A cooperation of the Austrian Children’s Book Club with the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Arts and Culture
In December 2010, the PISA results again confirmed the lack of reading skills of young people in Austria, and pointed out the systemic problem that in Austria reading skills and the educational opportunities for children are closely linked to the socio-economic status of their families.
Family Literacy today is considered as the fundamental key to young people’s reading skills. All international studies show the central importance of reading socialization in the family or by the parents. The Austrian Book Club has focused on Family Literacy projects in the past, and is thus able to launch a Family Literacy initiative with the help of its network of voluntaries and good contacts with families in Austria.
There are several other Family Literacy activities in Austria, but they are selective and not networked, and therefore have neither lasting nor systemic impact. Many reading promotion projects and campaigns – despite their high level of commitment – moreover have the problem that although they confirm the already motivated children, they do not consider or promote children with reading problems. Most of all, so far no business or media partners have been involved in these projects who have an interest in young people’s reading skills.
A national Austrian plan for Family Literacy thus has:
> to describe successful Family Literacy models that guarantee lasting and basic reading promotion and in particular reach the children in high risk groups;
> to address and integrate potential partners, to create a network and thus also to enable financing;
> to launch a national public awareness campaign;
> to provide a communication platform for Family Literacy projects
> and subsequently to support, accompany, document and evaluate regional and local initiatives
> and to provide accompanying resources and advice.
Schedule
2011
> Preliminary research on Family Literacy
> Round-table with experts in the field of Family Literacy
> Accompanying media: the kid’s magazine ‘PHILIP Schulstart’; a special edition of the Book Club magazine ‘JUM – JUGEND & MEDIEN’; the adapted website http://www.LesepartnerInnen.at
2012
> Launch of “PHILIPP. The Reading Award” as a cooperation of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Arts and Culture and the Austrian Book Club to support literacy projects
> Preparations for the campaign ‘Children read, when parents read’ to launch a long-term Family Literacy strategy
> Communication via the online platform www.LesepartnerInnen.at
> Implementation of research projects in cooperation with the Stiftung Lesen
2013
> Start of the Austrian campaign ‘Children read, when parents read’
2015/16
“PHILIPP. The Reading Award” continued.
2017/18
New Family Literacy initiative: Lese-Schaufenster
These projects are run by Buchklub der Jugend (Austria).