Reading initiative started in Brazil 

Stora Enso Arapoti Mill, Editora Globo and Arapoti City have recently launched a new reading initiative to encourage children and young people to read. The first pilot schools are located in Arapoti City and approximately 2 900 students are covered by the project.

Latin American media landscape is very much dominated by television. The same applies also to Brazil where television has a share of 60% of the advertising revenues. However, the largest media group in Brazil, Editora Globo, sees also a future for print media and is keen to attract young readers. The Group provides magazines for the reading iniative “SEi Ler – Stora Enso Incentivo a Leitura” (Stora Enso Reading Iniative), a pioneer project that was recently launched in Arapoti.

Every month Stora Enso in a partnership with Editora Globo provides magazines, with general subjects to public schools in the Arapoti city, utilising return freight. The same trucks that transport paper to large consumption centers, come back to Arapoti bringing magazines from Globo printers. Students can enjoy a reading space every week, for 45 minutes during their normal school day.

-With this project, we intend to cultivate social responsibility in Arapoti, assisting a quality improvement for the learning process, and as well as develop a reading habit amongst young people. It also strengthens Stora Enso and Editora Globo brand in the community, says Glauco Affonso, BA Publication Papers in Latin America.

The CEO of Editora Globo, Frederic Kachar, also welcomes the reading initiative. -We liked the project idea from the very beginning. Within the project framework we will make 3 000 magazines available to students every month. It will foster readership among the students in the city, Frederic Kachar says.

The project will be implemented in seven public schools, two daycare centers and rural schools in Arapoti, totaling 57 classrooms, which means that approximately 2 900 students are covered by the project. Stora Enso intends to expand the project also to the private schools in Arapoti.

Text: Sami Munter