Croatia

 

Croatian Reading Association

 

The Croatian Reading Association is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit and voluntary association whose mission is to encourage, research and promote reading and literacy. The CroRA has approximately 375 members who are mostly librarians, teachers, university professors, pedagogues, special education teachers, psychologists, writers, students, publishers, etc. It organizes different activities for the celebration of the International Literacy Day: the contest Smile… while reading! for the best photography of a reading person, and a conference for librarians, teachers, paediatricians, preschool teachers, parents and educators to raise awareness about the importance of literacy.

 

AWARD FOR INNOVATIVE LITERACY PROMOTION IN EUROPE

• Bibliotherapy for war trauma (2001)
• Prison reading program  (2017)

 

Publications: The Association’s magazine Hamster (Hrčak) and electronic newsletter

Executive Board

• President:    Karolina Zlatar Radigović
• Vice Presidents:    Snježana Berak and Margareta Matijević Kunst
• FELA representative:   Margareta Matijević Kunst

Website: http://www.hcd.hr

Recent activities:

• CroRa is in a partnership with another 4 partners in the Project Our Street Books funded by the European Social Fund till May 2020. Because of the Pandemic, we plan to finish it in September.
• Snježana Berak and Kristina Čunović finished the Croatian Prison Reading Program for Detainees and their Children, which successfully lasted for three years.
• Celebrated The International Children’s Book Day online.
• Continue our National Campaign “Read to me!” by reading picture books and performing several puppets shows on video films.

Upcoming events:

• Conference “Literacy and Reading Culture at the Age of Change” in partnership with the largest publisher in Croatia, Školska knjiga Zagreb (8 September, 2020 – the International Literacy Day);
• The election assembly (September 2020) – because of the impossibility of holding it in April;
• Publication of “Hamster”, the magazine published by the association (to be thematically related to the conference);
• The 15^th Photo contest Smile… while reading! for the best photography of a reading person
• Preparing activities for the 5^th Picture book Festival “Sheep in the box” which will take place in Pazin in September.
• Continue our National Campaign “Read to me!” to promote reading to children from early age.