Founded in 2000, EURead is a consortium of European reading promotion organisations who believe that reading is a prerequisite for full participation in today’s media-led and culturally diverse society. Last month, EIBF, who is a proud member of EURead since 2024, joined the EURead General Assembly and Open Forum, held in Brussels. The event also marked 25 years of EURead’s work in promoting reading across Europe. To commemorate this anniversary, we asked Daan Beeke, from the Dutch reading promotion organisation Stichting Lezen and one of the key figures behind EURead, to tell us EURead’s story in this guest blog.
EURead just turned 25, and for an organisation like EURead, celebrating the 25 year milestone is in many ways the same as when a person celebrates their 25th birthday: it’s a very big step. At 25, one is expected to be an adult. The teenage years are far behind now and the thirties suddenly seem closer than ever. Looking back at one's youth, means telling tales of long ago when fashion was different and tech was nothing like what is the latest now. And of course, there should be a party to celebrate this milestone. But for the rest: business as usual: at 25 one has to work hard to earn a living!
For those who are unfamiliar with what EURead is: it is a network that binds together organisations from all over Europe who understand that reading is an essential skill and who are key players in promoting it. EURead members have been sharing (since the very beginning, 25 years ago) best practices on reading promotion, scientific insights on reading and how to become a reader, and they have been discussing policies that support reading promotion. We make an impact on society by making it more literacy-rich for all citizens across Europe.
The members page at the EURead website showcases 38 members from 27 countries. All of them in Europe, but not all of them from EU member states. EURead connects geographical Europe and welcomes not only NGO's who see reading promotion as their core business, but also governmental organisations, as well as networks like EIBF and the Federation of European Publishers (FEP). The mission of EURead is (at least) threefold:
- Connect members so they help each other to do better in reading promotion in their own country/region, by sharing best practices and policy recommendations
- Send out a loud and clear call to Europe to tackle the reading crisis at a European level
- Strengthen individual member organisations when they talk to policymakers or look for funding
EURead is also one of the founders of the Global Network for Early Years Bookgifting, which was initiated by BookTrust UK and is a global network of early childhood programmes providing free books and reading guidance to promote shared reading. And our Researchers Network, which is dedicated to EURead and Global Network members who have a research department and research staff, allowing them to discuss and share scientific results about reading and reading promotion.
Back to our 25 years anniversary: it was a blast! And although we did party, it is fair to say it was more about 'business as usual': most of the time was spent on our Annual General Meeting. That is the moment when our members meet in real life and discuss multiple themes and current issues, like the necessity of school libraries, reading and sports, and bookgifting programs.
By invitation of our member Iedereen Leest, the reading promotion organisation in Flanders, Belgium, the location of our meeting was the Auditorium Hall at the KBR Royal Library in Brussels. We welcomed four new EURead members, listened to researchers from our own Researchers Network and were honoured by a visit and welcoming speech from Prof. Dr. Andrea Wechsler, Member of the European Parliament (European People’s Party, EPP, Germany). In addition, a large group of us visited the Hemicycle at European Parliament. Finally, we organised an Open Forum at KBR where a multitude of presentations and panel discussions put reading promotion in the spotlight. Business as usual, but at the same time it felt like a party.
Because it was our anniversary, we had an extra full room as members of the Global Network for Early Years Bookgifting were invited as well and therefore we welcomed professional reading promoters from 5 continents (and they had their own seminar, too).
When we compare our anniversary with the 25th birthday of a person, we feel EURead is now grown up and adult. Looking back to the year 2000 when it all started with only four members, it does feel like ages ago. Just imagine a time without smartphones, where, at the same time, organisations unite to strive for better literacy and reading skills. We are proud of the fact that we now have so many members and together can truly make an impact in Europe. Yes, we need to work hard because a lot needs to be done to turn Europe into a place where everyone is a reader.
Thank you for reading this blog till the final words. I hope you enjoyed it!
You can connect with EURead at communication@euread.com , on LinkedIn and read more about the organisation on the EURead website, here.