ALC Sustains Momentum In Community Campaign To Promote Sustainable Reading

(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 11th Aug, 2025) ABU DHABI, 11th August, 2025 (WAM) – The Community Campaign to Promote Sustainable Reading, launched by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) in February to coincide with National Reading Month, has achieved notable success in the first half of the year.

Held under the theme "Knowledge Illuminates Our Community", the campaign aligns with the UAE’s declaration of 2025 as the Year of Community and forms part of the centre’s broader strategic vision to promote the Arabic language and cultivate a culture of reading across all age groups.

As a year-long initiative, the campaign emphasised reading as a powerful vehicle for advancing the core principles of the Year of Community. It aimed to strengthen the Arabic language as a vital expression of community identity, conveying shared heritage and values while instilling a sustainable culture of reading, deepening its public appreciation, and encouraging younger generations to embrace reading as a daily habit.

A wide range of activities supported the campaign’s objectives, including events held during the 34th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF), which welcomed 2,350 school visits. These events underscored the importance of reading for both individual and societal development.

The campaign comprised more than 2,000 creative activities, including 250 major events and initiatives, delivered in collaboration with over 100 government and private sector entities. Nearly 400 creative professionals and more than 15 universities contributed to its success.

The campaign engaged more than 50,000 individuals from across the community, reaching participants in schools, universities, institutions, and public spaces. It demonstrated a strong capacity to attract and connect with diverse audiences through direct participation and outreach on traditional and social media platforms.

Saeed Hamdan Al Tunaiji, Executive Director of the ALC, said that the campaign has successfully met its performance indicators and fulfilled its objective of embedding reading as a sustainable practice in everyday community life.

He added, “Following six months of distinctive programming that spanned nearly all sectors of work and life, the campaign will continue until the end of the year.

It will include a renewed and varied range of activities organised across 14 distinct knowledge domains, designed to engage all segments of society regardless of age, interests, or cultural background. Each domain comprises a carefully curated set of initiatives, seminars, reading sessions, dialogue forums, workshops, and other innovative activities."

All ALC’s departments and cultural projects took part in the campaign’s wide-ranging programmes and activities, which catered to a wide range of community interests. These activities included reading clubs, creative writing workshops, intellectual lectures, and dialogue sessions with authors and thinkers.

Other highlights included sessions by the Kalima Reading Club across its branches, artistic forums, the roaming Khazanat Al Kutub tours, specialised training courses, poetry evenings, storytelling sessions, book launches and signings, children's events, and a variety of cultural competitions.

The programme also included initiatives dedicated to Emirati heritage, artificial intelligence technologies, and educational entertainment through radio broadcasts. In addition, video content was produced, and field trips were organised to libraries, schools, universities, and historical sites.

The campaign flagship included the launch of Digital Reading Month via the Centre’s literary award platforms, including the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, the Kanz Al Jeel Award, and the Sard Al Thahab Award. These initiatives witnessed strong public engagement.

Other impactful community-driven initiatives, such as “100 Stories from Our Community” and “We Read for Children,” were launched to encourage young readers and empower them with knowledge, as they are the backbone of the future.

The “Child Reads” event offered young participants an engaging and interactive reading experience that captured the essence of the Year of the Community.

The campaign culminated in an introductory session for the "Arabic Pals" competition, which attracted children from various age groups and provided a detailed explanation of the competition’s objectives, participation criteria, and the cultural and educational values it promotes.