Finland’s Reading Revolution: Libraries as Community Hubs

Description

Across Europe, educators are deeply concerned about the decline in reading abilities, the drop in reading habits, and the general weakening of literacy levels among young people.

Even in Finland – long admired for its world-class literacy culture and high-performing education system – schools and libraries are facing similar challenges: digital distractions, changing media consumption, and reduced engagement with books.

However, reading is not just a skill for academic success. It is a fundamental human right and a gateway to critical thinking, empathy, and lifelong learning.

This course is designed to support Primary and Secondary teachers, librarians, and literacy coordinators to use new strategies to show children that reading can be enjoyable and fun.

It will offer participants a unique opportunity to explore Finland’s most successful reading promotion approaches and best practices, combining innovative methods with real-world experiences.

Participants will learn about community-based methods that help young people connect with books, express themselves creatively, and engage in group discussions around literature.

This course will combine practical strategies with real-life examples, offering insights into how libraries in Finland act as cultural and educational hubs that encourage inclusion, equal opportunities, and lifelong learning.

Through hands-on workshops, discussions, and visits to some of Helsinki’s most innovative libraries (such as Oodi and the Kaisa University Library), participants will discover how to: build a reading-friendly environment for children; use creative activities to make reading activities social and engaging; integrate reading promotion into everyday routines drawing inspiration from the Finnish National Program “Reading School” (Lukeva Koulu); design a local reading promotion plan, tailored to their own school or community context.

By the end of the course, participants will have acquired a deeper appreciation of the role of reading in personal and social development and will have developed their own reading promotion plan inspired by Finland’s best practices.

This way, they will leave with actionable insights to help foster a love of reading in your community and inspire the next generation of lifelong readers.

Concept by Mirjami Junnikkala

Learning outcomes

The course will help participants to:

• Enhance reading programs with innovative, community-based methods;
• Inspire students to transition from reading to creative projects by designing and leading creative projects;
• Facilitate collaborative discussions and artistic responses around books to foster critical thinking, empathy, and cultural awareness;
• Create welcoming and inspiring reading environments, applying simple design principles to classrooms, libraries, or community spaces;
• Understand and apply the Lukeva Koulu model, adapting its principles to their own context;
• Develop a practical reading promotion plan tailored to their institution, linking classroom activities, library initiatives, and community involvement.

Tentative schedule

Day 1 – Introduction to the course

• Introduction to the course, the school, and the external week activities.
• Icebreaker activities.
• Presentations of the participants’ schools.

Children, youth, and reading

• Facts about reading: key challenges and opportunities for children and youth;
• Group Discussion: What prevents reading? How is a love for books nurtured?.

Day 2 – Building a reading community

• The principles of the “reading community” approach;
• How shared reading experiences strengthen participation and belonging.
• Workshop: Art for everyone – creative approaches to engage students;
• Library Visit (e.g., exploring Finnish community reading practices).

Day 3 – Art-based methods for literacy

• What is literary art (Sanataide)?;
• Workshop: Silent Books;
• Library Visit (e.g., practical examples of art-based reading initiatives).

Day 4 – Multiliteracy in the 21st century

• Multiliteracy, the new basic skill for the 21^st century;
• “I listen, therefore I read”: audiobooks in teaching and learning;
• Workshop: Moving Calligraphy;
• Library Visit (e.g., observing multiliteracy practices in action).

Day 5 – The reading school

• Principles of the Lukeva Koulu (Reading School) program;
• Guidelines for developing literacy and enthusiasm for reading;
• Workshop: Developing your own reading promotion plan (peer sharing and feedback).

Day 6 – Course closure and cultural activities

• Course evaluation: round-up of acquired competencies, feedback, and discussion.
• Awarding of the course Certificate of Attendance.
• Excursion and other external cultural activities.

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