Community Based Reading Promotion Dialogue Sessions with stakeholders is one of the activities implemented by PeerLink Initiative Uganda (PELI-U) through community based libraries. Through these dialogues PeerLink Initiative Uganda engages stakeholders in a dialogue session focusing on reading. The purpose of the sessions is to strengthen community stakeholders’ involvement in reading promotion activities.
Objectives of the community based dialogue sessions
- To equip community stakeholders with information, knowledge and skills to enable them promote a reading culture in communities and households.
- To establish challenges faced by community stakeholders in promoting reading at community level.
- To lobby and advocate for community members’ participation in reading promotion.
Community stakeholders involved in the dialogue sessions include: local council leaders, parents, children, Community Based Volunteer Library Coordinators, Reading Promotion Volunteers, religious leaders and other community members.
The dialogue session focuses on a number of issues that include: A presentation focusing on the reading problem and benefits of reading , community stakeholders converge in different groups to brainstorm on their roles in reading promotion, the challenges faced in promoting reading and measures that can be undertaken to promote a reading culture at community level.
Different stakeholders make presentations after which a read and reflection session is held.
Community stakeholders come up with action points and work plan to promote reading
A total of 4 community based reading promotion dialogue sessions have been held reaching 225 community stakeholders.
The role of community stakeholders in reading promotion: Sensitize community members on importance of prioritizing reading and integrating it in day to day activities, create a supportive reading environment in the community, create reading space, sensitize parents on the importance of reading, organize reading activities and participate in reading activities.
Challenges faced in promoting reading: Ignorance about the importance of reading, limited reading materials, negative attitude towards reading, lack of functional libraries in communities.
Strategies for improving a reading culture in the community: Sensitize community members on the importance of reading, organize community based reading events, provide reading materials and create reading spaces in the community.With your support we can facilitate more community based reading promotion dialogue sessions.
