition of the Reading Rescuers programme, thanks to the support of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage as part of the reading promotion programme implemented by the Book Institute There will also be a campaign called “I read with joy”, prepared especially for first-grade students. This is an initiative that was created in cooperation between FPC, the publishing house HarperKids and HarperCollins Polska, referring to the series of books for children to learn to read "I read myself". The partner of the action is also the publishing house Nowa Era.
Teachers first gradesthose who apply for it will receive a free package of 30 books for your class and educational materials. They are to be used to organize reading zones in classrooms with easy access to books, as well as reading activities around them. These activities are to support the building of school reading communities and facilitate reaching for books that are not always required reading. The implementation of these tasks will take part in the competition, and the most interesting ones will be awarded. You can win a meeting with the author, more book packages, and mobile libraries and creative kits. The packages are waiting for the first 1,000 schools. Applications open on September 4th at 6:00 p.m..
Other classes, as well as kindergartens, libraries and other institutions can apply for the Reading Rescuers program from the beginning of September. The program formula requires involvement in the implementation of reading activities, and their initiators and participating institutions will receive certificates at the end of the school year. The required organization of activities promoting reading among children and young people in several areas is supported as always access to free materials, current research, as well as the opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences and participate in a group of experts who support each otherThe program also includes organizing free webinars for participants and meetings from the series "Dinner with a Book", promoting good children's literature and more.
Previous editions of Reading Rescuers have enjoyed great interest among teachers and librarians from Polish institutions. Over the past 3 years, many engaging reading initiatives have been created, which are now becoming an inspiration for others. Every year, more and more participants join the program - in the previous edition there were almost 600 of them, which is a very good result on a national scale. In addition, the community around the Reading Rescuers already has over 2.5 thousand memberswho belong to Facebook Groups.
"This huge rescue community built in a relatively short time – the three editions of the program so far – is incredibly motivating. These are people who are very committed to promoting reading among young people, whose work and its effects we can admire in each edition. It is not only a program that really supports the promotion of reading among school-age children, but also helps build a community of experts who put a lot of effort into doing it. Educating and cooperating with leaders is an important area of activity of the Universal Reading Foundation ” – says Katarzyna Konopka, member of the FPC board, responsible for the Reading Rescuers program.
The programme is gaining increasing recognition among teachers, becoming an important element in supporting the development of reading in Polish schools. The idea of reading for pleasure and this year's edition of Reading Rescuers are also supported by the brand Lajkonik, who emphasizes that her motivation is the joy of life. That is why, together with FPC, we want to convince people that reading is an important source of pleasure.. However, the company combines this with taking responsibility – involvement in reading is something more, because it directly concerns the upbringing and future of citizens.
"In the care of people and the planet is the slogan of Lajkonik's sustainable development strategy. It is extremely important to us. We are happy that we can promote what is pleasant, what gives joy that people of all ages need, and at the same time take care of people, especially young people - of their development, future and success in adult life," says Joanna Sterna Senior Brand Manager.
Applications for the Reading Rescuers program are open from September 1 to October 31. Details and rules of participation can be found at: www.ratownicyczytelnictwa.pl.
First-grade applications for “I Read with Joy” will be accepted from September 4 (6:00 p.m.) to September 9. Details of the campaign aimed at first-grade teachers are available at: www.ratowcyczytelnictwa.pl/czytamsobie
The Universal Reading Foundation For 6 years, it has been working to improve the state of Polish reading and combat the exclusion of citizens. It treats non-reading as a contemporary social problem. It wants to reach families and communities of people who do not read at all. The Foundation's goal is for every Polish child to have equal educational opportunities, which is greatly influenced by regular contact with books. The Foundation's activities focus on helping excluded children, educating leaders and supporting parents. The most important FPC campaigns include Ratownicy Czytatelnictwa, Książka Na Receptę. Recepta na Sukces, Książka Chroni and the nationwide social campaign #TataTeżCzyta. FPC is the initiator of the informal coalition Czytąca Polska, within which the publication "Czytująca szkola - reflectje o formie książki w szkole" (Reading School - Reflections on the Functioning of Books in School) was developed.
Lajkonik – leader in sales of salty baked goods in Poland. Lajkonik is known by “everyone who has teeth” and eaten by “everyone who has teeth”. This is a traditional brand, present on the market for many years – people remember it from childhood, its taste has been loved for generations – it is an expert in the category of Salty Bread. The brand's offer includes sticks, crackers, slicers, pretzels, Mini Crackers, Junior products or Dobry Chrup. The company's goal is to provide snacks that combine Joy of Life and Responsibility.
