Our young people's programme: the future of Reading Activists

We are happy to announce the new name of our young people's programme: Reading Hack, which has been developed in close consultation with young people and stakeholders. Hacking reading is about a creative disruption of reading, about taking an existing thing and remaking it into something extraordinary. To hack reading is to put an alternative spin on something ordinary and use it in a new or unexpected way. We hope that young people across the country will get involved in new and inspiring ways.
In 2013, we received a very generous £1 million gift from The Paul Hamlyn Foundation to grow our work with young people (aged 13 to 24). The gift was intended to build on the success of Reading Activists, with a new vision to inspire, share and celebrate young people's engagement with reading.
In March 2014, we commissioned youth digital media company, Bold Creative to help us develop a creative concept and a brand to inspire young people, and have been working in close consultation with the library sector since then. Young people from across England have also been consulted every step of the way, through face-to-face and digital consultation sessions to ensure that they feel a sense of ownership over the new brand identity and web platform.
The concept
The new programme aims to revolutionise young people's reading engagement in the UK. It will provide a platform where young people have a voice; where they feel empowered and encouraged to take part in, create and lead reading-inspired activity. In 5 years, we want the programme to be THE place to find out about the best ways of engaging young people with reading. Through Reading Hack, young people will learn new skills, earn rewards, volunteer for the Summer Reading Challenge and regain an enjoyment of reading by seeing it as social and creative.
Read this for a full update of Reading Hack progress to date.
The Logo
After much consultation with young people, we're happy to announce the new logo for the Reading Hack programme.
Watch this space!
In 2015 you can expect a brand new logo, website and full launch of the Reading Hack programme. We hope you're just as excited as we are.
Get involved
Sign up to our newsletter for updates direct to your inbox, or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.