1. Reading promotion in Northern Europe
Ilmi Villacis
Director
The Finnish Reading Center

2. Reading promotion in Europe
EURead
- Association of 25 organisations promoting reading in Europe
- Initiated by Germany, Holland and United Kingdom
ELINET
Europewide academic network, based in Germany
North-Europe national strategies
Finnish National Literacy Forum
Swedish Reading Delegation 2016
Danish Literacy Strategy 2018

3. PISA

4. PIRLS
The IEA’s (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement) Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) is an international study of reading (comprehension) achievement in fourth graders.

5. Promoting reading in Finland
Schools
Nongovernmental organisations
Publishing houses
Private foundations
Libraries

6. Finnish Schools

7. Facts about Finland
The Republic of Finland has 5.5 million inhabitants.
The national languages are Finnish, spoken as native language by 89 %, and Swedish, the native language of around 5%.
Capital is Helsinki, inhabitants.
The GDP per capita US dollars (2017)
To celebrate Finland’s centenary Finnish government built a new central library for it’s people.

8. Ongoing reading campaigns in Finland
Various reading challenges and motivation competitions organised by schools, libraries and local volunteers
Reading diplomas (schools and libraries)
- encourages children to read a list of books and get the diploma as award for it.
Reading Clan Book-gifts for school-libraries (by private foundation)
in every elementary school in Finland.
Reading grannies – seniors go to schools
to read to the children.
Finnish reading dogs help children read…

9. Reading campaigns driven by the Finnish Reading Center
Bookstart Finland – Read to a child!
- providing book-gifts to every baby born in through health care centers (reach 99,4% of babies born in Finland).
Reading movement in schools
– reading festival in schools, initiated by the National Literacy Forum.
Words Matter/My story – reading inspiration for young people with the help of rap-lyrics and performing poetry.
The annual Reading Week - reaches 30% Finnish schools and 50% libraries.
Author visits performances annually, mostly in schools.

10. Finland in international comparison
The most reading state
1. Finland
2. Norway
3. Iceland
4. Denmark
5. Sweden
6. Switzerland
7. USA
8. Germany
9. Latvia
10. Netherlands
 The comparison of 61 countries
Literacy
1. Singapore
2. Hong Kong
3. Kanada
4. Finland
5. Ireland
6. Estonia
7. South Korea
8. Japan
9. Norway
10. New Zealand
 The comparison of 73 countries
Educational system and its developing
1. South Korea
2. Japan
3. Singapore
4. Hong Kong
5. Finland
6. Great Britain
7. Canada
8. Netherlands
9. Ireland
10. Poland
 The comparison of 40 countries
The most happiest countries in the world
 1. Norway
2. Denmark
3. Iceland
4. Switzerland
5. Finland
6. Netherlands
7. Canada
8. New Zealand
9. Australia
10. Sweden
 The comparison of 155 countries