Czechia and Slovenia are countries with a vibrant reading culture. Even so, reading faces new challenges in both: the distracting influence of digital technologies, a decline in reading with regularity, a lessening ability to concentrate on long, complex reading matter. How can we promote reading, and how can we show children and adults that reading is not a chore but a natural, meaningful part of life? Martin Vopěnka will present the Czech nationwide campaign Čti za nároďák! [Read for the National Team], which aims to return reading to everyday life and encourage both children and adults to read. Miha Kovač will present a Slovenian perspective inspired by the Ljubljana Manifesto, which emphasizes the importance of deep reading, i.e. an ability to concentrate on, understand and think critically about more demanding texts that enables us to better navigate the complex world around us. What do the Czech and Slovenian experiences have in common? What can they learn from each other?

Martin Vopěnka, Mihael Kovač. Moderation: Guillaume Basset