Literacy and Success

Why take action to promote reading?

The creation of our organization is based on a widely recognized observation: reading is a key driver of academic success and civic engagement. Yet, in Quebec, many young people still face significant literacy challenges. These challenges disproportionately affect certain groups, including boys, students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and those with learning disabilities, language difficulties, or special needs.

Despite the abundance of research demonstrating the importance of reading, there is currently no structured national program dedicated to the sustainable promotion of reading among young people. It is to address this real need that our organization was created, with the aim of mobilizing schools, communities, and families around impactful and lasting initiatives.

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Reading: a pillar of academic success

Reading regularly helps develop fundamental skills: comprehension of texts, vocabulary enrichment, organization of thought, and analytical skills. Reading also provides a gateway to all other school subjects.

Young people who read frequently not only develop better language skills, but also habits that promote academic perseverance: concentration, problem-solving, understanding of nuances, and self-confidence.

Research shows that a simple action—reading a little each day—can have a major impact. For example, an elementary school student who reads about 15 minutes a day is exposed to hundreds of thousands of words over the course of a school year. This cumulative exposure contributes significantly to the development of literacy skills and academic success.

Effects that extend beyond the school

The benefits of reading extend far beyond the school setting. Literacy skills directly influence life paths, including employability, independence, and social participation. When reading difficulties are compounded by precarious socioeconomic conditions, the obstacles to success and inclusion multiply.

Conversely, strengthening reading skills contributes positively to several key dimensions of youth development, including:

01

Academic perseverance

02

Overall educational success

03

The graduation rate

04

L’accès aux études postsecondaires

05

Social and emotional development

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Reading to build oneself and live together

Reading also plays a fundamental role in shaping the individual and society. It fosters empathy, stimulates creativity, develops critical thinking, and helps young people build independent thought. In an era marked by the speed and fragmentation of digital technology, reading allows us to slow down, reflect, and broaden our horizons.

In Quebec, promoting reading is therefore an investment in both the success of young people and the vitality of our collective and democratic life. By encouraging a love of books from a very young age, we help to shape a more curious, more discerning, and more socially conscious generation.
Promoting reading means choosing to act today for the future of our young people — and for that of our society.

Success • Read • Grow • Understand • Imagine • Express • Become free •