H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice-Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation (QF), at the National Reading Campaign’s ‘Characters’ Village’ at Education City yesterday.
Education City’s Ceremonial Court and Green Spine has been transformed into a mini world of fantasy with six story book characters in an initiative to encourage reading among children.
H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice-Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation (QF), yesterday visited and interacted with children at the National Reading Campaign’s ‘Characters’ Village.’
The ‘Characters’ Village’ is designed around children’s fictional characters Little Red Riding Hood, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, Joha, Little Lulu, and Sinbad, with activities around each mascot encouraging a ‘learning through play’ approach. “The need to create new and original tools to help children learn is becoming increasingly important in today’s constantly-evolving world,” said Sheikha Hind.
“This initiative epitomises that belief, as it aims to encourage curiosity, unlock imagination, and foster a passion for knowledge in young minds. Reading is a fundamental building block of education. Through the ‘Characters’ Village’, and ultimately the National Reading Campaign, we are providing unique and innovative opportunities designed to foster a culture of lifelong learning. We want to inspire today’s children to pursue passions both inside and outside of the classroom, and equip them with the skills and abilities to become well-rounded, successful individuals,” she added.
The ‘Alice’ exploration zone was a centre of attraction of the ‘Character’s Village’. It allows children to interact with mascots of characters of the fiction Alice in Wonderland. Children experience the ‘garden party’, meet popular characters such as ‘White Rabbit’ and ‘Cheshire Cat’. Also story telling sessions are held in English and Arabic.
A digital graffiti wall, several storytelling areas, book maze station and educational games as well as the Campaign’s Reading Truck are also designed to inspire children to start reading. The Village will be open to the public from 3pm to 11pm today and 11am to 11pm tomorrow.
The Campaign aims to create a national drive to communicate the importance of reading, and to create interest in reading amongst all residents, especially children and young people under the age of eighteen years.
