The Reading Promotion Campaign in Palestinian society is one of the key initiatives launched by the Tamer Institute in 1992, grounded in its belief that reading is a basic right and a tool for individual and collective liberation.
The campaign aims to make books accessible and to strengthen the practice of reading in public and private spaces, linking it to daily life and social reality in ways that help build a lasting relationship with knowledge among children, adolescents, and adults.
In its philosophy, the campaign is based on a participatory approach that sees society as an active partner in producing and spreading culture, not merely a passive recipient. It works to transform reading from an elite or school-based practice into a living social act.
Over more than three decades, the campaign has proven its value through its annual continuity, its expanding reach, the diversity of its activities and programs, and its ability to create inclusive spaces for reading, dialogue, and critical thinking. In doing so, it advances cultural justice and affirms reading as an act of resistance and construction within the Palestinian context.
National Reading Campaigns in Palestinian Society:
The National Reading Campaign in Palestinian Society is one of the pivotal initiatives launched by Tamer Institute in 1992, stemming from its core belief in reading as a basic right, and a tool for individual and collective liberation. The campaign aims to make books and diverse learning tools available, embedding the act of reading into the everyday social fabric. Ultimately, it strives to cultivate a sustained engagement with knowledge across all generations: children, youth, and adults alike.
The campaign bases its philosophy on a participatory approach that views the community as an active partner in producing and disseminating culture, not merely a recipient of it, primarily seeking to transform reading from an elitist or school-based practice into a living social act. For more than three decades, the campaign has proven its effectiveness through its annual continuity, the breadth of its reach, the diversity of its activities and programs, and its capacity to create collective spaces for reading, dialogue, and critical thinking, thereby enhancing cultural justice and establishing reading as an act of resistance and building in the Palestinian context.
“National Reading Week”:
“National Reading Week” originated from a fundamental premise: reading is both an inalienable right and a communal celebration. Over the years, this vision has evolved into a vital Palestinian tradition, taking shape as a practice of reading that spills out from halls into courtyards, migrates from libraries to schools, and travels from house to house, until reading becomes the shared vernacular of multiple generations.
In this respect, “National Reading Week” functions as an event organized in April of each year, constituting the catalyst with which Tamer Institute begins its annual campaign to encourage reading in Palestinian society. During this week, Tamer launches the campaign theme, which responds to the general social and national context while expressing the Institute’s philosophy and vision for the objective it champions within the Palestinian public, rooting its approach in the current lived reality with its challenges and concerns.
The “National Reading Week” is implemented in partnership with a wide network exceeding 500 local partners, including community and school libraries, cultural centers, popular committees, and youth initiatives in various cities, villages, and camps. Consequently, this campaign transforms reading into a collective act reclaiming the public space, amplifying its role as an initial pulse for critical inquiry, shared dialogue, and social cohesion.
Read to Me, Baba Campaign:
The "Read to Me, Baba" campaign is one of Tamer Institute's initiatives launched for the first time in 2010, stemming from the Institute’s belief in the power of reading in strengthening family bonds and solidifying the social fabric. The campaign's idea is based on encouraging fathers, in addition to other family members, to read with children as an act of communication and sharing that transcends the educational dimension to become a space for human interaction.
Furthermore, the campaign aims to create open spaces for mutual sharing through reading and various other activities that involves expression and participation, thereby enhancing family dialogue and strengthening the values of listening and closeness between generations. Through this practice, the campaign strives to reinvigorate the role of the family in promoting the act of reading, integrating literature into daily life, and building a more cohesive and participatory society.
I Donated a Book Campaign:
The "I Donated a Book" campaign is a youth volunteer campaign launched by Tamer Institute for the first time in the late 1990s, emanating from the Institute’s belief volunteering and the act of giving as essential and authentic values in Palestinian society. It serves as a practical exercise asserting that culture is not a luxury and that circulating literature can be an act of justice: moving from a full shelf to a less fortunate library, from a house that can afford to buy books to a child who cannot easily get them.
In this light, the campaign aims to promote these values by annually collecting books from volunteers to distribute them to impoverished libraries or contribute to establishing seed libraries in marginalized and remote areas, ensuring the expansion of access to knowledge and culture. The campaign is characterized by wide youth participation and collects a significant number of books each year in various cities, villages, and camps, serving as a living example of volunteer work and active community participation while linking reading and libraries to the spirit of giving and local solidarity.
House to House Campaign:
The "House to House" campaign was launched in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Gaza, at a time when Palestinian society was passing through difficult economic, social, and political conditions, along with movement restrictions that limited gatherings and shared spaces. In those circumstances, the campaign sought to revive home as a warm area where family members meet, share ideas, and nourish the bonds between them.
Facilitators visit homes to work with children and their families through expressive arts activities, such as drawing, music, and writing. These simple moments transform into opportunities for expression, participation, and listening, as family members revel in creativity and playing. And so, the facilitators move from house to house in Gaza, carrying with them parcels of joy and warmth that revive the shared time of the family and opens the door for dialogue and closeness between them.
Nawwar Nisan Festival:
The "Nawwar Nisan" Festival is an annual activity in which Tamer Institute participates in cooperation with the Ramallah Municipality and civil society institutions as part of the city's annual events. It is a spring celebration of reading and imagination in the public space, carrying on and spreading the notion that books are not a prisoner of libraries, for the act of reading can take place in the street, the garden, and the yard, and imagination becomes more capable of gathering people around a mutual meaning in open air.
During the festival, the Institute provides various reading corners, in addition to displaying its publications to visitors and readers, thereby enhancing the opportunity for direct interaction with books and encouraging the habit of reading in a festive atmosphere. This also allows the Institute to participate in the cultural life of the city and connect the public with its educational initiatives and programs within a participatory, enjoyable experience that is open to all ages.
