Residents of the Virgin Islands are being challenged by the BVI Reading Council to grab a book, find an audience, and read aloud as the world celebrates World Read Aloud Day on Wednesday, February 24.

World Read Aloud Day is a global literacy movement that mobilises individuals and organisations and more than one hundred countries worldwide to show that the right to read and write belongs to all people.

Teachers are being asked to carry their favourite book, magazine, script, and/or newspaper to school, and ask each student to choose an excerpt to read to the class. They are also asked to hold a classroom discussion about the power of literacy.

The BVI Reading Council was established as a non-profit, voluntary, professional organisation with a mandate to foster the love of reading throughout the Territory. The council works alongside the Ministry of Education and Culture to fulfil its mandate.

The BVI Reading Council is committed to motivating children, teens, and adults to celebrate the power of words.