International reading movement comes to Cambridge

A global grassroots movement that brings about social change through the power of the written word is coming to Cambridge,  thanks to a partnership between We Love Reading and The Perse.

We Love Reading helps children discover the pleasure and power of books through story-telling, reading aloud and by setting up lending libraries. Students from The Perse Upper will work with the community to design and deliver a We Love Reading programme for children in Cambridge

Rana Dajani, the charity’s founder, explained: “We Love Reading was set up to inspire social change in Jordan and the Arab world.  Initially we trained volunteers to read aloud to children, work with the community to set up libraries and encourage families to borrow books. The movement has now grown to include reading in refugee camps and raising awareness of environmental issues through storytelling.

“I visited The Perse to give a lecture about the movement, and it was immediately clear that we share a passion for the transformational power of reading. I’m excited to see what projects will happen in Cambridge and what links can be made with work in other countries as a result of our partnership with the School”.

Perse Director of Academic Development Siobhan Dickens said: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to launch the UK’s first ‘We Love Reading’ initiative here in Cambridge, and for our pupils to join this global grassroots movement for change. Reading is an absolutely central part of the school’s culture and our older pupils are keen to share their enthusiasm with others in a very practical way. They will have curriculum time dedicated to the project, as part of our thriving outreach programme.”

We Love Reading was set up in 2006 to create a generation of children that can enjoy and respect books. To date, the initiative has trained over 750 volunteers, opened 330 libraries and benefited over 40,000 children across Jordan. The We Love Reading model has spread to 21 countries and has evolved into a framework to nurture social entrepreneurship.  Young men and women are discovering their potential to effect change in their community through grassroots solutions to local issues.

We Love Reading won the 2014 World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) award for innovation in education.