Greater Victoria Launches Great Big Buddy Read for Literacy

On January 29, 2024, Greater Victoria will participate in the Great Big Buddy Read, encouraging thousands of readers across British Columbia to engage in a collective reading experience. This initiative aims to redefine reading as a social activity, coinciding with the provincewide celebration of Family Literacy Week. Students, families, and community members are invited to pair up and share stories, moving away from the notion of reading as a solitary pursuit.

Sean Rodman, the literacy outreach coordinator, emphasizes the value of interpersonal connection over screen time. “Screens provide content, but reading buddies provide connection,” he explained. “By making literacy a social event, we’re competing with screens by offering something much more rewarding: real-world connections – between the buddies and with the author of the book.”

Engaging the Community Through Shared Reading

The Great Big Buddy Read encourages children from kindergarten through Grade 5 to read together with a partner, which could be an older student, a parent, grandparent, teacher, librarian, or friend, for a duration of 20 to 30 minutes on the designated day. In addition to reading, participants can partake in optional creative activities such as building blanket forts or dressing as their favourite book characters.

This year marks a significant milestone as the event is locally coordinated across southern Vancouver Island for the first time. Various literacy organizations, including Story Studio and Saanich Peninsula Literacy, have collaborated to promote this initiative within School Districts 61, 62, and 63. Rodman noted, “The Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy began the event in 2019 and continues to run it as a provincewide initiative.”

Rodman expressed hopes that the Buddy Read will become an annual event for families and schools, spotlighting the importance and joy of shared reading and writing activities. “We hope to see this become a fixture that helps families recognize the benefits of reading together,” he added.

Participation Beyond the Classroom

While the event is designed with schools in mind, its appeal extends beyond classroom walls. Families can participate from the comfort of their homes, in libraries, or any suitable space where two readers can gather. “It’s as simple as sitting down with a youth and reading for 20 minutes on January 29,” Rodman stated. “When a child reads with a buddy, the book stops being a chore and becomes a conversation.”

As of now, over 1,500 children from more than six schools across Greater Victoria have registered for the event. Participants can sign up online until January 30 to be eligible for a prize draw aimed at classes and groups. Even those outside the region are encouraged to join in, reinforcing the message: grab a book, find a buddy, and read together.