our projects
Literaryfor Democracy
Reading books has proven to be the most effective tool for cultivating social capital and integration, as well as supporting and nurturing scientists, entrepreneurs and inventors. Research in pediatrics, psychology, social sciences, neuroscience and education shows that reading teaches the human brain to think critically, understand complex meanings and gather data, while promoting empathy and teamwork. All of these competencies are key for the future, as they are now broadly defined.
We believe that strengthening literacy – increasing the percentage of children and adults who read every day – in Ukraine today is the best possible way to help raise informed, intelligent and active citizens and leaders for a better tomorrow for Ukraine, Europe and the world.
For the reading, open-minded, critically thinking, democratic and strong
Ukraine!
Conference recordings
English
Ukrainian
English
Wystąpienia
Prof. Barry Zuckerman
Fiona Evans
Prof. Maryanne Wolf
Cassie Chadderton
dr Tomasz Makowski
Experts
Oleksandr Tkachenko
Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine since May 2020. Graduate of Kyiv National University, Harvard Business School and INSEAD Business School in Singapore. Journalist, TV producer and manager.
Dr. Tomasz Makowski
Director General of the National Library since 2007. Chairwoman of the Polish Library Council, the Committee of National Library Collections and the Ossoliński National Institute, co-chairwoman of the Polish-Ukrainian Subcommittee for Library Affairs and vice-chairwoman of the Polish Committee of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme.
Dr. Joerg Maas
Chairman of EURead and CEO of Stiftung Lesen. Member of the board of Stichting PSI Europe; professor of non-profit management. Previously, he served as executive director of the German Foundation for World Population and senior program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Oleksandra Koval
Director of the Ukrainian Book Institute since 2018; co-author of the National Strategy for the Promotion of Reading in Ukraine for 2023-2032. Awarded the Medal of Princess Olga, 3rd class by the State of Ukraine and the Golden Cross of Merit by the Republic of Poland.
Fiona Evans
Director of School Programmes and member of the Senior Management Team at the National Literacy Trust. A graduate of Literacy Learning and Literacy Difficulties, she has 25 years of experience teaching and working with children and families.
Prof. Barry Zuckerman
Professor and Emeritus Chair of Pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine; co-founder of Reach Out and Read; served on the National Commission on Children, Carnegie Commission on Young Children; consulted internationally in Turkey, Bangladesh, Serbia, Poland, Singapore, Norway, and Taiwan; author of over 250 scientific publications
Prof. Maryanne Wolf
Resident Professor of Education at UCLA; Director of the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice at the same university; Director of the Center for Research in Reading and Language and Professor in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Studies and Human Development at Tufts University; Member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences of the Vatican; Honorary Advisor to the United Sigma Intelligence Association.
Cassie Chadderton
Chief Executive of World Book Day; previously Head of UK Theatre, worked in publishing including Fourth Estate and Random House; Chair of Culture Central, Fellow of the RSA; works with Speakers for Schools and Creative Access.
Anna Novosad
Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine in 2019-2020. Since 2022, co-founder and leader of savED, a non-profit organization that aims to restore access to education in Ukraine after the devastating effects of full-scale Russian aggression.
Olga Budnyk
Advisor to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on the Fund of the President of Ukraine for Supporting Education, Science and Sports.
Expert Comments
More conference materials on the channel YouTube of the Universal Reading Foundation.