In partnership with bp Oman, Youth Sada concluded its third version of the Reading Family programme with a closing ceremony held at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences in Ibri under the patronage of HE Hamed bin Hamdan Al Rubaie, representative of Wilayat Ibri in Majlis A’Shura council. The programme benefited a total of 400 children and aimed to instill the culture of reading, science and knowledge within the Omani community.
The programme included various activities and events such as the Reading Family Forum, the Reading Ambassadors Network, a book fair, the ‘Rawafid’ Training Programme (Youth Training Programme), My Child Reads sessions, ‘Hakawati’ sessions, a picture story telling competition, and educational publications.
Shamsa Al-Rawahi, bp Oman social investment manager, commented: “The reading family programme, in partnership with Youth Sada not only encourages reading among kids in the Ad’Dhahirah region, but it also allows them to expand their perspectives and knowledge on various topics, and influence the thinking of communities around them. The outcomes of this programmes are in line with our sustainability aims of driving education forward within our communities”
The Reading Ambassadors Network is considered as one of the main activities part of the Reading Family Programme, which aims to enhance the reading performance among kids aged seven to ten years old. A total of 51 child participated this year in the Reading Ambassadors Network reaching to a total of 4,007 books read. The programme also offered My Child Reads sessions to 403 parents to encourage their children to learn reading.
The Reading Family Forum – which was part of the bp-sponsored programme – engaged 82 kids in academic workshops, games and recreational challenges. This year’s forum was themed under the concept of ‘protecting our environment’. Additionally, 50 Omanis were trained in children’s literature through the Youth Training Programme to train Omanis in delivering educational and reading programmes to children.
Shamsa Al Ghafri, Project Manager at Youth Sada, commented saying: “At Youth Sada we annually dedicate a group of programmes designed for young children’s education. This year, a total of 196 children benefitted from the ‘Hakawati’ sessions and 70 children participated in the picture story telling competition to enhance their creative writing skills and imagination. We are proud to announce that we will be publishing a booklet containing creative literature written by kids.”
More recently, Youth Sada held a book fair as part of the programme – the first children’s book exhibition in the Adh Dhairah region – where various libraries and bookstores participated such as ‘Dar Al Fikr’ library, Muhra World, Omomati Bookstore and Nawwar Store.
