International Literacy Day-September 8

Can You Imagine Not Being Able to Read?  
This is one of the many nursery rhymes my mother read to me as a child.
Image Credit:  Vintage Digistamps

“People say that life is the thing, but I prefer reading.” ― Logan Pearsall Smith

Happy International Literacy Day!  Did you know that September 8 is International Literacy Day?  Well, it is, and according to the International Literacy Day website, "Literacy contributes to peace as it brings people closer to attaining individual freedoms and better understanding the world, as well as preventing or resolving conflict."  We, here at The Things You Can Read, would concur with that statement, and would add that we can't imagine not being able to read for our own personal pleasure, but also we can't imagine missing out on the connection that reading to our children has brought us.  

If you want to know more what International Literacy Day is all about, we have included a short excerpt from International Literacy Day website, however we would encourage everyone to visit their website for even more information about this annual global event:

Excerpt from International Literacy Day's Website

Image Credit:  UNESCO 

Literacy and Peace

The theme of International Literacy Day 2012 is Literacy and Peace. This theme was adopted by the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD) to demonstrate the multiple uses and value that literacy brings to people. 

Literacy contributes to peace as it brings people closer to attaining individual freedoms and better understanding the world, as well as preventing or resolving conflict. The connection between literacy and peace can be seen by the fact that in unstable democracies or in conflict-affected countries it is harder to establish or sustain a literate environment.

  Education brings sustainability to all the development goals, and literacy is the foundation of all learning. It provides individuals with the skills to understand the world and shape it, to participate in democratic processes and have a voice, and also to strengthen their cultural identity.    

Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General

About the Day

For over 40 years now, UNESCO has been celebrating International Literacy Day by reminding the international community that literacy is a human right and the foundation of all learning.