Reading for Pleasure Caravan Conference Unites Educators Across Emirates
The third edition of the Emirates Literature Foundation's innovative mobile conference gathered over 2,000 participants across Dubai, Al Ain and Abu Dhabi, featuring 120 international and regional speakers exploring the transformative power of reading in children's development.
The third edition of the Reading for Pleasure Caravan Conference has concluded following a dynamic four-day journey across the United Arab Emirates, bringing together an impressive assembly of educators, parents, librarians and academics dedicated to fostering a culture of reading among young people.
Organised by the Emirates Literature Foundation, this year’s conference adopted an innovative mobile format, travelling to four distinguished venues: the Museum of the Future and Zayed University in Dubai, United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain, and Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi. The programme welcomed approximately 120 speakers from across the globe alongside more than 2,000 participants, creating a comprehensive platform for dialogue on contemporary reading practices.
The conference examined reading’s multifaceted role in developing children’s learning, wellbeing, imagination and sustained engagement with literature. Each venue hosted specialised programming: the opening celebrations recognised six Dubai schools participating in the Reading for Pleasure pilot initiative through dedicated awards, acknowledging their commitment to strengthening reading cultures. Subsequent days addressed Arabic language and bilingualism at Zayed University, family and community reading approaches at United Arab Emirates University, and early years literacy development in Abu Dhabi.
The conference agenda encompassed contemporary research and practical methodologies, with sessions exploring topics including neuroscience perspectives on reading, policies on Arabic language literacy, reading for neurodiverse learners, and contemporary challenges to children’s imaginative development through reading.
Isobel Abulhoul OBE, Founder, Advisor and Member of the Board of Trustees of the Emirates Literature Foundation, underscored the organisation’s fundamental mission: placing books in children’s hands and enabling them to discover reading’s inherent joy.
The Reading for Pleasure initiative itself represents an ambitious five-year pilot programme launched in 2023, designed to encourage children to engage with literature regularly for enjoyment across both Arabic and English, distinct from academic assessment pressures. Currently operating across six schools in Dubai, the programme demonstrates the Foundation’s commitment to nurturing lifelong readers.
Khalfan Belhoul, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Future Foundation, emphasised reading’s role in developing essential competencies for the future, noting that reading for pleasure cultivates curiosity, adaptability and the intellectual frameworks necessary for tomorrow’s leaders.
Source: WAM