BABELL Hosts two panel discussions on the future of reading
The discussions were organised by Porto City Council
On 29 June, the Almeida Garrett Municipal Library hosted two panel discussions organised by Porto City Council as part of BABELL: Shaping Readers to Shape Citizens: Reading and Education in the 21st Century and Reading, Citizenship & Libraries.
The events reinforced the city's commitment to fostering a culture of reading and developing sustainable cultural policies, bringing together leading figures from the fields of education, literature and library management.
Shaping Readers to Shape Citizens: Reading and Education in the 21st Century
The morning session began at 9.00 am with opening remarks by Maria Luísa Oliveira, Secretary of State for School Administration, followed by Matilde Rocha, Porto City Council's Councillor for Education.
The morning's highlight was a round-table discussion on the role of reading in education and the development of children and young people, featuring Isabel Alçada, João Lopes and Nuno Crato, moderated by Berta Lima.
The session concluded with a presentation of Porto de Palavras (Porto of Words), the city's Municipal Literacy Promotion Programme, by José Araújo from Porto City Council's Educational Programmes Division.
Speakers emphasised that the habit of reading does not develop spontaneously; it must be encouraged from an early age, with parents, teachers and the wider community all playing an active role. They also highlighted that regular readers develop a broader understanding of the world around them, reinforcing the idea that reading is a powerful tool for inclusion and active citizenship.
Reading, Citizenship & Libraries
The afternoon discussion was opened by Jorge Sobrado, Porto City Council's Councillor for Culture, and moderated by Minês Castanheira, Creative Director of Bairro dos Livros.
The first panel, "Is Reading a Cause? Why?", featured Bruno Duarte Eiras, Deputy Director-General of DGLAB (Directorate-General for Books, Archives and Libraries), and researcher, writer and literary mediator Raquel Patriarca, who reflected on reading as a collective social cause.
This was followed by the presentation "Books, Reading and Cultural Citizenship", which focused on the example of Barcelona's public libraries. Neus Castellano, Director of the Gabriel García Márquez Library, shared the institution's experience in promoting reading within local communities.
The event concluded with the panel "Promoting Reading Among Teenagers: The School–Library–Home Journey", bringing together teacher and literary mediator Daniela Pinheiro and illustrator, publisher and literary mediator André Letria. Their discussion explored the particular challenges of engaging teenagers with reading across the different environments that shape their daily lives.