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Emergency Reading: A new cultural mediation activity to help rediscover the joys of reading

Last fall, the Pointe-Claire Public Library introduced Emergency Reading, a new cultural mediation activity in collaboration with the City’s emergency services to promote reading to elementary school children and pass on the joy of reading.

A total of 175 students from French and English elementary schools in the city attended a fun series of special story hours and met an Inspection – Public Security agent, two policewomen at the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (Police Station 5), and four firefighters at the Service de sécurité incendie de la Ville de Montréal.

Through tales and nonfiction books, the specialists awakened the children’s interest by sharing their passions and favourite pastimes. The students were able to discover and rediscover new ways to read. The event was a wonderful way to promote reading as an engaging activity, no matter how old we are or what interests us.

These workshops also allowed the emergency responders to meet the children in a less formal – and less intimidating – setting. The students asked many questions about the books that were presented and the jobs of the emergency responders.

Emergency Reading was such a success with everyone involved that the schools asked that it be held again this year.

This remarkable success was recognized by the Association des bibliothèques publiques du Québec (Québec Public Library Association), which invited the Library team to present their Emergency Reading project at the general meeting on April 27 in Drummondville.

About cultural mediation at the Library

The City of Pointe-Claire offers a rich program of cultural and leisure activities for individuals and families, as well as children in school and preschool groups. Emergency Reading was created from our commitment to promote access to culture and art to children at a young age.

 


Hélène Jubinville, Community Relations Officer at Service de police de la Ville de Montréal
Station 5, reads to children in school.

 


Children are fascinated by Philip-Patrick Lalonde, an Inspector at the Inspection – Public Security Department
in Pointe-Claire, and the nonfiction books about what he enjoys the most.

 


Simon Ledoux, a firefighter at the Public Education section of
the Service de sécurité incendie de la Ville de Montréal, shares his love of reading
with children at the Pointe-Claire Central Library.

 

Information: 514-630-1200, communications@pointe-claire.ca