Books are the quietest and most constant of friends;
they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors,
and the most patient of teachers. -Charles W. Eliot
Today is International Literacy Day, a day to raise awareness about the 796 million adults who cannot read. First celebrated in 1966 by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), International Literacy Day focuses attention on all the men, women and children who lack basic literacy skills.
Over 770 bloggers, including myself, have joined together to share this event with all of you. It is my belief that when we start by educating the world's children, literacy rates will steadily rise. These young children will become literate adults who can then teach their children to read, no matter where they are in the world. Communities will thrive in education and the wisdom gained can spread from one village to the next and then beyond to each country and continent.
Here are eight ways to promote literacy in children (and they can work for adults too). Click on the links for further information.
1. Nurture reading in young children.
2. Read aloud to a child.
3. Understand how children learn to read.
4. Fall in love with children's books.
5. Motivate a reluctant reader.
6. Learn about the literacy crisis.
7. Know the global illiteracy rates.
8. Organize a book drive.
One hundred years from now,
It will not matter what kind of car I drove,
What kind of house I lived in,
Or how much money I had in the bank,
But the world may be a better place
because I made a difference in a child's life.
- Anonymous
For more information about International Literacy Day, visit Bloggers Unite and UNESCO.
