Ruqi inculcates reading habit in Saudi youngsters

Ruqi, the social organization that works under the supervision of the Ministry of Social Affairs, recently organized a series of literary programs in different parts of Alkhobar.
The programs are mainly aimed at promoting and cultivating the habit of reading among Saudi youngsters.
The activities were conducted in four districts of the city: Alkhobar North, Madinat Al-Ommal, Al-Aqrabia and Al-Olaya. More than 100 participants read out nearly 10,000 pages from different novels, short stories, self-help books and Islamic literature.
Adeeb Al-Zamil, chairperson of the social committee at Ruqi, said: “Through these programs we wanted to encourage Saudi youngsters to start reading, and to make them understand the importance of reading.” He admitted that most Saudi youngsters today are not much into reading books.
“Some do not read books at all. We try to guide them to reading and literary clubs and tell them not to ignore the importance of reading books,” said Al-Zamil.
The social committee at Ruqi runs an introductory program before assigning the youngsters to the group’s activities. “We tell them why reading is important and try to boost their confidence. We tell them how reading helps them to be good and articulate speakers,” he said.
Al-Zamil partly blamed new technology for killing the habit of reading among today’s generation. “These gadgets keep youngsters away from books. Printed books are still the most trusted sources of information. Online information may not always be accurate,” he added.
Muhammad Ba-Sameeh, the reading activity organizer, said the reading initiative club is still in its infancy. “We are ready to go further and make this journey fruitful and helpful for our youngsters,” he said. “In future, there will be more workshops in which experts will guide the participants.”