Ministerstwo Kultury Program Operacyjny Promocja Czytelnictwa
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ABCXXI - All of Poland Reads to Kids Foundation
ABCXXI - All of Poland Reads to Kids Foundation (until Jan. 2006 known as "ABCXXI - Emotional Health Program") was
established in December 1998 by Irena Kozminska, who now leads the organization as its President. The purpose of
creating the Foundation was to support the emotional health of children and young people in Poland through
educational, organizational and promotional activities, as well as lobbying.
The first important event organized by the Foundation was the international conference "How to Love a Child - New
Discoveries in Psychology", which took place in Warsaw in May 1999. It was attended by the representatives of eight
post-communist countries, as well as world-famous psychologists, psychiatrists and educators, and authors of
international best-sellers, including Alice Miller, Mary Pipher, Nathaniel Branden, Ross Campbell, Linda and Richard
Eyre, James Gilligan, among others.
In September 2000, the Foundation started two educational programs in selected kindergartens and schools: "Childhood
Lasts Forever" and "School with Character". Within the framework of these programs, parents and teachers could get
acquainted with the basics of psychology and acquire skills necessary to build good relationships with children and
create a favorable environment for their intellectual, moral and social development.
On 1 June 2001, the Foundation initiated the social campaign "All of Poland Reads to Kids", which was aimed at raising
awareness about the importance of daily reading to children. Scientists and practitioners are unanimous in claiming
that reading aloud to children teaches them language and thinking skills, develops their memory and imagination,
provides knowledge and moral ideals, and strengthens their self-esteem. Reading to a baby stimulates its mind and
creates an association between reading and pleasure; reading to small children enables them to understand themselves
and the world around them; reading with teenagers helps retain or rebuild bonds with him and helps overcome the
difficulties of adolescence. Disabled children also develop much better if they are read to.
In June 2002, the Foundation organized the First National Week of Reading to Children, with the active involvement of
over 150 villages, towns and cities. A year later, during the Second National Week of Reading to Children, the number
of towns and villages participating in the event grew to 300, in 2004 - to over 1,000, and in 2005 - to over 1,300.
Artists, sports people, writers, journalists and politicians visit kindergartens, schools and libraries throughout the
country and read to children. Performances, exhibitions, competitions and parades of characters from fairy tales are
all an important part of the National Week of Reading to Children.
Other actions organized each year under the campaign include: Reading Brings Closeness (a series of reading meetings
to integrate disabled and able-bodied children); Spring Book Collection, Summer with a Book, Winnie the Pooh's National
Birthday (on 14 October); Winter with a Book, and the Grand Finale, which is an occasion to present awards to
volunteers involved in the campaign the best Sponsors and Media Patrons.
In October 2003, the Foundation started the following new programs: Reading Schools and the Reading Kindergartens'
Club. According to statistics taken on January 15, 2006, as many as 1151 schools and 975 kindergartens have joined the
programs. The schools which have introduced regular reading aloud sessions have observed in the children a better
understanding of texts and instructions, better concentration, improvement in spoken and written communication, a
growing inclination to cooperate, the creation of bonds between children, as well as between children and the teacher,
a growth in reading rates among children and a decrease in antisocial behavior.
The Foundation's aim is to make adults aware that the contemporary world is difficult and unfriendly for children. The
lack of time that parents can devote to children, stress, ignoring childrens psychological, mental and moral needs,
and the omnipresence of electronic media are resulting in growing numbers of children experiencing emotional problems.
Reading with a child is a way of providing intelligent contact and is a perfect method of upbringing. A child with
limited vocabulary will have difficulties in school and in life as language is the main tool of thinking and
communication. Children who have limited vocabulary will not read on their own, as it is too difficult and too boring.
Instead they will turn to television, which offers attractions with no effort. It is a vicious circle: Children who
read poorly read less and less. According to research by Professor Z. Kwieciński from the Nicolaus Copernicus
University in Toruń, one in five Polish teenagers is functionally illiterate.
