Literary programmes create new readers across the country
Photo: Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil
A number of Brazilian projects have been new, creative to attract the attention of readers and help building reading habits in our children, teens and adults. Innovations range from a van that drives through the country stuffed with books to lend to school projects that strive to sharpen the imagination and perception of our young readers.
Inspiring even in its name, the "Incredible Book Machine" project relies on a van filled with books of the most varied genres and fitted with a "book exchanging engine". Interested readers insert a book they have read through a chute, press a button, the machine lights up, and a different book pops back. The program has already exchanged about 40,000 books in 21 cities in 13 Brazilian states.
According to the initiative's creator and president of the Infinito Cultural agency, Fauze Jibran Hsieh, the first stage of the project was quite a success. "We have reached audiences of all ages, from three to seventy. Reading has no barriers," he said.
In all, the van has travelled about 15,000 km throughout the country. "If we create more opportunities, we may be able to see more expressive numbers of regular readers in the future," Hsieh said. The first campaign of the project received a R$ 1 million investment from the federal government through the Rouanet Law, the main mechanism for public incentives to cultural production in Brazil.
Once Upon a time...
Photo: Divulgação/Sacola Literária
Another interesting project, called "Once Upon a Time" and "Literary Tote Bag", has been running for five years in a public school in national capital Brasilia. In basic terms, the Escola Classe 308 Sul lends one student in the class a book to enjoy over the weekend. The experience creates a space to discuss later on, in the classroom, what was read in the previous days. The goal is to get students to share their experiences and arouse each other's curiosity.
Try it out!
Photo: Divulgação/Grupo Projetos de Leitura
The Reading Projects Group, a nationwide reading literacy campaign, has several initiatives to encourage more reading in public squares, buses, airports, hospitals and schools. Another project, called, "Reading is Great, Try it Out!", serves 35,000 students per year in about 350 schools throughout the country. The enrolled institutions receive books and accompanying materials/lesson plans to support learning activities based on them. At the end of the project, the students write texts (chronicles or short stories) and the group makes a compilation for publication in a book.
For the coordinator of the Reading Projects Group, Laé de Souza, the project has reached its goal to motivate young readers. "Experience shows us that well-designed projects create readers. They make students feel important and believing of their potential. Many become readers from projects that promote reading. We received reports from parents, teachers and students themselves talking about the importance of the project for them to become readers," she said.
Peró Library
Photo: Divulgação/Histórias Andantes
Success stories are common across the country. In Jaboatão dos Guararapes (Pernambuco), the "Wandering Stories" programme, created by the Peró Institute's community library, was the winner of this year's Reading Initiative Contest held by the National Foundation for Children and Youth Reading Foundation - FNLIJ, now in its 23rd edition. The contest awards the best reading incentive programmes for children and youth from all over Brazil.
"Wandering Stories" works in partnerships with schools, social assistance centres for youth and other entities. Through the project, implemented in public spaces and in the municipal schools of Jaboatão dos Guararapes, reading mediation activities are developed using books, costumes and toys. The project is carried out through the Peró Library, which has a collection of over 5,000 titles and computers with internet access.
The project has already promoted about 700 reading mediation sessions and served more than 10,000 children, youth and adults. According to Elizabete Mercês, coordinator of the Peró Institute, the numbers prove the relevance of the actions developed by the Library. "We have seen growth in our audiences, collections and book loans, which shows stronger community engagement in the activities of the Library and the importance of promoting reading through the Wandering Stories Project," she assessed.
Incentives
In order to assist in the national mission of encouraging reading, the Ministry of Education created the National School Library Programme (PNBE). The Plan is focused on the acquisition and distribution to basic and primary education, adult education (EJA) and secondary education schools throughout the country of collections of literary works from a variety of genres.