Real Men Read UAE
On March 1, Real Men Read UAE will start in the UAE. This month long reading campaign will be similar to the program from the United States. In the UAE males are encouraged to read to students at school, home or in the community. Organized by Kevin Simpson of Know.Do.Serve.Learn (KDSL), a UAE-based education company, this literacy initiative was a response to His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, declaration that 2016 is the Year of Reading in the UAE, under the guidance of Sheikh Khalifa.
Real Men Read UAE will kickoff in Dubai at Collegiate American School, an Innoventures Education school. Tammy Tusek, Head of School, stated, “Collegiate American School is proud to be promoting Real Men Read UAE during the month of March. This is an exciting initiative that is multifaceted and a positive experience for our students. They gain awareness that reading is gender neutral, connect with community volunteers and gain listening and comprehension skills. Our hope is that community leaders emerge and volunteer for this initiative promoting reading and the opportunity to experience some time in our schools. We are happy to welcome all volunteers.”
To participate in Real Men Read UAE is quite easy. Guys are asked to choose a book, choose who to read to, read the book to students, snap a picture and share it on social media using the hashtag #RMRUAE and hashtag your emirate. Pictures should be posted only with the permission of parents. Participants are asked to challenge three other guys to get involved. Mostafa Hassan (known as the ArabBaba) who writes for Teach UAE magazine is looking forward to the initiative and has been active on Twitter promoting the program. He said, “Being an involved Baba/Dad can start by 10 minutes of reading together everyday. You can help inspire, promote curiosity and answer questions – most importantly, just being there creating a memory.”
Other partners who have joined in for Real Men Read UAE include The Global Sleepover, the UAE Learning Network, Sylvan Learning UAE, A-List Education, and Scholastic. Educators and school leaders in the UAE are encouraged to participate. For more information please visit https://kdsl.wordpress.com/real-men-read-uae/.
