The Community Campaign to Promote Sustainable Reading, launched by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) in February to coincide with National Reading Month, has achieved notable success in the first half of the year. Held under the theme "Knowledge Illuminates Our Community", the campaign aligns with the UAE’s declaration of 2025 as the Year of Community and forms part of the Centre’s broader strategic vision to promote the Arabic language and cultivate a culture of reading across all age groups.

As a year-long initiative, the campaign emphasised reading as a powerful vehicle for advancing the core principles of the Year of Community. It aimed to strengthen the Arabic language as a vital expression of community identity—conveying shared heritage and values—while instilling a sustainable culture of reading, deepening its public appreciation, and encouraging younger generations to embrace reading as a daily habit that broadens their perspectives and develops their talents.

A wide range of activities supported the campaign’s objectives, including events held during the 34th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF), which welcomed 2,350 school visits. These events underscored the importance of reading for both individual and societal development.

The campaign comprised more than 2,000 creative activities, including 250 major events and initiatives, delivered in collaboration with over 100 government and private sector entities. Nearly 400 creative professionals and more than 15 universities contributed to its success. The campaign engaged more than 50,000 individuals from across the community, reaching participants in schools, universities, institutions, and public spaces. It demonstrated a strong capacity to attract and connect with diverse audiences, through direct participation and outreach on traditional and social media platforms.

Al Tunaiji: The Community Reading Campaign Promotes Cognitive Sustainability

His Excellency Saeed Hamdan Al Tunaiji, Executive Director of the ALC, said: “The Community Campaign to Promote Sustainable Reading has successfully met its performance indicators and fulfilled its objective of embedding reading as a sustainable practice in everyday community life.”

He added: “Following six months of distinctive programming that spanned nearly all sectors of work and life, the campaign will continue until the end of the year. It will include a renewed and varied range of activities organised across 14 distinct knowledge domains, designed to engage all segments of society regardless of age, interests, or cultural background. Each domain comprises a carefully curated set of initiatives, seminars, reading sessions, dialogue forums, workshops, and other innovative activities. These efforts reflect the ALC’s commitment to its social role, the consolidation of cultural sustainability, and the advancement of the Arabic language as a language of innovation, creativity, science, and the arts.”

A Rich Line-up of Activities and New Initiatives

All of the ALC’s departments and cultural projects took part in the campaign’s wide-ranging programmes and activities, which catered to a wide range of community interests.

These activities included reading clubs, creative writing workshops, intellectual lectures, and dialogue sessions with authors and thinkers. Among these were the ‘Creators Among Us’ sessions, which showcased the talents and creative contributions of the Centre’s staff and highlighted their connection to the community.

Other highlights included sessions by the Kalima Reading Club across its branches, artistic forums, the roaming Khazanat Al Kutub tours, specialised training courses, poetry evenings, storytelling sessions, book launches and signings, children's events, and a variety of cultural competitions.

The programme also included initiatives dedicated to Emirati heritage, artificial intelligence technologies, and educational entertainment through radio broadcasts. In addition, video content was produced, and field trips were organised to libraries, schools, universities, and historical sites.

The campaign flagship included the launch of Digital Reading Month via the Centre’s literary award platforms, including the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, the Kanz Al Jeel Award, and the Sard Al Thahab Award. These initiatives witnessed strong public engagement.

Other impactful community-driven initiatives, such as ‘100 Stories from Our Community’ and ‘We Read for Children,’ were launched  to encourage young readers and empower them with knowledge as they are the backbone of the future.

The ‘Child Reads’ event offered young participants an engaging and interactive reading experience that captured the essence of the Year of the Community. It also reinforced the campaign’s mission to promote the Arabic language and underscore the importance of reading in fostering a generation that makes reading a daily habit.

The campaign culminated in an introductory session for the ‘Arabic Pals’ competition, which attracted children from various age groups and provided a detailed explanation of the competition’s objectives, participation criteria, and the cultural and educational values it promotes.

Ongoing Community Programmes through the End of the Year

The impactful campaign continues to roll out meaningful initiatives, most notably the ‘Reading in Public’ project across Abu Dhabi and other cities in the Emirate. The initiative includes joint programmes and projects in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Housing Authority and Al Ain Sports and Cultural Club.

Another key initiative is ‘What Are You Reading This Week?’, which aims to foster a culture of reading and knowledge sharing by highlighting a carefully selected book each week from the Centre’s publications. These are presented in engaging digital formats across the Centre’s social media platforms and via Wasl, the Centre’s dedicated newsletter that tracks Arabic language news and monitors the latest initiatives and developments supporting the language on local, regional, and global levels.

The campaign also features ‘Kalima’ reading sessions, interactive storytelling activities for children, and a range of knowledge-focused forums — including a special panel discussion titled ‘A Reading into the Research Grant Publications.’

The initiative ‘Let’s Read in Arabic’ aims to create inclusive spaces for the exchange of ideas among readers, amplifying the campaign’s social impact and fostering meaningful connections across the community.

Collectively, these programmes and initiatives reflect the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre’s ongoing efforts to promote the Arabic language and nurture a culture of reading. They align closely with the declaration by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, designating 2025 as the Year of the Community — further cementing Abu Dhabi’s position as a hub for sustainable cultural development.