There is only one way to make reading as attractive as television: reading aloud to a child in a friendly atmosphere.
Then, the child feels important and loved, its language and general knowledge broadens, and in a few years time it
will read with pleasure on its own. In order to help parents and teachers choose good books, ABCXXI Foundation has
developed the Criteria for Selecting Books for Reading Aloud and The Golden List of most recommended titles.
In May 2004, the Foundation started a large-scale campaign in support of libraries - "Book Donors' Marathon: One
Company - One Book". To date, almost 6,000 books have been sent to libraries through the Marathon's Internet site at
www.calapolskaczytadzieciom.pl, and even more through donors' direct contact with selected libraries. The Foundation's
lobbying of the Government and in Parliament, resulted in the reservation of PLN 30 million in the 2005 state budget
for the support of libraries.
In 2005 the Foundation carried out another large-scale campaign called "Harry Potter for Libraries", thanks to which
5750 five-volume sets of the most popular children's books were donated to school and public libraries. The campaign
was possible thanks to the generosity of the author of the book, Joanne Rowling, and the translator, Andrzej
Polkowski, who both waived their fee, as well as the Media Rodzina Editing House, which gave up its profit and
delivered all the books to the Provincial Libraries and Education Offices free of charge. Sponsors for this campaign
included PZU, PZU Życie, Polska Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych (Polish Security Printing Works), NBP, Banki
Spółdzielcze (Cooperative Banks), Bank BPH, KIR (National Clearing House).
The result of the Spring Book Collection, organized in 2004, was over 40,000 books for youth centers, orphanages, the
Caritas organization, hospitals and libraries. In 2005, over 42,000 books from the Spring Book Collection became
available in care centers and libraries throughout the country.
The campaign "All of Poland Reads to Kind" is carried out by over 1,580 Leaders and Coordinators: teachers, librarians,
tutors and other volunteers. According to public opinion polls carried out by IPSOS Poland in September 2004, the
campaign is recognized by 77% of society, and according to polls conducted in 2003, it has changed the behavior of
one third of society.
The campaign "All of Poland Reads to Kids", the best-recognized social campaign of the ABCXXI Foundation, received
the Grand Prize at the Festival of Social Communication in 2003 for being the best social campaign of the year and
was nominated to the President of Poland Award. In 2004 it was recognized with a Crystal Mirror by the Mirror
Magazine. In 2005 awards for the Foundation included Little Pegasus from the Association of Polish Publishers and
the Gloria Artis medal presented by the Minister of Culture.
The campaign "All of Poland Reads to Kids" was sponsored in 2005 by: International Paper SA (the General Sponsor of
the campaign), the Ministry of Culture, PZU, PZU Życie, Plus GSM, PKN ORLEN, the National Bank of Poland, Polska
Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych (Polish Security Printing Works), mBank, Stefan Batory Foundation, Polish Post,
Antalis, Świat Książki and Wilga editing houses, Banki Spółdzielcze (Cooperative Banks), BPH Bank, Krajowa
Izba Rozliczeniowa (National Clearing House), Bank Pocztowy, Matrix, Drukarnia DSS, Granna and Godan.
Media patronage over the campaign was ensured by: Telewizja Polska SA (Polish Television), Polish Radio, Gazeta
Wyborcza, Polityka, Dziecko, Tygodnik Powszechny, Traffic Club, Empik, Zwierciadło, Gutek Film, Merlin.pl, Bliżej
Przedszkola, maluchy.pl.
Warsaw, February 20, 2006
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ABCXXI - All of Poland Reads to Kids Foundation was granted Public Benefit Organization (OPP in Polish) status in 2004
Foundation's Documents | | |  Foundation's Bylaws (Polish version) | | more | | Foundation's Ethical Code | | more | | Financial Statement 2006 | | more |
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