Reading Activists - the best bits of 2014

It's been an exciting year for Reading Activists across the country. Young people have been busy getting creative, gaining new skills and meeting lots of writers, artists and other people in creative professions. Here are some highlights.
This summer, 17 Reading Activists visited the Guardian HQ in London to take part in a journalism workshop. Participants took on the role of a sub editor, creating their own newspaper front page using the day's news feed, writing headlines and choosing photographs.
"My day at the Guardian was definitely not one to be forgotten. I can't wait to turn eighteen so I can apply for an internship!" - Sarah, Newcastle.
Summer Reading Challenge volunteering
This summer also saw Reading Activists volunteering in libraries to make the Summer Reading Challenge 2014 a huge success. Volunteers were involved in every aspect of the Challenge, from promoting it to children in schools to running activities at libraries.
"I loved helping as a volunteer for the Summer Reading Challenge. Interaction with members of the public, other volunteers and library staff built up my confidence of speaking to others. I really hope that the other volunteers enjoyed this as much as I did and I am definitely going to be helping in next year's reading challenge." - Jade, Bournemouth.
Reviewing and reporting
Throughout the year Reading Activist groups have been working with Instagrammer in residence, Emma Healey. The groups commissioned Emma to make short videos inspired by a book of their choice using the Instagram video app.
Reading Activists were also busy producing creative reviews. First they created a top ten summer reads list, then they reviewed the books on that list using a variety of media. These reviews were creative and original and we hope they have inspired others to review books creatively too.
Finally, the year came to an exciting end, when Reading Activists met and interviewed Russell Brand at our annual lecture. They asked him questions about his reading, his political views and his ideas to encourage more young people to read. Then they got busy after the lecture working as social reporters, gathering feedback from attendees and documenting the evening using a variety of digital media.
Get involved
Check out the Reading Activists Flickr and Facebook pages for more pictures from these events.
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