Summer Sports and Leisure Programme 2021

Reading for pleasure has been defined by the National Literacy Trust as “reading that we do of our own free will, anticipating the satisfaction that we will get from the act of reading.”
Children in this generation are proven to read less frequently than any previous generation and enjoy reading less than young people did in the past, according to research conducted by the National Literacy Trust in 2019.
The research showed that only 26% of children took time out of their day to read. This was the lowest daily level recorded since the literacy charity studied children’s reading habits for the first time in 2005.
The John Mackintosh Hall Library understand the importance that reading has on the children of Gibraltar, so as part of the GSLA Summer Sports and Leisure programme 2021, they are hosting a Summer Reading Challenge for children aged 7-10.
Every other Wednesday during July and August, the children will meet to discuss their reading habits, what their favourite books are at the moment and are encouraged to discuss their favourite characters, plots and book choices.
Tasmin Griffith, Cultural Development Officer explained what the children get up to in the sessions. She said: “The children come to the library with a buzz of energy and excitement, and the sessions are quite structured but it’s not anything like school.
“It’s fun activities and games. The first week we had a treasure hunt where they had to go find books in the library and learn how the library works. We want to move away from the library being a place where you have to stay quiet, we want the children to come and enjoy and explore and find new authors.
“We took them around the children’s section, introduced them to different authors. What is good is that some of the children are already keen readers and are people that use the library a lot, with others less so, so it’s really nice to have a mix of a group because they share each others stories. Today (Wednesday) they have done book reviews, and we sit in a circle to share what we like and dislike about a book. We are just getting them into the world of books and literature.”
After the children had shared their book reviews with one another, they were then asked to create posters of the book they had reviewed. Some of the books that the children reviewed were Zog, Hansel and Gretel, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Harry Potter. The posters will then be placed on the wall of the library for other people to see. The aim of these sessions is for the library to be a place where people are exploring and learning all the time.

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29-07-21 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR