Launched in autumn 2025, "Lukeva Tampere" brings together the City of Tampere’s literacy initiatives, strengthens cooperation between different stakeholders and lays the foundations for a long-term literacy programme, from early childhood through to upper secondary education.
– Literacy is for everyone. The literacy programme ensures that every child and young person in Tampere has equal opportunities to grow and develop into a proficient reader, explains Katja Saxholm, Tampere’s literacy coordinator.
The "Reading Tampere" literacy programme aims to integrate the promotion of literacy into the city’s objectives – from the strategy down to the guiding documents of the various service groups – and to offer every child and young person the opportunity to develop as a reader in their own way. The "Reading Tampere" programme will be launched at a press conference at the Town Hall on 22 October.
In the "Reading Tampere" programme, literacy work is strengthened through three key guidelines: by creating structures for literacy work, strengthening multiliteracies, and inspiring people to read whilst diversifying literacy.
Literacy work in Tampere is carried out within a broad network of collaboration, and the work is managed and monitored in a systematic manner. Leisure and recreational activities related to literature and the written word are also developed as part of literacy work.
Multiliteracies refers to the ability to understand, interpret and produce diverse texts in various contexts. The aim is to strengthen children’s and young people’s multiliteracies and critical literacy throughout their educational journey. Multilingualism is an important part of the programme’s commitment to equality, and all the languages spoken by children and young people can be utilised to support literacy and learning.
When it comes to encouraging reading, the aim is to make reading a visible and natural part of children’s and young people’s everyday lives in early childhood education and care centres, schools and during their free time. With a diverse and appealing range of reading material, everyone can find texts that suit them, and reading is also encouraged through initiatives such as reading diplomas and reading challenges.
In the "Reading Tampere" programme, literacy work is seen as a shared responsibility for the whole city. The aim is to build a strong culture of literacy in Tampere, where reading, multiliteracies and literature are a visible part of the everyday lives of children and young people.
