Region E Libraries aim to hook the youth with books and keep them away from drugs
Some of the platforms that will be used to lure the youth to reading will include the Story Skermish, Battle of the Books and Science Scuffle where learners from Region E schools will battle it out.
The City of Johannesburg’s Region E libraries would like to use their stash of books to get young people hooked on reading and to cultivate a love of books. Thereby taking them away from drugs and other forms of mischief.
This was disclosed by the manager of the City’s Region E Libraries Sonny Mothopeng, who told Alex News in an interview that they identified drugs and other substance abuse issues as one of the major elements afflicting the youth, especially in the townships.
After identifying the problem, Mothopeng said they then set out to find potential solutions that could be used to take the youth away from drugs and encourage them to lead a life of being on the straight and narrow.
“We then drafted a campaign plan to use our libraries and reading books as a new and safe addiction that should occupy the minds of our youth and then devised drug awareness programmes to help them avoid addiction,” Mothopeng said.
Mothopeng said they also wanted to shift attention from the notion that libraries only administer reading and research materials on their shelves but that ‘we also have the welfare and wellbeing of the community and its youth at heart’.
He said these awareness events will be held often as part of promoting and providing an alternative for young people during their leisure time so that they use that time wisely by going to libraries and reading books to enrich their knowledge.
Some of the platforms that will be used to lure the youth to reading will include the Story Skermish, Battle of the Books, and Science Scuffle where learners from Region E schools will be engaged in these competitions as a way of inculcating a culture of reading in them and win themselves some prizes in the process.
The competitions will run on May 30 and 31 at the 3rd Avenue Children’s Library in Alex and the Sandton Library respectively.
Alex schools such as Ithute and Inkanyezi and Glenhazel Primary School will be involved in the Sandton Library event as well.
Related Article:
