The Swiss Reading Aloud Day is the largest reading campaign in Switzerland that promotes the importance of reading aloud to children and young people. It was launched in 2018 by the Swiss Institute for Children’s and Youth Media SIKJM/ISJM/ISMR in cooperation with many partners and will take place every year on the forth Wednesday in May.
On the first Swiss Reading aloud Day in 2018, nearly 5000 readers participated and read stories at home, in schools, in kindergartens, in museums, in family centers, in libraries and many other places such as boats, public pools, police stations or castles. The readers also included many celebrities and politicians, which helped to set an impressive example in favor of reading aloud. The first Swiss Reading Aloud Day reached with all its activities an estimated 45,000 children and teenagers.
Find out more at www.schweizervorlesetag.ch (German), at www.journee-de-la-lecture.ch (French) or at www.giornatadellalettura.ch (Italian).
Goal of our Campaign
Reading aloud not only creates intimacy but also supports children’s development: being read to every day helps children to expand their vocabulary, and it improves their reading and writing competence. Our campaign strives to communicate the benefits of reading aloud and aims to raise public awareness for it.
Most pressing issue
The PISA and similar studies show clearly how important reading promotion in Switzerland is in order to improve basis competences and educational skills.
What we need most
What we need most is a high level of reading literacy among all people living in Switzerland. As the current Swiss interior minister and President of the Swiss Confederation, Alain Berset, said: “Reading and writing are central to being able to participate in our society. Reading aloud promotes these skills both easily and efficiently – and strengthens our co-existence and cohesion.”
