Promoting reading among youngsters is a constant work in progress for the NGC Bocas Lit Fest, through programmes like its annual Children’s Festival and Storytelling Caravan. This month, in collaboration with early literacy advocacy NGO Let’s Read T&T, the NGC Bocas Lit Fest relaunches its Family Reading Circle events for children aged seven and under.
The first of the monthly Family Readings Circles will take place at The Writers Centre, 14 Alcazar Street, St. Clair, on Saturday 14 October from 10 am to 12 noon. The event creates a reading zone with books from the Let’s Read library, where parents and caregivers can bring their children to an interactive reading session, with the aim of promoting a love for reading among children with the support of family participation.
According to Melvina Hazard, Children’s Programme Manager, Bocas Lit Fest, “The Family Reading Circle events provide an avenue for parents and guardians who wish to encourage their children to read, and are willing to spend the time and effort in a space with like-minded people with the same purpose in mind.”
Suzette Cadiz, co-founder of Let’s Read TT, adds that the monthly event brings to fruition her desire for children from infancy to primary school to have access to books and become lifelong learners. It is the first step in the path to making this a reality — one book, one child at a time.
The Writers Centre is also home to Paper Based Bookshop — a long-standing, unique independent bookseller crammed with books for both children and adults, of every genre. Bianca Peake, Paper Based Manager, explains that the bookshop is excited to partner with Bocas Lit Fest and Let’s Read TT to add value to the literary landscape while facilitating the needs of parents, guardians, and children with an interest in reading.
The Family Reading Circle events are free and open to all, and will take place once per month. Further details are available online via Bocas Lit Fest social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @bocaslitfest.